Part of the Computing fundamentals glossary:

In computer printing, portrait is a mode in which the printer orients content for reading across the shorter length (the width) of the sheet of paper. Because most printing is done in portrait mode, it is set up as the default mode for printer operation. The alternative to portrait mode is landscape mode, which presents content across the longer length of the sheet of paper.

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The portrait and landscape terms are derived from the typical rectangular proportions of a portrait or a landscape in a work of art.

This was last updated in May 2010
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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    - Terms related to computer fundamentals, including computer hardware definitions and words and phrases about software, operating systems, peripherals and troubleshooting.

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