HCM
OUTPUT DEVICES
It is any peripheral that receives or displays information from a computer
are devices used to display and produce information held inside the computer
Output devices return processed data that is information back to the user
Soft copy refers to intangible output. It is mainly displayed on the screen, speakers etc
Hard copy refers to tangible output produced on papers eg printers, plotters etc
Examples of Output devices
Soft copy output devices
Monitor/ Screen/ Visual Display Unit (VDU)
Speaker
Headphones
Projectors
Light emitting diodes
Hard copy output devices
Printers
Plotters (Flat bed and drum plotters)
Microform
MONITOR/ SCREEN/ VDU
Displays information on its screen
Types of Monitors
1. Monochrome monitor
it displays image and text in only one colour mostly black and white
2. Colour monitor
it displays images and text in multiple colours
3. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
the screen of CRT is curved slightly outward
they are not portable
they consume a lot of power
they are cheap
4. Flat panel display
the screen is flat
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they are portable
consume less power
occupy less space
expensive
provides high quality output
5. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
they have tiny liquid crystals that reflect light falling on them from environment
6. Thin Film Transistors (TFT)
it provides high quality output (text and graphics)
7. Electro Luminescent (EL)
they glow rise to an electroluminescent display, images are clearer than LCD
8. Gas plasma
they use gas that emits light when electric current is passed through them
Graphic adapter/video card
Graphic adapter it’s a piece of circuit board that connects a monitor to a computer and allows
the computer to show images and text on its screen.
Examples of graphic adapters
Monochrome Displays Adapter (MDA) – it displays text only in one colour
Hercules Graphic Card (HGC) – displays both text and images in one colour
Colour Graphic Adapter (CGA) – displays text and images using up to 16 colours
Enhanced Graphic Adapter (EGA) – displays text and images using 16 colours
Video Graphic Arrays (VGA) – offers 256 colours
Super Video Graphic Array (SVGA) – offers over 256 colours.
Advantage of Monitors
Its output is immediate and visual
High speed of display
No noise
No wastage of paper
Can display text, graphics, etc
Disadvantages
When the display changes, the previous output is lost
Needs a separate device to produce hardcopy
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SOUND OUTPUT (Speaker)
Sound output in is form of spoken words
Speakers are used to output the sound form computers e.g. music, warnings, videos etc.
Application of sound output
Learning aids e.g. computer aided learning
Lifts – messages can be used in lifts to greet visitors and tell them the floor they are in
Emergency messages i.e. public address systems, in cars when running out of petrol,
household e.g. vacuum ‘cleaners tub is overloaded’
Text to speech translation for blind
Advantages
No reading is necessary
Useful in situations where you can’t look or where you are busy
Fast natural output
People grow fond of “computer speak”
Disadvantages
Not suitable for noisy situations
Inappropriate for lengthy or permanent information
PROJECTORS
o They are used to output from a computer onto a plain white screen like a wall or
whiteboard eg Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) projector, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
projector, Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector
LIGHT EMITTING DIODES
They are light emitting components that display light when an electric current is passed
through them
It is used mainly for warnings e.g. the red and green light displayed by the system unit to
help the user know whether it is ON or OFF
ACTUATORS
these are output/control devices which turns on or off some devices in control systems
Some of the control devices include electric heater (supplier heat), electric motor
(provide movement/rotation), motorised pump, buzzers, lights, heaters, actuators, etc
GRAPH PLOTTER
This is a device used to produce high quality drawings in various paper sizes and is used
in Computer Aided Design (CAD)
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A plotter can be used to produce high quality, accurate, A3 size or bigger drawings
They are usually used for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided
Manufacture (CAM) applications such as printing out plans for houses or car parts
They print sharper and more precise drawings
PRINTER
produce a hard copy of information on papers
Classification of printers-Printers are categorised as follows
1. How they produce characters on paper
Impact printers – they provide prints by printing head element coming into
actual contact with the stationery through inked ribbon
Non-impact printers – they provide prints by the print head elements not coming
into actual contact with the stationery but other means e.g. thermal
2. The speed at which they print
Character printers – they produce one character at a time e.g. daisy wheel, dot
matrix etc
Line printers – they produce one line at a time e.g. drum, chain etc
Page printers – they produce an entire page at once e.g. laser printer
Difference between Impact Printers and Non-Impact Printers
IMPACT PRINTER NON IMPACT PRINTER
Makes noise when printing Quiet printers
Print head makes contact with the paper No contact creates an image without striking a
ribbon against the paper. Creates images on a
surface without contacting it
Strike ribbon against the paper Use a laser beam which form an image onto
paper using toner
Slow printers Fast printers
Use ribbons or ink Use toner
Has too many moving parts hence unreliable Has fewer moving parts hence they are
reliable
Impact printers are relatively inexpensive and Very expensive printers
the cost of printing is also low because ink
ribbons are inexpensive
Advantages of non-impact printers over impact printers
Have high print quality
They are fast and do not make noise
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They are reliable because they have fewer moving parts
See above [non-impact section]
Examples of Impact and Non-Impact printers
IMPACT PRINTERS NON IMPACT PRINTERS
Dot matrix Laser
Daisy wheel printers Inkjet
Line printers LED
Chain printers Thermal
Magnetic
Electrostatic
Xerographic
BRAILLE PRINTER
prints Braille which is readable to the blind people
Photo printer
special purpose printers designed to print photos
Laser printer
A type of printer that utilizes a laser beam to produce an image on a drum.
Advantages
Monochrome or four color
High-quality print
Capable of printing an almost unlimited variety of fonts
Quiet operation
Disadvantages
Color laser printers tend to be about five to ten times as expensive as monochrome
Cannot print on multiple-copy paper
Ink-jet printer
A type of printer that works by spraying ionized ink at a sheet of paper
Advantages
Inexpensive way to print full-color document
Easily portable due to smaller mechanical parts than laser printers
Quiet operation
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Disadvantages
Slow output
Require a special type of ink that is apt to smudge on inexpensive copier paper
Cannot print on multiple-copy paper
Thermal transfer printers
A type of printer that applies heat to a ribbon and the image or barcode is then transferred
to labels or tags. This technology produces a higher quality, longer lasting image on the
tag or label
Advantages
1 to 2 years media shelf life
Media is not heat sensitive
Medium to high image quality
Wide range of available types
Recommended for industrial use
Disadvantages
Special ribbons required
Average operational cost
Cannot print on multiple-copy paper
Single-pass ribbons only
Direct thermal printers
A type of printer that applies heat directly to specially treated paper, labels or tags to
form the image or barcode
Advantages
No ribbon required
Low operational cost
Disadvantages
Short media shelf life
Very heat sensitive media
Limited image quality
Limited number of available types
Not recommended for use in industrial, outdoor, or harsh environments
Cannot print on multiple-copy paper
Dot-matrix printer
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A type of printer that produces characters and illustrations by striking pins against an ink
ribbon to print closely spaced dots in the appropriate shape
Advantages
Can print to multi-page forms
Moderately priced
Multi-pass ribbons (saves money)
Disadvantages
Noisy operation
Low-quality output
Slow print speed
Multi-pass ribbons (decrease in quality with each pass)
Daisy wheel Printers
A printer that uses a wheel with all the characters on it to produce output
These printers generally aren't used much anymore due to the decreased cost of other
printers that can produce graphics as well as text
Advantages
Best print quality of impact printers
Disadvantages
Very slow
Only one font can be used at a time because you must change out the Daisy Wheel to
change fonts
Cannot print graphic
Chain and band printers
Uses characters on a band or chain that is moved into place before striking the characters
onto the paper
Advantages
Very fast
Disadvantages
Very loud
Very expensive
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Factors to consider when selecting a printer
Initial cost and subsequent costs of maintenance
Volume of printing expected reports
Nature of reports to be generated
Range of capability for selected printers e.g. multiple copier, print styles etc.
Interface with the computer system
Speed
Quality of prints
COMPUTER OUTPUT ON MICROFORM (COM)
The com devices record computer output (images or text) on to photographic film which can be
viewed later by special microfilm readers
Applications of COM
Libraries for book catalogues
Local authorities to retain town plans, maps, statistics etc.
Companies to store personal and customers records
Types of microform
Microfilm - the output is usually on a roll of film
Microfiche – the output is on a page of film on which data images are arranged in a grid of
patterns
Advantages of COM
Saves on stationery and space
Faster than printing
Non-bulky hence portable
Contents on COM are not easily read using naked eyes hence guaranteed security
Have got larger life span compared to paper output
Disadvantages of COM
Expensive
Cause eye-strain
Additional equipments needed to read to contents
