OUTPUT DEVICES

OUTPUT DEVICES

Output devices return processed data that is information, back to the user. Some of the commonly used output devices are:

1. Monitor (Visual Display Unit)

2. Printers

3. Plotter

4. Speakers

1. Monitor

Out of all the output devices, monitor is perhaps the most important output device

because people interact with this device most intensively than others. Computer information is displayed, visually with a video adapter card and monitor. Information

processed within the CPU, that needs to be visually displayed, is sent to video adapter. The video adapter converts information from the format used, in the same manner as a television displays information sent to it by a cable service. Two basic types of monitors are used with microcomputers, which are as follows:

1. CRT        

2. LCD

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT): CRT or Cathode Ray Tube Monitor is the typical monitor that you see on a desktop computer. It looks a lot like a television screen, and works the same way. This type uses a large vacuum tube, called cathode ray tube (CRT).  

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD): This type of monitors are also known as flat panel monitor. Most of these employ liquid crystal displays (LCDs) to render images. These days LCD monitor are very popular.

When people talk about the capabilities of various monitors, one critical statistic is the resolution of the monitor. Most monitors have a resolution of at least 800 x 600 pixels. High-end monitors can have resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels or even 1280 x 1024 pixels. Thus monitors are available either in low resolution or in high resolution.

 

2. Printer

After a document is created on the computer, it can be sent to a

printer for a hard copy (printout). Some printers offer special

features such as colored and large page formats. Some of the

most commonly used printers are:

1. Laser Printer

2. Ink Jet Printer

3. Dot Matrix Printer

4. Line Printer

Laser Printer: A laser printer produces high quality print that one normally finds in publishing. It is extremely fast and quiet. Moreover, the operation of a laser printer is easy with automatic paper loading and no smudging or messing up of ink ribbons. The fastest laser printer can print up to 200 pages per minute in monochrome (black and white) and up to 100 pages per minute in colour. Ink-Jet Printer: An ink-jet printer creates an image directly on paper by spraying ink through as many as 64 tiny nozzles. Although the image it produces is not generally quite as sharp as the output of a laser printer, the quality of ink-jet images is still high. In general, ink-jet printer offers an excellent middle ground between dot matrix and laser printer. Like laser printer, an ink-jet printer is quiet and convenient, but not particularly fast. Typically, an ink-jet printer is more expensive than a dot-matrix printer, but costs only half as much as a laser printer. Dot Matrix Printer: The dot matrix printer was very popular at one point of time. It is a very versatile and inexpensive output device. In dot matrix printer the print head physically "hits" the paper through the ribbon and produces text (or images) by combinations of dots; hence the name dot matrix printer. Its speed is measured in characters per second

(CPS). Although it is less expensive, it is louder, slower and produces lower print quality.  Line Printer: A line printer is generally used with large computer systems to produce text based data processing reports. Line printers are high-speed printers with speeds ranging anywhere from 100 to about 3800 lines per minute. In the past, print quality on line printers was not high. Developments in technology are improving the print quality on line printers. These are in the cost range of lacs of Rupees.

3. Plotter

A plotter is a special kind of output device that, like a printer, produces images on paper, but does so in a different way. Plotters are designed to produce large drawings or images, such as construction plans for buildings or blueprints for mechanical objects. A plotter can be connected to the port normally used by a printer. An array of different colored pens in a clip rack and a robotic arm is part of plotter. The instructions that a plotter receives from a computer consist of a color, and beginning and ending coordinates for a line. With that information, the plotter picks up the appropriate pen through its arm, positions it at the beginning coordinates drops the pen down to the surface of the paper and draws to the ending coordinates. Plotters draw curves by creating a sequence of very short straight lines. Plotters usually come in two designs:

1. Flat Bed: Plotters of small size to be kept on table with restriction of paper size.

2. Drum: These plotters are of big size using rolls of paper.

4. Speaker

Speakers are another type of output device, which allow you to listen to voice like music, and conversation with people.