Computer Fundamentals

Dr. Safdar Nawaz Khan Marwat

Lecture 4

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 Outline
 Printers
 How Computers Represent Data

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 Printers
 Impact printers
 Generate output by striking the paper
 Uses an inked ribbon or hammer embossed with different alphabets
 Non-impact printers
 Use methods other than force
 Tend to be quiet and fast

Source: http://www.thehaystackneedleonline.com/2009/10/typewriter-collection.html

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 Printers (cont.)
 Dot matrix printers
 Impact printer
 Print head strikes inked ribbon
 Speed measured in characters per second
o Range from 50 to 500 cps
 Types
o Line printers for printing line
o Band printers with rotating band embossed with characters

Dot Matrix Print Head

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 Printers (cont.)
 Ink-jet printers
 Non-impact printer
 Inexpensive home printer
 Color output common using CMYK
o Cyan (like blue), magenta (like red), yellow, key (black)
 Sprays ink onto paper
 Speed measured in pages per minute
 Quality expressed as dots per inch

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 Printers (cont.)
 Laser printer
 Non-impact printer
 Produces high quality documents
 Color or black & white
 Print process
o Laser draws text on drum
o Toner sticks to text on drum to page
o Toner melted to page
 Speed measured in pages per minute
 Quality expressed as dots per inch

Source: http://devarchive.cnx.org/contents/b76ece9b-3fb0-4701-bb7a-b92b7941e4c5@1/18-9-applications-of-electrostatics

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 Printers (cont.)
 All-in-one peripherals
 Scanner, copier, printer and fax
 Popular in home offices
 Prices are very reasonable

Source: https://www.amazon.com/HP-LaserJet-Printer-Q6500A-ABA/dp/B000E6Z4E2

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 Printer Comparison
 Determine what you need
 Determine what you can spend

 Initial cost
 Cost of operating
 Image quality
 Speed

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 High Quality Printers
 Special purpose printers
 Used by a print shop
 Output is professional grade
 Prints to a variety of surfaces

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 High Quality Printers (cont.)
 Photo printers
 Produces film quality pictures
 Prints a variety of sizes
 Prints very slow

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 High Quality Printers (cont.)
 Thermal wax printers
 Produces bold color output
 Color generated by melting wax
o Ribbon coated with panels of colored wax
o Wax melted with focused heat source
 Colors do not bleed
 Operation costs are low
 Output is slow

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/htechnology23/assignments/output-hardware/hardcopy

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 High-Quality Printers (cont.)
 Dye sublimation printers
 Color is produced by evaporating ink
o Ribbon with color panels moved across a focused heat source
o Evaporated dye diffuse on special coated paper
 Produces realistic output
 Used by graphic designers
 Very high quality
 Operation costs are high
 Output is very slow

Source: https://www.georgiaexpo.com/what-is-dye-sublimation-custom-printed-fabric

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 High-Quality Printers (cont.)
 Plotters
 Large high quality images
 Older models draw with pens
o Paper is held stationary
 Operational costs are low
 Output is very slow
 Advanced plotter are called roller plotters
o Paper is moved back and fourth along with pen
o Produce perfect circles and drawings

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 High-Quality Printers (cont.)
 3D printers
 Also known as additive manufacturers
 Process of making three dimensional solid objects from digital file
o Using additive processes
o Object created by laying down successive layers of material
o Process continues until object created
o Each layers seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of eventual object
 Opposite of subtractive manufacturers
o Subtractive manufacturing is cutting out / hollowing out
 3D printing enables to produce complex (functional) shapes
o Using less material than traditional manufacturing methods

Source:s https://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2868817/review-lulzbot-mini-3d-printer-delivers-outstanding-details.html

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 How Computers Represent Data
 Number systems
 A manner of counting
 Several different number systems exist
 Decimal number system
 Used by humans to count
 Contains ten distinct digits
 Digits combine to make larger numbers
 Binary number system
 Used by computers to count
 Two distinct digits, 0 and 1
 0 and 1 combine to make numbers

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 How Computers Represent Data (cont.)
 Bits and bytes
 Binary numbers are made of bits
 Bit represents a switch
 A byte is 8 bits
 Byte represents one character

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 How Computers Represent Data (cont.)
 Text codes
 Converts letters into binary
 Standard codes necessary for data transfer
 ASCII
o American Standard Code for Information Interchange
o American English symbols
 Extended ASCII
o Graphics and other symbols
 Unicode
o All languages on the planet

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How Computers Represent Data (cont.)

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