OUTPUT DEVICES

An output device is a peripheral device that a computer uses to give out information produced
after processing. The most common types of output data include text, pictures, sound and video.

Types of output devices

Are classified as either softcopy or hardcopy.

Softcopy
Refers to intangible output displayed on the screen or listened to through devices like speakers.
Softcopy output devices include monitors, speakers, LCD Projectors and light emitting diodes.
Example of softcopy output devices:

A). Monitors (VDU)

Also known as Visual Display Unit or Screen. It displays information in form of text, pictures
and video on the screen thus helping the user to monitor operations carried out by the computer.

Types of monitors
There are two commonly used technologies used in monitors: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) and
Flat Panel Display. Monitors that display sharp clear images are said to have high resolution.

Terms associated with computer display include:

Pixel: Picture elements are tiny dots which are used to form the images displayed on the screen.
In colour monitor, a pixel has three primary colours namely red, green and blue.

Colour depth: refers to number of colours which can be displayed by a pixel. It is measured in
bits.

Resolution: is the number of pixels per inch on the screen usually given in dots per inch (dpi)
or bits. The higher the resolution, the more the number of pixels per inch, hence the clearer the
images.

Refresh rate
Since the CRTs cannot hold an image for a long time, image in the video RAM is used to
refresh the one on the screen as long as necessary. If a screen has a low fresh rate, images tend
to flicker hence causing eyestrain.
 Display size: is measured in inches as the diagonal length of the screen measured from top to
bottom left.

CTR monitor
The screen is curved slightly outward forming a convex shape. A CRT monitor consists of a
long glass tube with an electron gun on one end and a screen on the other end. The screen is
coated with tiny phosphorus dots that illuminate red, green and blue to make a pixel. The CRTs
are too bulky to carry around, consume a lot of power and are cheap to buy.

Flat Panel Display

The screen is flat, they are portable, consume less power, comfortable to use, occupy less space,
are expensive and provides high quality output.

Examples of flat panel displays

(i). Liquid crystal display (LCD)
Are made from a tiny special liquid crystals that reflect light falling on them from the
environment. Are less bulky, consume less power and have very little effect on eyes.
There are two technologies used to make LCDs monitors: Active and Passive matrix.
a) Passive matrix: Create images by scanning the entire screen. It requires little power
but have poor clarity.
b) Active Matrix: displays are made using thin film transistors. Consumes less power but
offer better clarity.
(ii). Thin Film Transistor (TFT)
It provides high quality output (text and graphics)
(iii). Electro Luminescent (EL)
They glow when exposed to an electric current, giving rise to an electroluminescent display.
Images are clearer than LCD.
(iv). Gas Plasma
They use gas that emits light when electric current is passed through them. They contain
millions of pixels that are illuminated by charged neon gas. Gas Plasma panels do not suffer
from angle distortion and the technology is popularly used in producing high definition Tvs
(HDTV) with large screens used in homes and entertainment places.

Video adapter
Also referred to as graphic adapter or video card. The monitor is connected to the system unit
through the video port to a video adapter. The video adapter determines the resolution and
clarity of the monitor. Graphic Adapter / Video card is a piece of circuit board plugged to the
motherboard 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) which 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 Graphics Adapter (EGA) – displays text, graphics and video using 16 colours.
- Video Graphic Adapter (VGA) – offers at most 256 colours.
- Super Video Graphic Array (SVGA) – Offers over 256 colours with a minimum
resolution of 800 x 600 pixels.
- Super Extended Graphics Array (SXGA) has a resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels and is
popular with 19 and 21 inch monitors.
 - Ultra Extended Graphics Array (UXGA) is the latest and has the highest standard.
B). Sound output devices
These devices produce sounds such as beeps, audio or digital. Speaker is an example of sound
output device. This output is in form of spoken words. Speakers are used to output sound from
a computer. Sound may be output inform of music, warning, video, interactive communication
with the computer or to give messages in emergency situations. Speakers can be external or
internal. Some computers have internal speakers like Compaq. An external speaker should be
connected to a sound card through the jacks on the system unit or on a multimedia monitor.

Sound output has the following advantages:

- No reading is needed
- Useful in situation where you can’t look at the screen or where you are too busy
Disadvantage
Not suitable for noisy situations
Inappropriate for lengthy or permanent information.
Applications of sound output
- Learning Aids e.g. Computer Aided Learning
- Lift where messages are used to greet visitors and tell them the floor they are in.
- Emergency massages i.e. Public address systems, in cars when running out of petrol.
- Text speech translation for blind people.

C). LCD Projectors (Data Projectors)

Are used to display output from a computer on plain white paper screen like a wall or
whiteboard. It’s actually a creative and interesting technology way of presenting computer
output to an audience unlike traditional overhead projectors.

D). Light Emitting Diodes (LED)

They are components (indicators) that display light when electric current is passed through
them. It is used mainly for warnings. Example: a red or green light displayed by the system
unit to help user know is ON or OFF, warnings given by motorists to indicate when overtaking
or taking a turn.

Hardcopy Output Devices

Hardcopy refers to tangible output that can be seen and touched and recorded on a physical
media. Hardcopy output devices are printers, plotters and facsimile (fax).

1. Printers
Produce a hard copy of information on papers. The printing mechanism determines the quality
of hardcopy. They are two types of printers namely impact and non-impact.

Impact printers
 Impact printers print using striking mechanism, they strike the paper in order to form an imprint
on it. Impact printers are cheap to run, slow, use inked ribbons, produces multiple copies, uses
cheap technology, are noisy because of impact, produce low quality printout and print for long
periods without breaking down. They produce characters by using special light hammers with
characters or pins held on the printing head. When the hammer strikes on the head, character
mark is stamped. In impact printing, the printing head comes into physical contact with the
stationery. An inked ribbon placed between the stationery and the printing head element creates
the imprints when the printing head strikes.

Types of impact printers

i) Dot Matrix Printer
Has a set of pins which strikes on an ink ribbon placed over the paper and provide character
prints in terms of dots.
ii) Daisy Wheel Printer
Works like a typewriter, and has a removable flower-like wheel consisting of spokes with
embossed characters. When printing, the wheel is rotated to align the required character and
then hit with a hammer on an inked ribbon against a sheet of paper, leaving an image of the
letter.
iii) Golf Ball Printer
The character images are incorporated on the surface of a gold ball like Print head, which is
either rotating or pivoted.
iv) Drum printer
It provides one whole line print at a time. The characters are incorporated on circular bands
that move round the surface of the drum.
v) Chain printer
It’s an impact line printer that incorporates engraved characters printing slugs on a moving
chain or belt. The chain moves the character printing slugs at high constant speed past printing
positions.

Non-impact printers
Are fast, use thermal and electrostatic principles, produces single copies, are costly due to
technology involved and quiet because of non-impact. They print using ink, toner catridge ,
thermal or laser mechanisms. In non-impact the printing head does not come into physical
contact with the stationery but by other means like thermal or electrostatic.

Types of non-impact printers

i). Thermal printer
Use heat principle to transfer characters onto a piece of paper. Work by heating solid ink which
is normally in wax or resin form to melting point then transferring it onto the paper to form
characters. Thermal printers are mostly used on point of sale terminals to print receipts and bar
codes. Thermal printers produce high quality printouts. They are inexpensive alternative to
inkjets.

ii). Inkjet printer

 Use the concept of spraying ink onto the paper, from tiny holes on the ink cartridge onto the
paper. A colour inkjet printer may have two
cartridges, one for black and a tricolour that contains
cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) compartments.
The cartridge has nozzles that do the actual spraying
of ink on the paper

Advantages
- Are cheaper and produce better quality printouts
- Inkjets printers use smaller mechanical parts than
laser printers
- Provide inexpensive way to print full-colour
document.

Weaknesses
- Are slow
- Expensive to run because they require special type of ink
- An inkjet printout is easily gets smudged when water drops on it.

iii). Electrostatic printer

Uses electrostatic charges to form characters in a line on a special paper

iv). Photo printers are special purpose printers designed to print photographs.

v). Laser printer

Prints by passing laser beam back and forth over a rotating drum, just the same technology as
photocopy machine. As the beam hits the drum, it ionizes some regions which attract ink toner
particles. They are cheaper to run, faster, produce high quality printouts but are expensive to
buy than inkjets.

Deference between impact

and non-impact printers
Impact Non-impact
- Slow - Fast
- Cheaper - Costly
- Use striking mechanism - Use thermal or electrostatic principles

- Noisy - Quiet
- Multiple copy production possible - Multiple copy production almost impossible
 - Use inked ribbon - Use ink cartridge or toner cartridge,
resin/wax.
Factors to consider when selecting a printer
- Initial cost and subsequent costs of maintenance
- Volume of printing expected
- Colour printing: coloured laser printers are very expensive, so depending with the volume
of print one can decide to buy Laser or Inkjet.
- 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: the speed of a printer is measured in Pages per minute
- Quality of prints (print quality).

2. Plotters
These are output devices that are mostly used in engineering and architecture field for
production of graphical outputs e.g. diagrams, photographs, maps, architectural designs and
such outputs.
The most common commercially available graph plotters are the
 Flatbed Plotter
 Drum Plotter.

Drum Plotter Flatbed Plotter

Review questions 2.3
1. Differentiate between softcopy and hardcopy.
2. What is the difference between CRT monitor and a flat-panel display.
3. Give three examples of flat panel monitors available in the market today.
4. Name four criteria used when selecting a printer.
5. Distinguish between impact and non-impact printers and give two examples of each.
6. State one advantage and disadvantage of laser and inkjet printers respectively.
7. Give two advantages of sound output devices.
8. Karuri road construction company CKRCC) intends to buy an output device they can use
to produce road maps. Which device would one advice the company to buy and why?