Information Technology Output Devices Mrs. E.

Byfield-Small

Output is data that has been processed in a useful form. Output exists in two (2) forms:

 softcopy

 hardcopy

Softcopy - refers to temporary output that can be viewed but not touched

headset/earphone speaker

Soft-copy

multi-media projector monitor

Hardcopy - is a permanent form of output in printed format.

printer

Hard-copy microfilm/microfiche

plotter

An output device is the hardware that conveys information to the user. Examples of commonly used output

devices include:

monitor speaker

printer fax modem

projector plotter

headset/earphone microfilm/microfiche multifunction device

SOFTCOPY OUTPUT

DISPLAY DEVICE

A display device conveys text, graphics and video information. Computers display output on a screen or

monitor as ‘softcopy’ output that exists electronically and can only be viewed for a temporary period.
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD

Smart-boards are large touch sensitive plastic boards

that respond to input either directly by connections

to a computer; or through other devices such as a

projector, tablet or magnetic pen. They a mainly

used in teaching and for presentations.

Monitor

The monitor is the most common form of output device, which is similar to a television. Images and text are

formed by many tiny dots of coloured lights called pixels (short of picture elements.)

A pixel is the tiny dots that forms the images displayed on the screen.

Types of Monitors

 CRT Monitors

 Flat Panel Display

CRT Monitor

A CRT Monitor (Cathode Ray Tube) is a desktop monitor that resembles a standard television set. These are

encased in a plastic or metal case that contains the cathode ray tube at the core causing the back of the unit to

protrude.

Flat Panel Displays – A flat panel display is a lightweight display device with a flat screen that uses liquid

crystal display (LCD) or gas plasma television.

Types of flat panel displays include:

 LCD monitors/screens

 Plasma monitors

 HDTV (High Definition TV)

LCD Monitor – An LCD Monitor is a small, light and flat panel monitor

that uses liquid crystals and produce sharp flicker free images. LCD

monitors do not take up much desk space and is exclusively used in

portable computers such as notebook computers, tablet pc, mobile devices such as PDAs, and smart phones,

watches and calculators.

Plasma Monitor – A plasma monitor is a display device that uses gas plasma technology with a layer of gas

between two glass plates. When voltage is applied, the gas releases ultraviolet light which causes the pixels on

the screen to glow and form an image. Plasma monitors offer larger screen sizes and higher quality display but

are more expensive. These monitors can also hang or be mounted on a wall.

HDTV (High Definition Television) – HDTV is the most advanced form

of digital television working with digital broadcast signals, that are

digitized when sent over the air from local television networks, satellites

or cable.

HDTV is ideal for:

 presenting material to a large group of persons

 use of Interactive TV, banking, shopping, playing games, viewing live television programs and

videoconferencing.

Characteristics of a Monitor

The full capability of a monitor depends on the following factors:

 Size

This is the diagonal dimension of the screen and is available in a range of size – 15”, 17”; 19” ……; the

larger the size of the monitor, the more it allows you to view information on the screen at once.

 Resolution

This determines the sharpness or clarity of the images displayed on the screen.

 Refresh rate

This is the frequency at which images on the screen is updated or drawn. When the rate is low, images

will flicker on the screen. The refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second.

 Colour

Monitors are either monochrome or colour.

A monochrome monitor displays information in one colour (such as white, amber, green, black, blue or grey)

on a different background such as black or grayish-white.

A colour monitor produce multi-colour images by combining the colours : red, blue and green in varying

intensities.
MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR

A multimedia projector is a device that combines sound, video,

graphics and animation to deliver presentations with an

interesting effect.

The projector is used to display images and text on a larger

screen so that an audience can view images clearly. It uses liquid

crystal display technology, has its own built in lenses and light sources; and connects direct to a computer,

television, video/DVD player and video camcorder.

HEADSET

A headset is an output that allows only the individual wearing the

device to hear sound. It typically has a microphone attached to it and is

used in telephony and radio communication.

EARPHONE

An electronic device worn on/in the ear to receive

radio or telephone communication or to listen to

MP3 player etc; it does not typically have a

microphone attached to it.

SPEAKERS

Speakers are added to the computer to generate a higher quality

sound for playing games, interacting with multimedia

presentations, listening to music CDs and viewing DVDs.

MODEM

Modem stands for Modulator Demodulator. A

Modem is a device that enables computers to

communicate with one another, by allowing the

user to access the internet.

A modem changes the digital signal (which the computer uses) (modulator) to an analogue format which is

then transmitted through a telephone line. The modem that is connected to the receiving computer, converts the

analogue signal back into a digital form (demodulator).

It is considered to be softcopy output because the display is volatile. By disconnecting the VGA or HDMI cable

or powering off the computer, it will result in the disappearance of the information.

HARDCOPY OUTPUT

PRINTER

A printer produces text and graphics in printed and permanent form. Printers vary in their speed and print

quality depending on the desired print output of the user.

CATEGORIES OF PRINTERS

Printers fall into two categories:

 Impact Printers

 Non-Impact Printers

IMPACT PRINTERS

An impact printer forms characters and graphics on a piece of

paper by striking a mechanism against an inked ribbon, that

makes physically contact with the paper.

Types of impact Printers

1. Dot Matrix – A dot matrix printer produces printed images, when tiny wire pins on a print head

mechanism, strike an inked ribbon that strikes the paper.

Characteristics

- very noisy

- print quality is poor

- in-xpensive

- can produce carbon copies of the original print

- use continuous form paper that automatically feeds into the printer
 2. Daisy Wheel – A daisy wheel printer uses a small metal like wheel with all

the characters engraved into each arm to produce output.

Characteristics

- printing is slow

- very noisy

- cannot print graphics nor in colour

3. Line Printer - This is a high speed printer that prints an entire line at a time. The band, drum and shuttle

matrix printer are examples of line printers.

Characteristics

- very loud

- high speed printers

- used to print large volumes of information

- prints up to 3000 lines per minute.

NON IMPACT PRINTERS

A non-impact printer forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper by spraying ink while some use heat or

pressure or laser to create images. Types of Non-Impact Printers include:

1. Inkjet Printer – An inkjet printer forms characters and graphics by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink

onto a piece of paper.

Characteristics

- expensive

- print quality is good

- prints much quieter

- print speed is high

- can print photographic quality images

 2. Laser Printer – A laser printer is a high speed, high quality printer that uses laser beams to aid in

printing. It uses toner (powder) ink to burn text and images onto the paper.

Characteristics

- very quiet when printing

- print quality is extremely high

- print graphics in high resolution

- high maintenance costs’

- very expensive

- wide selection of fonts styles

- can print a large number of pages at once.

3. Thermal Printer – A thermal printer uses heat on chemically treated paper to form characters on the

paper.

Characteristics

- print quality is poor

- paper is expensive

- print eventually fades if exposed to light and heat.

MULTIFUNCTION DEVICE

A multifunction device combines the printer, with a

scanner, a fax machine and a copier.

Advantages

 Lessens the cost of purchasing multiple devices

 Save on storage space

 Provides the user with multi-functions

Disadvantages

 When one function stops working the device cannot operate

 Some functions may never be used by the user

PLOTTER

A plotter is a sophisticated printer used to produce

high quality drawing such as blue prints, maps, charts

and circuit drawings.

They are used in specialized fields such as

engineering, architecture and drafting.

3D PRINTER

A three dimensional printer is similar to an inkjet printer. It

creates a 3D model of an image, layer by layer, from the

bottom upwards. It takes many hours to layer the image (one

on top of the other) until the image is created. It uses melted

plastic that sticks each layer to the previous layer.

COMPUTER OUTPUT ON MICROFILM/MICROFICHE (COM)

Computer-Output-on-microfilm (COM), (also known as computer output microfilm) is a process for copying

data from storage media on a computer onto microfilm. COM can

be produced as microfiche or as a 16mm-roll microfilm. This is a

technology which enables the output from the computer to be

recorded directly on microfilm rather than on paper.

Data stored on microfilm/microfiche is loaded in a microfilm reader

that displays the output on screen for it to be photographed by a high

speed camera. Applications of Microfilm and microfiche are:

- store transactions

- cancelled cheque

- archiving historic data

- storing recorded historical events

Microfiche

Microfilm