7/2/21

COMPUTER STUDIES
OUTPUT DEVICES
Output is the result of what the
computer has done. It is the
processed data known as
information. There are two
types of output:
1. Softcopy: is the output
that is stored inside a
storage medium or displayed
on the screen. It cannot be
held but can only be read or
listened to. It is accessed
through the monitor, storage
media, multimedia projector,
and speaker.
2. Hardcopy: is the
information that is displayed
on the paper. It is a printed
output. Hardcopy is achieved
through the printer and
plotter
 An output device is any piece of hardware
used to communicate the results of
data processing carried out by an
information processing system (such as a
computer) to the outside world. They are the
media that bring out information. These parts of
the computer include:
1.Monitor
2.Printer
3.Speaker
4.Projector
5.Plotter
6.Computer Output Microfilm
7.Actuators
 THE MONITOR
The monitor is also called Visual Display
Unit (VDU). It is similar in appearance to
a television. The monitor is an essential
part of the PC that outputs images, texts
and other information displayed on the
screen as collection of small dots or
pixels. Monitors traditionally have a 4:3
width to height ratio. Monitors can be
classified in two ways:
1. Based on Technology:

CRT Monitor
These monitors are easy to identify as they
have large bulky backs behind a glass
screen. They used to be the most common
monitors for use with desktop computers.
These days other Monitor types have
become cheaper and so CRT monitors are
not commonly seen except in old
equipment.
Advantages and disadvantages
Cheap to buy
Produces good colours
Large footprint so takes up lots of desktop
space.
Very heavy compared to other monitor
types
Screen is generally convex and this makes
output at the edges slightly distorted.
TFT/LCD Monitor
These are the most common type of
computer monitor at present. They use
LCD technology which requires
backlighting to enable the image to be
seen.
Advantages and disadvantages
•Thinner and lighter then CRT monitors
making them suitable for portable products
•Narrow viewing angle - Picture quality
changes as the viewer moves around.
1. Based on type of colour:
i. Monochrome Monitor: It displays only
two colours. (One natural and one other
colour. E.g Black and White.
ii. Coloured monitor: It displays multiple
colours depending on the adapter used.
E.g:
 Coloured Graphic Adapter(CGA)–4 colours
 Enhanced Graphic Adapter(EGA)–16colours
 Video Graphic Adapter(VGA)-256 colours
 Super Video Graphic Adapter(SVGA) –
Over a million colours
Multimedia Projector
Computer screens are too small to show
something to an audience. Multimedia
projectors plug into computers and the normal
image on the display is projected onto a large
screen.
Advantages and disadvantages
Allows larger numbers of people to see what is
on the computer display
Bulp lifetime is limited and bulbs are expensive
to replace
Often require significant distance between
screen and projector so require large rooms to
7/2/21

THE PRINTER
Printers produce a permanent hard
copy of the information on paper. A
computer peripheral that place texts on
paper. It is a computer peripheral that
puts text or a computer-generated
image on paper or on another medium.
The classes of printers are:
1. Dot Matrix printer
2. Daisywheel Printer
3. Inkjet printer
4. Laserjet printer
5. Thermal Printer
6. Electrostatic printer

TYPES OF PRINTER
7. Impact
8. Non-impact
Laser Printer
Laser printers are the main types of
printers found in offices and businesses.
They produce high quality printouts of
both text and graphics and can produce
both colour and gray scale output.
Advantages and disadvantages
More expensive to buy a laser printer
than an inkjet printer
Less expensive to print per page than an
inkjet printer.
Produce very high quality output
Inkjet Printer
Inkjet printers produce a printout by emitting
small drops of ink onto paper. They are not
impact printers. Inkjet printers are very common
for home printing requirements.
Advantages and disadvantages
Produce high quality printouts in colour
Cheap to purchase the printer initially
Quieter than impact printers such as dotmatrix
High ink costs per page
Printouts may not be touch-dry when first
produced so will smudge if not handled carefully
Dot Matrix Printer
Dot-matrix printers are impact printers.
They work by striking the page with small
pins coated in ink at the tip. They used to
popular in home printing applications but
have now been mostly replaced by inkjet
printers. There main use is in printing multi-
part forms which require the impact to
imprint the character through to the last
page.
Advantages and disadvantages
Very fast for printing text
Can print onto multi-part forms because they use
impact to work (the other types of printer
mentioned are non-impact).
Very noisy so not suitable for offices due to noise
polution.
Still popular in wharehouses, or similar, where
noise is less of an issue and mutli-part form use
is still common.
Produce very poor image quality only really
suitable for text
Graph Plotter
Also called a 'plotter' these are used to
printout line drawings in situations like
architects or engineering diagrams. There
are two types
Flat-bed plotters - The paper lies on flat
surface and pens are moved across the
surface to draw diagrams
Drum-plotters - The paper is on a roll and as
it unrolls pens draw on it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Can work on very large paper sizes
Produce very high quality line drawings
Very large and so take up lots of office
space
Very expensive to buy the plotter
Pen plotters have mostly been replaced
by very large inkjet printers in most
situtions
Speakers
Enable a computer to output sounds as long
as there is a sound card fitted into the
computer.
Advantages and disadvantages
Enable to uers to hear sounds - useful for
feedback for visually impaired people
Enables computers to be used a multimedia
devices such as in video playback with
sound
Require desktop space
ACTUATORS
These are devices used by computers to
communicate with the environment.
Motors
Allows a computer to make other equipment
move such as microwaves, washing machines
and robots.
Advantages and disadvantages
Enables computers to control automated
equipment.
Requires additional equipment like D2A
converters to enable computers to control
motors
Buzzer
Buzzers enable feedback to users such
as alarms for microwaves once they
have finished.
Advantages and disadvantages
Enables computers to give audible
feedback if the user is not able to see
the device.
Noise can be intrusive in situations
where low noise levels are important
Lights
Found in computer controlled
greenhouses, steeet lighting and traffic
lights.
Advantages and disadvantages
Improve the productivity of the
greenhouse by maximising the amount
of light for the plants.
Makes driving safer by autmatically
turning on when it is dark
Heaters
Used in computer controlled greenhouses. In
colder climates and at night the computer can
turn the heater on to maintain the optimum
temperature for the plants growth.
Advantages and disadvantages
Improve the productivity of the greenhouse by
maximising the temperature for the plants.
Enables the growth of plants which would not
grow in colder climates
Excessive use of heaters and lights to grow
non-native plants contributes to atmospheric
warming
 MICROFILM
Microfilm, film that contains
photographically reduced images.
Before electronic storage of documents
on computers became practical,
microfilm was a popular medium on
which to store information that
otherwise would require too much
space.
CLASS WORK
1. Differentiate between
monochrome and coloured
monitor
2. State 3 media each that
produces:
i. Hardcopy
ii. Softcopy
ASSIGNMENT
1. Calculate the height of the
monitors with the following
width:
i. 14 inches
ii. 17 inches
iii. 21 inches
2. Justify the importance of output
devices in computing.