Unit I

Computer output devices receive information from

the computer, and carry data that has been
processed by the computer to the
user. Output devices provide data in different
forms, some of which include audio, visual, and hard
copy media.
The devices are usually used for display, projection, or
for physical reproduction. Monitors and printers are
two of the most commonly-known output devices
used with a computer.
This is the most common computer output device.
It creates a visual display by the use of which
users can view processed data. Monitors come
in various sizes and resolutions. Common Types
of Monitors

 CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)

 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
 LED (Light Emitting Diode)
 Plasma Display Panel (PDP)
The cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube
that contains one or more electron guns and
a phosphorescent screen, and is used to
display images. It modulates, accelerates,
and deflects electron beam(s) onto the screen
to create the images.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a type of flat panel display
which uses liquid crystals in its primary form of
operation. It is a combination of two states of matter,
the solid and the liquid.

LCD uses a liquid crystal to produce a visible image.

Liquid crystal displays are super-thin technology
display screens that are generally used in laptop
computer screens, TVs, cell phones, and portable
video games. LCD’s technologies allow displays to be
much thinner when compared to a cathode ray
tube (CRT) technology.
 In the simplest terms, a light-emitting diode (LED) is a
semiconductor device that emits light when an electric
current is passed through it. Light is produced when the
particles that carry the current (known as electrons and
holes) combine together within the semiconductor
material.
 Since light is generated within the solid semiconductor
material, LEDs are described as solid-state devices. The
term solid-state lighting, which also encompasses organic
LEDs (OLEDs), distinguishes this lighting technology from
other sources that use heated filaments (incandescent and
tungsten halogen lamps) or gas discharge (fluorescent
lamps).
A plasma display is a computer video display in which
each pixel on the screen is illuminated by a tiny bit
of plasma or charged gas, somewhat like a tiny neon
light. Plasma displays are thinner than cathode ray
tube ( CRT ) displays and brighter than liquid
crystal displays ( LCD ).
The way plasma displays work is similar to how a
florescent light bulb works, gas is used to excited
phosphors which produce visible light.
The plasma itself does not provide the light energy
itself, rather it produces ultraviolet, UV, light that
excites the phosphors that are coated on to each cell.
 LCD LED
CRT
speakers are attached to computers to facilitate the
output of sound; sound cards are required in the
computer for speakers to function. The different
kinds of speakers range from simple, two-speaker
output devices right the way up to surround-sound
multi-channel units.
this is a display device that projects a computer-
created image onto another surface: usually some
sort of whiteboard or wall. The computer transmits
the image data to its video card, which then sends
the video image to the projector. It is most often
used for presentations, or for viewing videos.
this generates a hard copy of a digitally depicted design.
The design is sent to the plotter through a graphics
card, and the design is formed by using a pen. It is
generally used with engineering applications, and
essentially draws a given image using a series of straight
lines. This makes plotters ideal for printing architectural
blueprints, engineering designs, and
other CAD drawings.

There are two different types of plotter:

a) Drum plotter
b) Flatbed plotter
Drum plotters (also called roller plotters) spin the
paper back and forth on a cylindrical drum while
the ink pens move left and right. By combining
these two directions, lines can be drawn in any
direction.

Flatbed plotters have a large horizontal surface on

which the paper is placed. A traveling bar draws
lines on the paper as it moves across the surface.
 Printer is a device that generates a hard copy
version of processed data, like documents
and photographs. The computer transmits
the image data to the printer, which then
physically recreates the image, typically on
paper.

Types of Printers
 Impact printers
 Non impact printers
 Printers

Impact Printers Non Impact Printers

Dot Daisy Line Ink jet Laser Thermal

matrix Wheel printers

Classification of Printers
Impact printers are printers which works by
creating a direct contact between ink ribbon
and paper. These printers are noisy yet
popular. Impact printers have mechanical
moving parts to conduct printing. Examples:
Dot-matrix printers, Daisy-wheel printers,
and line printers.
 A daisy-wheel printer works on the same principle
as a ball-head typewriter. The daisy wheel is a disk
made of plastic or metal on which characters stand
out in relief along the outer edge. To print a
character, the printer rotates the disk until the
desired letter is facing the paper.
Line printers are high-speed, business-oriented
printing machines that were developed initially
for punch-card business machines, before the
dawn of the computer age. They print a line of
text at a time, the full width of the page, rather
than using a printhead that moves back and forth.

They've largely been replaced by high-speed laser

printers but remain useful in some business
applications because of their low cost and ability
to print multi-part carbonless forms.
A dot matrix printer is a type of printer which uses
pins impacting an ink ribbon to print. These
printers are generally considered outdated, as
they cannot create high-quality prints and are
costly as well.
However, they have a certain specialty that other
printers like inkjet and laser printers do not have:
as they use impact for printing, they can be used
to print multiple copies of text at the same time
with the help of carbon copying. Therefore, they
are mostly used in places where mult
 Impact printers form images and characters by striking a mechanism such as a
print hammer or wheel against an inked ribbon, leaving an image on paper.
 Printing in impact printers is done by hammering a metal pin or character dye.
 Impact printers are low speed printers. They consume a lot of time to print a
document.
 Impact printers have high level of noise because they have many moving parts
and also the print head strikes on ribbon and paper.
 Impact printers use pins, hammers or wheel to strike against an inked ribbon to
print on a paper.
 Print quality of impact printers is lower than those of non-impact printers.
 Impact printers use special inked ribbons to produce print on paper when print
head strikes.
 Impact printers use old printing technologies.
 Impact printers are often less expensive.
 Usually, impact printers use continuous paper sheet.
 With exception of dot matrix printer, impact printers cannot print graphics
images.
 With exception of dot matrix, the character style cannot be changed in the impact
printers.
Non-Impact printers don't uses any direct
contact between ink ribbon and paper. They
use laser, xerographic, electrostatic, chemical
or inkjet technology. These printers are less
noisy and don't have mechanical moving
parts to conduct printing. Examples: Inkjet
printers and Laser printers.
Inkjet printers, as the name implies, use ink
to print text, graphics, and images onto
various types of paper. These printers are most
common in homes and small offices, though
many commercial printing companies
use inkjet printers to produce high-quality
brochures, flyers, and other pieces.
A laser printer is a printer that uses a focused
beam or light to transfer text and images onto
paper. It produces high-quality text and
graphics by repeatedly passing a laser beam
back and forth over a negatively charged
cylinder called a "drum" to define a
differentially charged image
 A thermal printer is a printer that makes use of
heat in order to produce the image on paper.
 Due to quality of print, speed, and technological
advances it has become increasingly popular and
is mostly used in airline, banking, entertainment,
retail, grocery, and healthcare industries.
Thermal printing does not make use of ink or
toner unlike many other printing forms but
largely depends on thermal papers for producing
the images.They are also quiet popular in
creating labels owing to speed of printing.
 Non-impact printers form characters and images without direct physical contact
between the printing mechanism and the paper.
 Printing in non-impact printers is done by depositing ink on paper in any form.
 Non-impact printers are very fast, they can print many pages per minute.
 Non-impact printers do not have high level of noise because they do not use
string mechanism in which print head strikes on ribbon and paper. The process of
laying ink or toner onto paper is virtually silent.
 Non-impact printers uses laser, spray of special ink or heat and pressure to print
on paper.
 Print quality of non-impact printers is higher than those of impact printers.
 Non-impact printers use toner or cartridge for printing on paper.
 Non-impact printers use latest printing technologies.
 Non-impact printers are often very expensive when compared to impact printers.
 Non-impact printers often use individual paper sheets.
 Printing of graphical images in non-impact printers is very much possible.
 It can print different types of characters form using the individual printer.