Topic 6- Selection And Use Of Output Methods, Media And Devices Flashcards
Output devices
Once data has been entered and stores and processed by an ICT system its necessary to output the results of pro
- printers
- screens
- screeners
- plotters
Printers
Main types of printers
Essential part of any ICT system& are used to provide hard copy
- ink-jet printers
- laser printers
- dot matrix printers
- thermal printers
Ink-jet printers
Advantages
Disadvantages
Work by spraying ink onto the paper and can produce high quality printouts
A: -high quality print
-ability to produce photogenic quality print-ideal for printing photos -very quiet
-cheap to buy: initial costs are low (cost of printer)
D: -high cost of ink cartridges (ink refills=expensive)
-ink smudges -may need special paper
Laser printers
Advantages
Makes use of photocopier technology&different colour inks
A:-supplies(e.g toner cartridges) last longer: -ongoing printing costs are less than ink jet printer
-high printing speed -very reliable: very few problems compared with ink-jet printer
-no wet pages to deal with like ink jet printer which gets smudged
Laser printers
Disadvantages
- higher initial cost: compared to other printer is higher
- colour printing is expensive (have to use a colour laser printer)
- higher power consumption: means running costs are high
Dot matrix printers
Advantages
impactprinter work by hitting little pins(usually 9-24) against an inked ribbon to mark out the characters
A: -can be used to print multi-part stationery: important in organisations, as different part of the printouts can be sent to different people/departmen
-reliable: the technology is simple and has a very high mean time between failures
-easy to use with different paper sources: you can have different paper sources ready to be chosen by the software being run
Dot matrix printer
Disadvantages
- very noisy: because they are impact printers
- characters are not as clear: shape of the characters is made up from a series of dots
- unsuited for printing graphs: no good for desktop publishing or wordprocessing work where high-quality text is usually needed
- Limited colour printing: need to use a ribbon which consists of bands of different colours so restricted to certain colours
Thermal printers
Applications for thermal printers include
advantages
Printers which use heat in order to produce text on paper
-printing receipts and cash registers or POS, printing tickets in car park, printing lottery tickets
A:-silent printing -high speed &high quality printing
-
Multifunction printers
What do they have in one machine
Advantages
-scanner, printer (usually laser), Photocopier, fax
A:-small footprint cakes that little more than the space of an ordinary Printer
Hardware drivers
Why The software usually comes on a CD-ROM?
Hardware such as printers, scanners, cameras often comes with software. In most cases this software will come on a CD ROM because:
- many computers no longer have floppy disk drives
- Storage capacity on floppy disks is small(1.44 mb) which means many disks are needed>installation involves the hassle of inserting and removing disks
- most computers can CD-ROMs but not all can read DVDs. DVD drives can read CD-ROMS but not vice versa
The main output methods
- hard copy: printed on paper or card
- screen display/soft copy
- output in digital format: to be used as input to a another system
- sound: speech, music sound effects output to portable devices such as iPod, MP3 players
Print drivers
Software that converts all ones from the systems or application software into a form that a particular printer can understand
ways of providing the drivers
Drivers are an important part of any hardware
-install them from the system software: drivers are often provided as part of the system software/ operating system -installation CD/DVD: drivers are provided on the installation CD/DVD that comes with the hardware. -from a website: drivers can be downloaded from the hardware manufacturers&can also be downloaded from other websites which specialise in supplying drivers -by email: drivers can be emailed from a help desk
Screens
Flatscreen advantages
Sometimes called VDUs allow users to view processed information.
- take up less space on the desk and are much lighter
- The screens make use of LCD (liquid-crystal display) which produces less heat than cathode ray tube screens
Plotters
What they are used for?
Two types of plotters
- Used for the printing of graphs, plans, maps and designs from a computer system
- produce very accurate and precise drawings to scale, which look much more professional compare to the same produced using a printer
- flat-bed plotter for small drawings
- the drum plotter for large drawings
