Ch.

3: Output Devices Theory Notes

3.1 Monitors
CRT Monitors
Advantage:
• Wider angle of viewing than most LCD monitors
• They allow the use of light pens
• Least expensive monitors to buy

Disadvantages:
• Heavyweight devices
• Have large footprint
• They consume more power than LCD monitors
• They run very hot and can cause fires if left unattended
• They can flicker, which can lead to headaches and eyestrain problems
• They produce higher electromagnetic fields than LCD monitors

Uses:
• They are only used in specialist areas, such as computer-aided design (CAD)
• They are used with light pens to allow designs to be created on screen

LCD Monitor
Advantages:
• Lighter than CRT monitors
• Have smaller footprint than CRT monitors
• Less power consumption than CRT monitors
• They run cooler than CRT monitors
• Do not suffer from a flickering image, unlike CRT monitors
• Produce lower electromagnetic fields than CRT monitors
• Give sharper image than CRT monitors

Disadvantages:
• More expensive to buy than CRT monitors
• Narrower angle of viewing compared to CRT monitors

LCD monitors are often referred to as TFT monitors (TFT is a general term for modern thin screens)

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

Uses:
• Used as the main output device for most modern computers
• Many LCD screens offer touch-screen input
• Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and portable video games all use LCD screens

LED Monitors
Advantages of LED monitors over LCD monitors:
• Thinner
• Lighter devices
• Less power consumption
• They run cooler
• They give sharper image

We can summarize the differences between the 3 monitors in the following diagram:

Gives sharper image

CRT Thinner
LCD Lighter device
LED Less power consumption
Runs cooler
More expensive to buy

3.2 Printers
Laser Printer
Definition:
Printer that uses static electricity and toner to produce output.

Advantages:
• High quality printing
- Higher quality printing of black and white output than inkjet printers
- Higher quality printing than dot matrix printers

• Can print on both sides

• They can handle very large print jobs
• Faster printing speed than inkjet and dot matrix printers
• Toner cartridge lasts for a long time
• Have larger paper trays than inkjet printers

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

Disadvantages:
• Higher initial cost than inkjet and dot matrix printers
• Coloured laser printers tend have high running cost
• Produce health hazards such as toner/ozone particles in the air
• Have smaller paper trays than dot matrix printers

The term running cost refers to the cost of operating a device.

Inkjet Printer
Definition:
Printer that uses liquid ink to produce output.

Advantages:
• High quality printing
- Higher quality printing of coloured output than laser
printers
- Higher quality printing than dot matrix printers
• Lower initial cost than laser printer and dot matrix printers
• Very lightweight and have a small footprint
• Don’t produce health hazards such as toner/ozone particles in the air

Disadvantages:
• Slower printing speed than laser printer
• Cannot do large print jobs
• High running cost as:
- Ink cartridges run out too quickly
- Ink is expensive to buy
• Printing can ‘smudge’ if the user is not careful

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

Dot Matrix Printer

Definition:
Printer that uses matrix of pins and an inked ribbon to produce output.

Advantages:
• Best printer to work in dusty/dirty environments
• Carbon copies or multi-part outputs can be produced
• Easy to use if continuous stationery is required
• Very cheap to run and maintain (lower running cost than laser and
inkjet printers)

Disadvantages:
• Very noisy
• Higher initial cost than inkjet
• Slower printing speed than laser and inkjet printers
• Lower quality printing than laser and inkjet printers

Dot Matrix printer is an impact printer.

All other printers in this chapter is non-impact.

The following table is a comparison between laser, inkjet and dot matrix printers:

Name of Printing Printing

Initial Cost Running Cost
printer Quality Speed
Low
(in case of black and white output)
Laser High Highest Highest
Hight
(in case of coloured output)

Inkjet High Low Lowest Highest

Dot
Lowest Lowest High Lowest
matrix

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

3-D Printer
Definition:
3-D printer is an output device used to produce solid 3D objects.

Advantages:
• Easier produce customized items than using traditional
ways as only 3D-printer is used
• Faster to produce customized items than using traditional ways
• Cost of manufacturing is less than costs involved in manufacturing using traditional ways
• Parts for machinery that are no longer made could be manufactured using 3D printers
• Medical benefits are emerging, such as producing artificial organs, prosthetics and
precision-made items for reconstructive surgery

Disadvantages:
• 3D-printers are expensive to buy (high initial cost)
• Can be used to produce items that infringe others’ copyright
• 3-D printing can be used to produce dangerous items (such as, weapons)
• Potential job losses if technology takes over from some types of manufacturing

Uses of different types of printers:

Type of printer Applications

Laser printer • They are used where low noise is required (for example, in an office)
• If fast, high-quality, high-volume printing is required

• Used where low-output volumes are required

Inkjet printer • Printing photographs
• Inkjet technology is used in 3D printing

• Used in noisy or dirty environments (for example, garage workshops)

• Used in applications where print quality is not that important
Dot Matrix printer • Used when producing physical carbon copies (such as when
producing wage slips)
• Used in till receipts

• Produce prototypes
• Produce customized items, for example:
3D Printer - Produce prosthetic limbs to exactly fill the recipient
- Produce customized items for surgical equipment
- Making parts for items no longer in production

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

3.3 Other Output Devices

Plotter
Advantages:
• Extremely large output can be produced
• Very high-quality printing
• Able to print on a variety of materials (for example, aluminium,
cardboard, plastic, steel and wood) as well as paper
• Low running costs

Disadvantages:
• Very high initial cost
• Very slow at printing
• Have a very large footprint compared to a printer

Uses:
• Producing architectural drawings
• Producing engineering drawings
• Drawing animation characters (cartoon characters)

Multimedia Projector
Advantages:
• Enables many people to see a presentation rather than crowding around
a small computer screen
• Avoids the need for several networked computers

Disadvantages:
• Expensive to buy
• Difficult to set up

Uses:
• Training presentations
• Advertising presentations
• Home cinema systems

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Ch.3: Output Devices Theory Notes

Speakers
Advantages:
• Sounds amplified through speakers can be much louder than the original
sound
• It can create a good atmosphere when making a presentation
• They can help visually impaired people through reading aloud text on the
screen
• Very simple technology

Disadvantages:
• Speaker output can be disturbing to others in an office environment
• To get high-quality sound, the required speakers can be quite expensive
• Speakers can have a large footprint

Uses:
• Used in all phones and built in to most computers
• Outputs sound from multimedia presentations
• Helps visually impaired people through reading aloud text on the screen
• Plays downloaded sound files

3.4 Actuators
Definition:
• An actuator is a mechanical output device that produces movement
• They can rotate, close, push and pull an object

Actuators are used for tasks such as:

• Controlling robot arm
• Spinning a fan
• Pumping water

Advantages:
• They allow remote operation of many devices (for example, pumps in a nuclear reactor
where remote operation is a big safety factor)
• They are relatively inexpensive devices

Disadvantages:
• They are an additional device in the system that could go wrong
• Because they are usually analogue devices, computer signals need to converted using a
DAC to enable computer control

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