Information and Communication
Technology
Dr. Safdar Nawaz Khan Marwat
DCSE, UET Peshawar
Lecture 4
safdar@[Link]
Outline
➢ Printers
➢ How Computers Represent Data
safdar@[Link] 2
Printers
➢ Impact printers
❑ Generate output by striking the paper
❑ Uses an inked ribbon or hammer embossed with different alphabets
➢ Non-impact printers
❑ Use methods other than force
❑ Tend to be quiet and fast
Source: [Link] and
[Link]
safdar@[Link] 3
Printers (cont.)
➢ Dot matrix printers
❑ Impact printer
❑ Print head strikes inked ribbon
❑ Speed measured in characters per second
o Range from 50 to 500 cps
❑ Types
o Line printers for printing line
o Band printers with rotating band embossed with characters
Dot Matrix Print Head
safdar@[Link] 4
Printers (cont.)
➢ Ink-jet printers
❑ Non-impact printer
❑ Inexpensive home printer
❑ Color output common using CMYK
o Cyan (like blue), magenta (like red), yellow, key (black)
❑ Sprays ink onto paper
❑ Speed measured in pages per minute
❑ Quality expressed as dots per inch
Source: [Link]
safdar@[Link] 5
Printers (cont.)
➢ Laser printer
❑ Non-impact printer
❑ Produces high quality documents
❑ Color or black & white
❑ Print process
o Laser draws text on drum
o Toner sticks to text on drum to page
o Toner melted to page
❑ Speed measured in pages per minute
❑ Quality expressed as dots per inch
Source: [Link]
safdar@[Link] 6
Printers (cont.)
➢ All-in-one peripherals
❑ Scanner, copier, printer and fax
❑ Popular in home and offices
❑ Prices are very reasonable
Source: [Link]
safdar@[Link] 7
Printer Comparison
➢ When buying printer
❑ Determine what you need
❑ Determine what you can spend
➢ Factors to consider
❑ Initial cost
❑ Cost of operating
❑ Image quality
❑ Speed
safdar@[Link] 8
High Quality Printers
➢ Special purpose printers
❑ Used by a print shop
❑ Output is professional grade
❑ Prints to a variety of surfaces
safdar@[Link] 9
High Quality Printers (cont.)
➢ Photo printers
❑ Produces film quality pictures
❑ Prints a variety of sizes
❑ Prints very slow
safdar@[Link] 10
High Quality Printers (cont.)
➢ Thermal wax printers
❑ Produces bold color output
❑ Color generated by melting wax
o Ribbon coated with panels of colored wax
o Wax melted with focused heat source
❑ Colors do not bleed
❑ Operation costs are low
❑ Output is slow
Source: [Link]
safdar@[Link] 11
High-Quality Printers (cont.)
➢ Dye sublimation printers
❑ Color is produced by evaporating ink
o Ribbon with color panels moved across a focused heat source
o Evaporated dye diffuse on special coated paper
❑ Produces realistic output
❑ Used by graphic designers
❑ Very high quality
❑ Operation costs are high
❑ Output is very slow
Source: [Link] and
[Link]
safdar@[Link] 12
High-Quality Printers (cont.)
➢ Plotters
❑ Large high quality images
❑ Older models draw with pens
o Paper is held stationary
❑ Operational costs are low
❑ Output is very slow
❑ Advanced plotter are called roller plotters
o Paper is moved back and fourth along with pen
o Produce perfect circles and drawings
safdar@[Link] 13
High-Quality Printers (cont.)
➢ 3D printers
❑ Also known as additive manufacturers
❑ Process of making three dimensional solid objects from digital file
o Using additive processes
o Object created by laying down successive layers of material
o Process continues until object created
o Each layers seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of eventual object
❑ Opposite of subtractive manufacturers
o Subtractive manufacturing is cutting out / hollowing out
❑ 3D printing enables to produce complex (functional) shapes
o Using less material than traditional manufacturing methods
Source: [Link]
[Link]
safdar@[Link] 14
How Computers Represent Data
➢ Number systems
❑ A manner of counting
❑ Several different number systems exist
➢ Decimal number system
❑ Used by humans to count
❑ Contains ten distinct digits
❑ Digits combine to make larger numbers
➢ Binary number system
❑ Used by computers to count
❑ Two distinct digits, 0 and 1
❑ 0 and 1 combine to make numbers
safdar@[Link] 15
How Computers Represent Data (cont.)
➢ Bits and bytes
❑ Binary numbers are made of bits
❑ Bit represents a switch
❑ A byte is 8 bits
❑ Byte represents one character
safdar@[Link] 16
How Computers Represent Data (cont.)
➢ Text codes
❑ Converts letters into binary
❑ Standard codes necessary for data transfer
❑ ASCII
o American Standard Code for Information Interchange
o American English symbols
❑ Extended ASCII
o Graphics and other symbols
❑ Unicode
o All languages on the planet
safdar@[Link] 17
How Computers Represent Data (cont.)
safdar@[Link] 18