TECHNOLOGY OF INFORMATION AGE

Information Age:

Information age refers to the developmental stages in man’s history. In the early years,
man was conscious of the necessity of tools,  until the need for counting began to
arise. Man, as historians and scientists agree, has        gone through major
developmental stages. It is essential to go through the ages and examine the major
developments that characterized them as a prelude to how Computers and Computing
came into existence.

The ages are:

 Stone age
 Iron age(hoe and cutlass)
 Middle age(feather,pen and ink)
 Industrial age.(machine)
 Electronic age
 Computer and Information age

Stone Age:

This is a broad pre-historic time period (Approximately 500,000 BC 10,000 BC) when
humans widely used stones for tool making. During this period, man’s basic task was
gathering food and hunting animals using tools made from natural rocks and stones,
which were used for making fire, killing animals and enemies. Examples of stone age
tools are flints which were used for cutting, basalt and sandstone which were used for
grinding.

 Iron Age:

The Iron Age is a pre –history period (Approximately 3500years ago 1. E. 1500 BC)
during which cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of Iron or steel. For  the
first time, humans were able to exploit efficiently the temperature forests, villages
were fortified, warfare was conducted on horseback and in horse-drawn chariots, and
alphabetic writing based on the Phoenician script became widespread.

Artwork in the Iron Age communicated the cultural and societal influences of that

time.

 Middle Age:

This is a period  in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated

from the 5th century to the beginning of the 16th Century. One of the most important
developments in the “Middle Age” was the experimentation and developments in iron
production. In the medieval history, development were made in the areas
of agriculture tools, harnessing of time, use of iron, building construction, weaving
and textiles industry. The plow is considered to be one of the most important but the
oldest technology developed but was radically improved and was used with multiple-
oxen teams.   
 Industrial Age:

This is the period of evolution of machines used in our societies today. During the
period of industrial revolution which started in Britain and later spread to the other
parts of the world, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one
dominated by industry and manufacture of machinery. It began with the
mechanization of textiles industries, the development of iron- making techniques and
the increased use of refined coal.

There was trade explosion, introduction of canals, improved roads and railways. The
introduction of steam power and powered machinery underpinned the increase in
production capacity and the development of all metal- machine tools which facilitated
production of machines in other industries.

 Electronic Age:

This is the development of mechanical calculators, slide rules, paper and pencils
which formed the world’s main tools for calculation in early 60’s. The first large
electronic desktop calculators began to replace electronic mechanical machines.

Those models based on the newest electronic technology used thousands of

transistors. The first electronic desktop calculators were noted for the abundant
publication, consumption and manipulation of information especially by computers
and computer networks. Examples of electronic age tools are electronic typewriters
and electronic calculators.

 Computer and Information Age: 

This is also known as the computer age or digital age. It is characterized by the ability

of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge.
This age has allowed rapid global communications and networking to shape modern
society.

EVALUATION

1. List the developmental stages in man’s history.

2. What is information age?

A CHART SHOWING THE DESCRIPTIVE EXPLANATION OF

INFORMATION AGE

Information Tools Time Examples of useful

Purposes:
age: used: period: tools in that age

Identification, sewing,
Below Basalt, sandstone,
Stone age Stone cutting, counting,
12th century flint,chert
defence,
 transaction ,storage,
pottery exhibitions
Iron age   Iron Defence, agric 12th century Hoes  and cutlasses

Writing Knowledge transfer, 12th & 13th

Middle age Pen, ink, feather
materials education, century

Late 18th & Cars,

Machine, Power development,
Industrial age. early ships,trains,airplane,
coals faster movement
19th century power generator
Late
Storage,accuracy,speed
Electronic age computer 19th century Circuits, processor
timeliness
and above

GENERAL EVALUATION

1. State the different information ages.

2. State the tools used in each age.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Computer Studies for Junior Secondary Education Js1 by HiiT Plc. Page 1 – 6,

Chapter 1.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. The ________age is a pre- history period during which human beings widely used

stone for tool making. (a) stone     ( b) middle     ( c)  iron      (d)   industrial
2. The ______age was a period in late 18th and early 19th centuries.   (a) industrial (b)
middle age

(c) stone (d) none of the above

 The emergence of machines was during the middle age (a) false (b) true (c) not sure
 Pen, feather and ink were used in  _____ age  (a) middle ( b) stone (c) industrial
(d)electronic
 How many information ages do we have presently?   (a) 5   (b )3      (c) 3     d) 2

THEORY

Write short note on the following:

1. Stone age, iron age, middle age

 FIRST GENERATION
Electronic machine which was distinct from mechanical computers evolved about
1945. UNIVAC is a good example of this generation of computers.

Computers of this generation were characterized by:

1. They used Vacuum tubes.

2. They were very large and expensive.
3. They were very bulky.
4. They had a low retentive memory.
5. They generated a lot of heat.

SECOND GENERATION

Second generation computers were the replacement of vacuum tubes. Second

generation computers utilized primary discrete TRANSISTORS. They had limited
capability but were more advanced than the first generation computers.

FEATURES

1. They were more reliable than the first generation.

2. They could perform calculations.
3. They had a more efficient storage facility.
4. They generated lesser heat compared with the first generated computers.

THIRD GENERATION

Third generation computers utilized INTEGRATED CIRCUIT [ICs] technology,

Small Scale Integration [SSI] with more sophisticated software capability like multi-
programming, multi-processing and operating systems as resource managers.

The following can be noted in third generation computers:

1. Faster input and output.

2. Increased storage capability
3. Increased process capability
4. Ability to display pictures and musical sound

CONCLUSION

We have learnt that the first generation computers used Vacuum Tubes, second
generation computers used TRANSISTORS while the third generation computers
used Integrated Circuits.

EVALUATION

1. Mention the characteristics of first generation computers.

2. What did the second generation make use of?

FOURTH GENERATION
 Fourth generation computers appeared at about 1975. The technologies that
characterized these machines were LARGE SCALE INTEGRATION (LSI) and
VERY LARGE SCALE INTEGRATION (VLSI). The computers produced at this
period were of a higher capability in terms of speed, storage and of superior
performance over their counterparts of the third generation.

FIFTH GENERATION

These generations of computers made use of ARTFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AL). 

This category of computer was built around the following objects.

1. To build super computer i.e computers which could perform operation in the range of

10 billion instructions per seconds.
2. They were designed to have capacities like sight and hearing as well as capability to
stimulate human thoughts e.g robots.

CONCLUSION

We have learnt features of the fourth and fifth generations of computers i.e the fourth
generation used Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) and ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE (AL)

EVALUATION

1. What did the fourth generation use?

2. Fifth generation computers is built on what technology?

GENERAL EVALUATION

1. The first generation uses …… as its circuitry.

2. List four features of the second generation computer.
3. What is the difference between AI and Expert system?
4. VLSI means ……….

READING ASSIGNMENT

Read Chapter 2, Page 9-10, A Handbook On Computer Studies, By NiyiAdekolegan.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Fourth generation computers made use of …………A. VLSI  B. Transistors  C.  AI

2. Fifth generation made use of ……………… A. AI    B. Vacuum tubes.    C. SSI
3. ……..is an example of computers in the fifth generation   A.  Robort   B.  UNIVAC  
C.  AI
4. How many generations of computers do we have?  A.  4   B.  5   C.  6 D. 9
5. The fourth generation of computers came on board in the year…….A.  1957  B.  1975 
C.  1997  D. 1990

THEORY

1. Give the full meaning of the following acronyms:

2. IC
3. VLSI
4. SSI
5. LSI
6. AI
7. Explain the Fifth generation computers.

COMPUTER CONCERPTS
What is a Computer?
A computer is an electronic device that accepts data from the user, processes it,
produces results, displays them to the users, and stores the results for future usage.
Data is a raw or unorganized facts & figures and does not provide any further
information regarding patterns, context, etc. Hence data means "unstructured facts
and figures".
Information is a structured data i.e. organized meaningful and processed data. To
process the data and convert into information, a computer is used.

Functions of Computers
A computer performs the following functions −
Receiving Input
Data is fed into computer through various input devices like keyboard, mouse, digital
pens, etc. Input can also be fed through devices like CD-ROM, pen drive, scanner,
etc.
Processing the information
Operations on the input data are carried out based on the instructions provided in the
programs.
Storing the information
After processing, the information gets stored in the primary or secondary storage
area.
Producing output
The processed information and other details are communicated to the outside world
through output devices like monitor, printer, etc.
Input Devices: Computer Studies Lesson Note
Introduction

An input device for a computer is anything that sends information to the CPU to
perform a specific function. A computer has the ability to use many different types of
input devices to provide a unique experience to each user. Computer input devices
include many types of hardware such as a keyboard, mouse, webcam, scanner as well
as a microphone.
An input device is a peripheral device that converts symbols that people understand
into bits that computer can process.

Types of Input devices

An input device includes a keyboard, a terminal, a touch screen, a mouse, a scanner

etc.

They are discussed below:

Keyboards

A keyboard is a device used to encode data by key depression, which enters

information into a system. The keyboard is one of the most common type of input
devices that are used with a computer. A keyboard consists of letters, numbers and
other types of keys that perform different types of functions when used with a
computer system. A keyboard can connect to the computer through a cord as well as
through wireless connection.
The keyboard converts alphabets and numbers, and other special symbols into
electrical signals that processor can understand and process. These signals are sent to
the computer’s CPU. There are three different layouts:

(a) QWERTY: This is a standard keyboard layout. QWERTY indicates the

arrangement of the upper left corner six letters in the first row of the alphabetic keys.
(b) AZERTY: This is a keyboard layout that is similar to the QWERTY layout and
some European countries use this keyboard. This layout is slightly modified from the
QWERTY keyboard.
(c) Dvorak: This is another keyboard layout modified greatly from a standard layout.
The keyboard is devised to increase typing speed by placing frequently used keys
more naturally.

Keys on the Keyboard

The keys on the keyboard can be grouped into the following:

(a) Function Keys: Special keys labeled F1 to F12. These keys have different
meaning depending on which program is running. Most computer keyboards have a
row of function keys at the top of the keyboard. These keys are marked F1 through
F10 or F12. The function keys are frequently used in combination with other keys
such as the CTRL key, the ALT key, and the Shift key. These combinations result in a
plethora of possible keyboard shortcuts.

(b) Numeric keys: Many, but not all, computer keyboards have a numeric keypad
usually located on the right side of the keyboard. This keypad has a group of numbers
keys with additional markings like arrows, PgDn, End etc. The numeric pad is
controlled by a toggle key marked Num Lock. When the Num Lock key is on, this pad
can be used to enter numbers. When the Num Lock key is off, the functions listed
below the number will be activated. These functions usually include arrow keys that
can be used to move the cursor around the screen. Likewise the keys marked PgUp
and PgDown will move the cursor a page up or down on the screen. The Home and
End keys will move the cursor to the beginning or end of a line or document,
respectively. Numeric keypads often include other keys as well. Many include useful
symbols such as the period, slash, and plus and minus signs.

(c) Alpha-numeric keys: Those are the keys that contain alphabet symbols (upper or
lower case) and numerals (0-9). Everything else is a punctuation, control, function, or
special key.
(d) Cursor control keys: Or arrow keys are buttons on a computer keyboard that are
either programmed or designated to move the cursor in a specified direction. Most
keyboards have four arrow keys that enable you to move the cursor (or insertion point)
up, down, right or left. Used in conjunction with the Shift or Alt keys, the arrow keys
can move the cursor more than one position at a time, but this depends on which
program is running.

(e) Special keys: All of the other keys on the computer keyboard such as the function
keys, control keys, arrow keys, caps lock key, delete key, etc belong to this category.
(i) Alt key: Short for Alternate, this key is like a second control key.

(ii) Backspace key: Deletes the character just to the left of the cursor (or insertion
point) and moves the cursor to that position.

(iii) Caps Lock key: A toggle key that, when activated, causes all alphabetic
characters to be uppercase.

(iv) Ctrl key: Short for Control, this key is used in conjunction with other keys to
produce control characters. The meaning of each control character depends on which
program is running.

(v) Delete key: Sometimes labeled Del, deletes the character at the current cursor
position, or the selected object, but does not move the cursor. For graphics-based
applications, the Delete key deletes the character to the right of the insertion point.

(vi) Enter key: Used to enter commands or to move the cursor to the beginning of the
next line. Sometimes labeled Return instead of Enter.

(vii) Esc key: Short for Escape, this key is used to send special codes to devices and to
exit (or escape) from programs and tasks.

(viii) Punctuation keys: All of the keys associated with punctuation such as the
comma, period, semicolon, brackets, and parenthesis and so on. Also, all of the
mathematical operators such as the plus sign, minus signs, and equal sign.

Mouse
An object used as a pointing and drawing device. The mouse usually has a ball and
buttons and is connected to the system unit through serial port. As a mouse is rolled
across the flat desktop in any direction, it locates the pointer correspondingly on the
screen. Then it issues commands using the selection buttons on the mouse. Many
portable microcomputers such as laptops use trackballs instead of mouse.
Touch Screen
A touch screen is a monitor screen that allows users to interact with a computer
system by touching an area of the display screen. The screen is covered with a clear
plastic layer that has a matrix of cells. A user touches a graphic button that displays
option on the screen. Touch screens are easy to use.

Light Pen
A light pen is a light sensitive pen-like device used by pointing it at the display
surface. A user brings the light pen to the desired point on the screen and presses a
button, causing it to identify the current location. It is used to select options from a
menu or to draw images.

Digitizer Tablet

A digitizer tablet is also called a graphics tablet or just a digitizer. The digitizer is a
drawing tablet used to sketch new images or trace old drawing or photograph. The
user uses a pen-like device called a cursor to draw images. Designers and architects
usually use digitizers. Light pen and digitizer technologies are used for pen based
computing.

Scanner

A scanner is a device that reads spatial patterns such as images, graphics and texts,
and then generates digital signals of that pattern. Converted digital data may be
processed by a computer, stored in a disk, printed by a printer or displayed on a
monitor. Scanners are commonly used to capture graphic images that can then be
placed in a page or on any document.
Scanners usually include optical character recognition (OCR) software so that
scanners can read and capture texts directly through optical scanning.

Bar Code Readers

A bar code is a specialized code represented by sets of parallel bars of varying

thickness and seperation. This is used for fast identification of items with an optimal
scanner. The optimal scanner is called a bar code reader. The bar code reader is a
photoelectric scanner that read the bar code.

Magnetic Data Entry

There are two technologies in magnetic data entry. A magnetic ink character
recognition (MICR) technology reads iron oxide ink preprinted or encoded on checks,
deposit slips or on documents. An MICR reader electronically captures data, by first
magnetizing the magnetic ink characters and then sensing the signal.
Another form of magnetic data entry is the magnetic stripe technology that makes
computers read credit cards. The dark magnetic stripe on the back of credit cards is the
iron oxide coating. A magnetic stripe reader reads this magnetic stripe.

Card Reader

Card reader is a data input device that reads data from a card-shaped storage medium.
The first were punched card readers, which read the paper or cardboard punched cards
that were used during the first several decades of the computer industry to store
information and programs for computer systems. Modern card readers are electronic
devices that can read plastic cards embedded with either a barcode, magnetic stripe,
computer chip, or another storage medium.

Take a quick test for this lesson

Objectives

1. All of the following are examples of input devices EXCEPT a ____

(a) scanner
(b) mouse
(c) keyboard
(d) printer

2. Which of the following is an example of an input device?

(a) scanner
(b) speaker
(c) CD
(d) printer

3. To access properties of an object, the mouse technique to use is ____

(a) dragging
(b) dropping
(c) right-clicking
(d) shift-clicking

4. The trend in computer systems is toward the use of graphical user interfaces
(GUIs). In these operating systems, a trackball is described as ____
(a) a roller ball which moves the cursor
(b) a pen shaped device which allows data to be entered through the CRT screen
(c) a figure which resembles a familiar office device
(d) an outdated input device

5. Which of the following could be digital input devices for computers?

(a) Digital camcorder
(b) Microphone
(c) Scanner
(d) All of the above
6. Which device of computer operation dispenses with the use of the keyboard?
(a) Joystick
(b) Light Pen
(c) Mouse
(d) Touch

7. An optical input device that intercepts pencil marks on paper media is ____
(a) O.M.R
(b) Punch Card Reader
(c) Optical Scanners
(d) Magnetic Tape

8. What is a Light Pen?

(a) mechanical input device
(b) optical input device
(c) electronic input device
(d) optical output device

9. Which device is used as the standard pointing device in a Graphical User

Environment?
(a) keyboard
(b) mouse
(c) joystick
(d) track ball

10. Which of the following is an input device?

(a) scanner
(b) printer
(c) flat screen
(d) touch screen

Theory Questions
1. List four computer input devices
2. List and explain four basic groups of keys on computer keyboard
3. Differentiate between digitizer tablet and light pen
4. What are the differences between a scanner and a card reader
5. What is a bar code reader
(ii) Explain the term “magnetic data entry”

Output Devices
Introduction

An output device is any peripheral device that converts machine-readable information

into people-readable form such as a monitor, printer, plotter and voice output device.
Output devices are used to display input data that has been processed by the computer
into useful output information. Through its output system, the computer presents the
data it contains in a form that the user can understand. The presentation is typically in
one or four forms: graphics (e.g charts and photographs), text (e.g words and
numbers), video (e.g photographic images in motion), or audio (e.g music and
speech). Probably the most common output devices are monitors for producing
temporary displays (soft copies) and printers for producing paper copies of documents
(hard copies).

Examples Of Output Devices

Computer Display (Monitors)

A computer display is also called a display screen or video display terminal (VDT). A
monitor, or screen, can display graphics, text and video output. To display video in the
monitor, the computer needs a video card (or graphics card) for converting the digital
signal (i.e data in form of 0s and 1s) from the processor to an analog signal (i.e data in
form of a continuous electrical wave) that the monitor can intercept.
A monitor is a screen used to display the output. Images are represented on monitors
by individual dots called pixels. A pixel is the smallest unit on the screen that can be
turned on and off or made different shades. The density of the dots determines the
clarity of the images, the resolution.

Screen resolution: This is the degree of sharpness of a displayed character or image.

The screen resolution is usually expressed as the number of columns by the number of
times. A 1024 x 768 resolution means that it has 1024 dots in a line and 768 lines. A
smaller screen looks sharper on the same resolution. Another measure of display
resolution is a dot pitch.

Types of Monitor

There are two types of computer monitor based on the color display. They are
(a) Monochrome monitor: A monochrome monitor has two colours, one for
foreground and the other for background. The colours can be white, amber or green on
a dark (black) background. The monochrome monitors display both text and graphics
modes.

(b) Colour Monitor: A colour monitor is a display peripheral that displays more than
two colours. Colour monitors have been developed through the following paths:
(i) Colour Graphic Adapter (CGA): With a CGA monitor, it is harder to read than
with a monochrome monitor, because the CGA (320 x 200) has much fewer pixels
than the monochrome monitor (640 x 350). It supports four colours.
(ii) Enhanced Graphic Adapter (EGA): It is a video display standard that has a
resolution of 640 by 350 pixels and supports 16 colours. EGA supports previous
display modes and requires a new monitor.

(iii) Video Graphic Adapter: This is a video display standard that provides medium
to high resolution. In a text mode, the resolution of this board is 720 by 400 pixels. It
supports sixteen colours with a higher resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and two
hundred and fifty-six colours with 320 x 200 pixels.

(iv) Super VGA: This is a very high resolution standard that displays up to 65,536
colours. Super VGA can support a 16.8 million colours at 800 by 600 pixels and 256
colours at 1024 by 768 pixels. A high-priced super VGA allows 1280 by 1024 pixels.

Types of Monitors Based On Technology

Monitors come in two main varieties based on the technology, they are:
(a) Cathoe-ray tubes (CRT): CRT computer monitors were the most common
computer monitors until flat panel screens became affordable. Similar to older TVs,
CRT monitors still typically have much better contrast ratios and viewing angles than
other computer monitor alternatives.

(b) Flat panel display: Portable computers such as laptops use flat panel displays,
because they are more compact and consume less power than CRTs. Portable
computers use several kinds of flat panel screens:

(i) Liquid crystal displays (LCD): Flat-screen LCDs are generally used in notebooks
and laptops. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) computer monitors save a lot of space and
can even be mounted on walls. LCDs are difficult to read in a strong light, because
they do not emit their own light. Portable computers have brighter and easier to read
displays. They provide a wide viewing angle and come in sizes typically ranging from
17- inches to 60-inches.

(ii) Backlit LCDs: This is a type of LCD having its own light source provided from
the back of the screen. The backlit makes the background brighter and clear, as a
result the texts and images appear sharper. However, this is still less clearer than
CRTs.

(iii) Active Matrix LCDs: This is an LCD display technique in which every dot on
the screen has a transistor to control it more accurately. This uses a transistor for each
monochrome or each red, green and blue dot. It provides better contrast, speeds up
screen refresh and reduces motion smearing.

(iv) Gas-plasma displays: Gas-plasma displays are capable of larger displays with

good resolution and can be in excess of 42 inches. Plasma computer monitors are less
commonly used with computers due to their high operating temperatures, high power
consumption, and fixed resolution. This is also called a gas panel or a plasma panel
and is another flat screen technology. A plasma panel contains a grid of electrodes in a
flat, gas filled panel. The image can persist for a long time without refreshing in this
panel. The disadvantages of the gas plasma displays are that they must use AC power
and cannot show sharp contrast.

(v) OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display): Computer monitors are much thinner
and brighter than LCD or plasma screens. OLED monitors can also be placed on
transparent surfaces, such as glass, allowing the user to see through them when not
active.

Printers

A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on paper. All printers
have three main components: the printing mechanism itself, paper feed mechanism,
and the control and interface electronics. Printers can be divided into two main
groups:
(1) Impact Printer: Impact printer produces text and images when tiny wire pins on
print head strike the ink ribbon by physically contacting the paper. Examples of
impact printers are dot matrix printer, line printer and character printer or daisy wheel
printer.

(a) Dot-matrix printer: Dot-matrix printer is an impact printer that produces text and
graphics when tiny wires pins on the print head strike the ink ribbon. The print head
runs back and forth on the paper like a typewriter. When the ink ribbon pressses on
the paper, it creates dots that form text and images. Higher numbers of pins means that
the printer prints more dots per character, thus resulting in higher print quality.

Advantages of Dot-matrix printer:

(i) Can print on multi-part forms or carbon copies.

(ii) Low printing cost per page.
(iii) Can be used on continuous form paper, useful for data logging.
(iv) Reliable and durable.

Disadvantages of Dot-matrix printer:

(i) Noisy.
(ii) Limited print quality.
(iii) Low printing speed.
(iv) Limited colour printing.
(b) Line printer: A line printer uses a long drum imprinted with raised characters. As
the drum rotates, words are formed on the page. The drum moves in a horizontal
direction, printing one line at a time. Line printers have limited font availability and
no graphic capability. Due to their design, they require special paper with pre-punched
holes on the sides that attach to the printer by raised grooves. The line printer is still
found in some businesses due to its durability and ease of use.

Advantages of Line printer:

(i) It is a High Speed impact printer.

(ii) Less expensive.
(iii) Print entire line at a time.
Disadvantages of Line printer:

(i) Noisy.
(c) Daisy-Wheel printer: It uses a wheel as a print head. When the wheel rotates,
hammers strikes the backside of the spoke and press it against the paper to print a
character.
Advantages of Daisy-Wheel printer:
(i) It can print letter quality characters.
Disadvantages of Daisy-Wheel printer:
(i) Printing speed is slow.
(ii) It cannot print graphics.

(2) Non-impact printer: Non-impact printer produces text and graphics on paper

without actually striking the paper. Examples of non-impact printers are inkjet printer,
laserjet printer and thermal printer.

(a) Inkjet printer: Inkjet printers are non-impact printers whhch print text and images
by spraying tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper. They are the most popular printers
for home use. Currently, most inkjet printers use either thermal inkjet or piezoelectric
inkjet technology. Thermal inkjet which is a mixture of water, glycol and dyes. These
inks are inexpensive but they can only be used on paper or specially coated materials.
Piezoelectric inkjet printers allow the use of a wider range of inks, such as solvent
inks, UV-curable inks, dye sublimation inks, and can print text and graphics on
different uncoated materials.

Advantages of Inkjet printers:

(i) Low cost.

(ii) High quality of output, capable of printing fine and smooth details.
(iii) Capable of printing in vivid colour, good for printing pictures.
(iv) Easy to use.
(v) Reasonably fast.
(vi) Quieter than dot matrix printer.
(vii) No warm up time.

Disadvantages of Inkjet printers:

(i) Print head is less durable, prone to clogging and damage.

(ii) Expensive replacement ink cartridges.
(iii) Not good for high volume printing.
(iv) Printing speed is not as fast as laser printers.
(v) Ink bleeding, ink carried sideways causing blurred effects on some papers.
(vi) Aqueous ink is sensitive to water, even a small drop of water can cause blurring.
(vii) Cannot use highlighter marker on inkjet printouts.

(b) Laser printers: Laser printers are non-impact printers whhch can print text and
images in high speed and high quality resolution, ranging from 600 to 1200 dpi.
Unlike inkjet printers, laser printers use toner (black or coloured powder) instead of
liquid inks. A laser printer consists of these major components: drum cartridge,
rotating mirror, toner cartridge and roller. The drum cartridge rotates as the paper is
fed through. The mirror deflects laser beam across the surface of the drum. Laser
beam creates charge that causes the toner to stick to the drum. As the drum rotates and
presses on paper, toner is transferred from the drum to paper, creating images. Rollers
then use heat and pressure to fuse toner to paper. Coloured laser printers add coloured
toner in three additional passes.

Advantages of Laser printers:

(i) High resolution.

(ii) High print speed.
(iii) No smearing.
(iv) Low cost per page (compared to inkjet printers).
(v) Printout is not sensitive to water.
(vi) Good for high volume printing.

Disadvantages of Laser printers:

(i) More expensive than inkjet printers.

(ii) Except for high end machines, laser printers are less capable of printing vivid
colours and high quality images such as photos.
(iii) The cost of toner replacement and drum replacement is high.
(iv) Bulkier than inkjet printers.
(v) Warm up time needed.

(c) Thermal printers: Thermal inkjet printers uses heating element to heat liquid ink
to form vapour bubble, which forces the ink droplets onto the paper through the
nozzle.
Thermal printers use two types of printing technologies: direct thermal and thermal
transfer printing. Traditional thermal printers use direct thermal method by pushing
electrically heated pins against heat-sensitive paper (thermal paper). The coating on
the thermal paper turns black in the areas where it is heated, producing characters or
images. Direct thermal printers have no ink, toner or ribbon. These printers are
durable, easy to use and cost less to print than other printers. However, the thermal
paper is sensitive to heat, light, water, and abrasion and the text and images may fade
over time. In thermal transfer printing, a thermal print head applies heat to heat-
sensitive ribbon, which melts ink onto paper and a wide range of materials to form
text and images. The printouts can be extremely durable and can be stored over long
period of time. Thermal printers are often used in cash registers, ATM, and point-of-
sales terminals. Thermal printer is not the same as thermal inkjet printer. The latter
uses inkjet print technology by heating liquid ink to form vapour bubble, which forces
the ink droplet onto the paper from the nozzle.

Plotters

Plotters are large scale printers that are connected to a computer. They are typically
used to print CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) drawings created by engineers and for
banner advertisements and other large promotional materials. They are used mainly by
industry and businesses who need a flexible, efficient and cost effective printing
solution. There are several different models and manufacturers of plotters, including
Gerber and Hewlett Packard, the computer company.

Types of Plotters
(a) Drum Plotter: A drum plotter is pen plotter that wraps the paper around a drum
with a pin feed attachment. The drum then rotates the paper as pens move across it
and draw the image. It was the first output device used to print graphics and large
engineering drawings. There are two types of drum plotters, external and internal.
With an external drum plotter, the paper is wrapped around it’s external surface, while
the internal drum plotter uses a sheet of paper wrapped around it’s internal surface.

(b) Flat-Bed Plotter: A flat-bed plotter is a mechanical drafting device used with
many CAD programs for designers. The paper remains stationary on a flat surface
while a pen moves across it horizontally and vertically. This plotter may use several
different colours of pens to create the graphics. The size of the graphic is limited to
the size of the flat-bed plotter’s surface.

(c) Inkjet Plotter: The inkjet plotter creates an image by spraying small droplets of
ink onto a piece of paper. A popular choice for advertising agencies and graphic
designers, inkjet plotters are used generally for large outputs, such as banners and
billboards and large signs often seen on roadsides. They are available in thermal or
piezoelectric models. Thermal inkjet plotters use heat to apply droplets of ink, while
piezoelectric plotters use charged crystals to apply the ink. Inkjet plotters tend to
produce better quality graphics than other types of plotters.

Advantages of Plotters

(i) Speed: Plotters are faster than other types of printing machines, including the
desktop printer. The technology allows precision printing at a higher rate of output,
and there is typically less need for manual adjustments or maintenance during
printing. This also increases the speed or rate of output of the plotter. For a business
that is seeking a versatile, fast solution that can produce a large amount of deadline-
oriented material, plotters are an optimal choice.

(ii) Versatility: The versatility of plotters is another major advantage. A plotter can be

hooked up to any computer. There are a number of plotter configuration options as
well, depending on the model and series you buy. This allows you to print and
manipulate the plotter in a number of ways, and it also allows it to be connected to any
type of machine. Plotters also have their own interfaces in some cases, which allow
the user to operate and control them without resetting the paper or having to maintain
the plotter during operation.

(iii) Precision: The precision of the plotter is the main advantage for engineering
drawings. Plotters have advanced technology that allows them to print more precise
lines. When printing a set of drawings for a bridge or skyscraper, it is imperative that
each line be precise. Colour accuracy and picture quality are also improved with the
overall precision of the plotter.

Disadvantages of Plotters

(i) They take up more space than regular printers.

(ii) The price of a plotter is much higher than the price of printer.

Speakers
Speakers are attached to computers for the output of sound. Sound cards are required
in the computer for speakers to function. Speakers range from simple two-speaker
output devices to surround-sound multi-channel units.

Take a quick test for this lesson

Objective Questions
1. After a picture has been taken with a digital camera and processed appropriately,
the actual print of the picture is considered ____.
(a) data
(b) output
(c) input
(d) the process
2. A(n) ____ camera is a peripheral device used to capture still images in a digital
format that can be easily transferred into a computer and manipulated using graphics
software.
(a) digital
(b) analog
(c) classic
(d) film
3. ____ is the result produced by a computer.
(a) data
(b) memory
(c) output
(d) input
4. What is MP3?
(a) a mouse
(b) a printer
(c) a sound format
(d) a scanner
5. What is usually used for displaying information at public places?
(a) monitors
(b) overhead projections
(c) monitors and overhead projections
(d) touch screen kiosks
6. In windows computer, MPEG extension refers to what kind of file?
(a) system file
(b) MS Office document
(c) video file
(d) image file
7. What is the shortcut key of printing a document for computer having windows?
(a) Ctrl+P
(b) Shift+P
(c) Alt+P
(d) Shift+PP
8. Which output device is used for translating information from a computer into a
pictorial form on paper?
(a) mouse
(b) plotter
(c) touch panel
(d) card punch
9. A pixel is ____.
(a) a computer program that draws picture
(b) a picture stored in secondary memory
(c) the smallest resolvable part of a picture
(d) none of the above
10. The following are the computer output devices except ____.
(a) monitor
(b) printer
(c) Plotters
(d) keyboard

Theory Questions
1(a) List two types of computer monitor
(b) Explain the term “computer monitor”
2(a) What is computer output device?
(b) List five computer output devices
3(a) Printers can be divided into two main groups, name them.
(b) State two advantages and two disadvantages of dot matrix printer
4(a) Differentiate between laser jet printer and ink jet printer
(b) State three advantages and three disadvantages of laser printer
5(a) What is a plotter?
(b) List three types of plotter
(c) State two advantages and two disadvantages of plotters.

Questions answered correctly?