Output Devices

Output devices are things which are used

to display information (results of the
processing) OUT of a computer.
 Display Devices
• This is the most common form of output device.

• It is used to display output on a computer screen

for PC’s it is called the monitor.

• These output devices usually display output while

working on the computer.

• Examples of display devices are monitor and

printer
 Monitor
• A monitor is an output device very similiar
to a television screen, although it has
higher resolution.

• Monitors are either monochrome (2 color)

or color
• The color quality and resolution varies as
follows:
• Type Pixels Colors
• CGA 320X200 4
• EGA 640X350 16
• VGA 320X200 256
• SVGA 640X480 256 &
higher
 Monitors

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitor

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Monitor

 Limitations of Monitors
• Only a small amount of data can appear
on the screen at one time.

• Their soft-copy output lacks portability.

(cannot be moved from one place to
another).
 Printers
• This is an output device which prints
whatever is on the monitor onto paper

• An output device that records output on

paper
 Divisions of a Printer
1. Personal Printer
– Laser printers; a printer that uses technology similar
to that of a photocopier
– Inkjet printers; a printer that forms images by spraying
droplets of ink onto a page.

2. Network Printer
It is a printer shared by several people over a local area
network.
3. Special-Purpose Printers
•Photo printers:- used to print photos taken with a digital
camera.
•Bar-code printer:- used to print a variety of bar-codes,
eg price tags or stickers, document tracking inventory
control etc.
•Portable printers:- allow users to print from a notebook
or hand held computer.
•Wide format inkjet printers:- used for coloured graphics
that are too big for standard size inkjet computers.
Printers vary mainly in:
Cost,
Quality
Speed
and Noise.
Printers (all types)
 Plotters
A plotter is an output device uses line drawings to form an
image.
It is sometimes confused with a printer, but a plotter uses line
drawings to form an image instead of using dots.
A plotter draws images on paper using ink pens or pencils. A plotter draws
images as a series of point-to-point lines.
Facsimile (FAX)
 Multimedia Output Devices
• They inclue
– Speakers
– Data and multimedia projectors
– Voice-output Systems
 Speaker(s)
Provide audio output for multimedia
applications e.g playing computer games,
listening to audio or video clips, background
music from a cd etc.
Data and Multimedia Projectors
A data projector: connects to the
computer and projects any output sent
to the computer monitor through the
projector on to a wall or projection
screen.
Most projectors today are known as
data/video projectors or multimedia
projectors and can be used to project
video as well
 Voice-output Systems

• They communicate with users by imitating

human speech.
– Eg. When u dial a phone and the number is
out of service u may hear “sorry the mobile
subscriber cannot be reached” or “your
current balance is ksh. 20” etc.

The hardware and software used in voice

output systems usually convert digital data
into spoken output.