Output Devices

Other than the monitor, we also have the printer which is also an output device. A printer generally translates information that has been processed by the system unit and presents the information on paper. As students, we really benefit from such device for in times of projects, reports, and assignments we greatly rely on such output which we refer to as hard copy. There are five features of a printer ---- its resolution, color, speed, memory and duplex printing. Resolution is the measure of the clarity of images produced that is measured in dpi (dots per inch). Printers designed for personal use average 1,200 dpi. The higher the dpi, the better the quality of image produced. Color capability is provided by most printers nowadays. However, users typically have the option to print either with just black ink or with color. Since it is more expensive to print in color, most users select black ink for letters, drafts, and homework. Color is used more selectively for final reports containing graphics and for photographs. Speed is measured in number of pages printed per minute. Typically, printers for personal use average 15-19 pages per minute for single-color or black-only output and 13-15 pages per minute for color output. Memory within the printer is used to store printing instructions and documents waiting to be printed. The more memory in a printer, the faster it will be able to create large documents. Duplex printing allows automatic printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. But, this one is still not a standard feature of a printer. Soon, it will be because the use of this one will greatly reduce the number of paper waste and will eventually protect the environment.
At the present, the major types of printers we use in our daily living are the ink-jet printers and laser printers. An ink-jet printer sprays ink at high speed onto the surface of printer. This process not only produces a letter-quality image but also permits printing to be done in a variety of