Hardcopy Output

Information from a computer is printed out as a hard copy output. A hard copy, often known as a printout or sometimes just a printout, is an actual physical document. Plotter and printer are examples of hardcopy output equipment. The following are some examples of frequently used hardcopy output devices:

Printer

A printer is a device that produces tangible copies of text, graphics, and images on paper, frequently in transparencies, and occasionally on other types of media. It generates output in hardcopy. The three following factors are the most crucial when assessing the printer:

• Image quality: It is sometimes referred to as print resolution. Dots per inch serve as a measure of resolution (dpi).
• Speed: Speed is measured by the number of text pages that a computer can print per minute.
• Cost of operation: Depending on the type of printer, ink, toner, and maintenance costs can vary.

The printers are differentiated on the basis of quality of type, speed, impact or nonimpact, Graphics and fonts.

Dot matrix Printer:

A "head" in a dot matrix printer presses a ribbon or piece of film that is coated in black carbon onto a piece of paper. Impact technology is employed. A tiny electromagnet drives each pin to produce a dot, and the combination of dots produces characters and images. The print head refers to the area of the printer where the pins are located. The printer typically prints one line of text at a time when it is being used. The traits are generated in a matrix style. Depending on the type of character, its pace can range from 40 to 100 characters per second. One has 9-pin print heads, and the other has 24-pin print heads. There are two variations.

The 24-pin printer generates better print quality because its hammer density is higher than that of a 9-pin printer. They often cost less because they employ basic technology and make noise when printing. Its low print quality is also one of its drawbacks when compared to more sophisticated printers, albeit this is something that is slowly changing. For work with a high volume, it is quite helpful. Dot matrix printers may also create numerous copies of the same page at once by using carbon paper because they are impact printers.

Inkjet Printer:

Through tiny nozzles, ink is sprayed by inkjet printers to produce an image that is directly on the paper. It has the ability to generate prints with a high level of quality that is comparable to laser printer output. It makes use of non-impact printing technologies, which etch or induces symbols on paper using chemicals, heat, or electrical impulses. A typical inkjet printer has a resolution of 360 dpi and can print two to four pages per minute. This technology has been successfully applied to the production of intricate graphics and color printing. In a color inkjet printer, four ink nozzles—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black—are employed. Inkjet printers typically cost less than laser printers in terms of pricing. They are, however, also a great deal slower.

The fact that inkjet printers need a specific kind of ink that is likely to smear on cheap copier paper is another disadvantage. Compared to laser printers, inkjet printers have fewer mechanical components and are particularly well-liked as portable printers.

It has the following characteristics:

• Character sets have better print quality than dot matrices.
• The choice of type set is regulated by the application.
• The printer has the capacity to print several copies of a document at once.

Laser Printer:

To interpret the data it gets from the computer and to operate the laser, a separate CPU is placed into the printer. The characters or graphics are printed on paper using a laser beam. By deflecting a laser beam onto the photosensitive surface of the drum, printing is made possible. The latent image draws the toner to the image areas. At least 1 MB of printer RAM should be required for the full page print of graphics at 300 dpi. A 600-dpi graphic should require at least 4 MB of RAM. Due to its high quality, high speed, and large volume technology, which operates without leaving any marks on plain paper or pre-printed forms, laser printers are quite expensive yet very popular. Both more expensive and quicker are laser printers. It can produce between 10 and 200 pages per minute. It only functions with the color black and is perfect for high-quality work. It is frequently employed in business settings. Laser printers employ non-impact technology. Compared to dot matrix and other printers, they are much quieter. They are not as quick as other dot matrix printers, but they are still fairly quick. Page Description Language is used to operate laser printers (PDLs)

Daisy-wheel Printer:

Letter-quality type can be printed with a daisy-wheel printer. It functions similarly to a ball-head typewriter. Characters stand out in relief along the outer border of the plastic or metal daisy wheel disk. The printer turns the disk till the required letter is facing the paper before printing a character. Only characters are printed. It is incapable of printing images. The daisy wheel can be modified to print in many fonts. It is slower, noisier, and less effective. It can now print between 10 and 75 characters per second.

Plotter:

A plotter is a device that, when instructed by a computer, draws images on paper or a board. In contrast to printers, which may replicate lines by printing a succession of closely spaced dots, they can thus make continuous lines. To draw the various hues, it needs different colored pens. It is used to print big pages in various colors because printers cannot handle prints that massive. Plotter costs more than a typical printer. In contrast to printers, a plotter uses a pen to draw lines. They are employed in engineering applications where accuracy is essential as well as in the printing of enormous posters. Due of its enormous size and slower printing pace than a plotter, there are significant distinctions between the two.