Hardware and Software: An

Introduction
UNIT 3 INPUT OUTPUT DEVICES

Structure Page Nos.

3.0 Introduction 56
3.1 Objectives 56
3.2 Input­output Devices 56
3.3 Monitors 58
3.4 Printers 61
3.5 Scanners 66
3.6 Diskettes 66
3.7 Keyboard 70
3.8 Mouse 71
3.9 Tablet 71
3.10 Speaker 72
3.11 Microphone etc 72
3.12 Summary 74
3.13. Solutions/Answers 74
3.14 Further readings and References 76

3.0 INTRODUCTION

Input­output devices are very important component of computer systems.

In previous units of this Block, we have discussed various components of computer
system. In this unit, we will discuss about input/output devices, of computer system.

First, we will discuss briefly about input/output devices and then move on to the
function and structure of some input and output devices. Finally, we will discuss
about the newer technologies in input output devices used in computer system.

3.1 OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit you should be able to understand:

• the basic concepts of input/output devices;

• functions of Input/output devices;

• types of input/output devices;

• types of monitors, printers, scanners and graphics tablet; and

• newer technologies in computer hardware (I/O devices).

3.2 INPUT­OUTPUT DEVICES

56
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction The computer will be of no use if it is not communicating with the external world.
Thus, a computer must have a system to receive information from the outside world
and must be able to communicate results to the external world. For this purpose
computer use input/output devices. Input and output devices can also be written as I/O
devices.

Input and output devices of a computer system are the devices that connect you to
computer. Input devices let you to transfer data and user command into the computer.
Input devices technologies are rapidly developing and are used to interact with the
computer system. For example, you can type in data by using a keyboard, or you can
input data in picture form by using a scanner in computer system. Inputs are data or
signals received by the computer system and outputs are the data and signals which
are sent by it as result after processing the input.

The, output devices display the result of input data or signals after processing it.
Examples of these could be your computer’s monitor, which displays all the programs
which are running into the computer, as well as the printer, which will print out a hard
copy of the information which is saved in your computer.

Input and output devices allow the computer system to interact with the outside world
by moving data into and out of the system. An Input device is used to bring data into
the system. Examples of some input devices are:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Joy­stick
• Microphone
• Bar code reader
• Graphics tablet

An output device is used to send data out of the system. Examples of some output
devices are:

• Monitor
• Printer
• Plotter
• Speaker

Input and output devices in short are also called I/O devices. They are directly
connected to an electronic module called I/O module or device controller. For
example, the speakers of a multimedia computer system are directly connected to a
device controller called an audio card which in turn is connected to the rest of the
system.

Input and output devices are similar in operation but perform opposite functions. It is
through the use of these devices that the computer is able to communicate with the
outside world.

Input data for the computer system can be in any of the following forms:

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 Input Output Devices
• Manual inputs from a keyboard or console.
• Analog inputs from instruments or sensors.
• Inputs from a storage device, such as Pen­Drive, CD’s and Floppy Drives.

The speed of processor is more than the input devices, such as keyboard of computer
system. Computer system can process hundreds or thousands of characters per second.
Thus, a study of the first method i.e., manual input reflects the inability of human­
operated keyboards or keypunches to supply data at a speed that matches the speed of
digital computers.

3.3 MONITORS

One of the most important output devices in computer system is its screen commonly
called monitor. It is an output device and displays all the programs and applications to
which you are running in your computer system. Monitor is the visual display unit of
the computer system. It displays images generated from the video output. Monitor of
the computer system is used to display images without keeping a permanent record
inside it.

Graphic display is made up of a series of dots called ‘pixels’ (picture elements) whose
pattern produces images in computer system. Each dot on the screen is defined as a
separate unit which can be addressed separately. Since each dot on the screen can be
controlled separately by virtue of which it gives greater flexibility in drawing pictures.
Number of dots per inch (dpi) is called the resolution of the screen and is used to
represent the quality of the computer system. There are three categories of display
screen technology:

1. Normal Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

2. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) / (TFT LCD)

3. Projection Displays

3.3.1 Normal Cathode Ray Tube Monitors (CRT)

Monitors display what is going on in your computer. They can run at various
resolutions. It is the part of computer which looks like a TV set. After typing the
characters from the keyboard we can see them on the monitor.

The main components of a CRT monitors are the electron gun, the electron beam
controlled by an electromagnetic field and phosphor coated display screen. These
older monitors were very bulky and acquire a lot of space for installation.

Body

Monitor On/Off Button

Base

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Hardware and Software: An
Introduction

Figure 1 (a): PC Monitor

Electron gun

Picture Tube

Figure 1 ( b):Cathode Ray Tube

In CRT monitors image is projected on the screen by directing the electron beam on
the computer screen. To precisely direct the electron beams, copper steering coils are
used to create magnetic field inside the tube. By applying varying voltage to copper
coils a beam can be positioned at any point on the screen.

3.3.2 Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD)

This was first introduced in watches and clocks in 1970’s. LCDS is now used to
display images in monitors. A newer technology in computer screens is TFT LCD
monitors. These are light weight monitors and are used in laptop computers.

The three main advantages of these monitors over the CRT are the use of less space
on the desk, less power consumption and flicker free screen.

Screen

Stand

Figure 2: LCD Monitor

These monitors are portable and consume less electricity. Images produced by these
monitors are of better quality than that of old CRT monitors. The LCD monitors have
very high resolution and emit less radiation than CRT monitors.

3.3.3 Projection Displays

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 Input Output Devices
These are normally used for large group presentations. These systems can be
connected to computer and whatever appears on the computer terminal gets enlarged
and projected on a large screen.
On/Off Buttons
Body

Lens

Figure 3: LCD Overhead Projector

In this computers are connected to an LCD Flat screen and images are projected on a
large screen by using overhead projector. These are popularly used for seminars, class
rooms, marketing presentations etc.

Classification of Monitors on the basis of Color

In terms of color capabilities, monitors can be divided into following types:

1. Monochrome: These monitors display the result in two colors, i.e.,

black/white, green/black, amber/black. One color is for
background of the screen and other for the foreground and you
may see it being used at railway reservation counters.

2. Gray Scale: It is monochrome type of the monitor, but it displays the output
by using the different shades of gray, made by combination of
black and white.

3. Color Monitor: It can display the output in many colors, ranging from 16 to
over 1 million different colors. These are also called as RGB
monitors, because they accept three separate signals, which are
red, green and blue.

Classification of Monitors on the basis of Size

After color classification, the most important aspect of a monitor is its screen size.
Size of computer screen is measured in diagonal inches and is given by measuring the
distance from one corner to the opposite corner (diagonally). The smallest size for
VGA monitors is 14 inches, which is also the entry level monitor for computer
system. The larger size landscape monitors can display two full pages side by side at a
time.

Classification of Monitors on the basis of Resolution

The resolution of a monitor means number of pixels per inch are of the monitor.
In general, the number of more pixels will be the sharper images. Most modern
monitors can display 1024 by 768 pixels. Some high­end models of computer
monitors can display 1280 by 1024, or even 1600 by 1200 pixels.

60
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction Classification of Monitors on the basis of Signal

Computer monitor can be divided into two categories on the basis of signals to which
they accept. These are:

1. Analog Monitor,
2. Digital Monitor.

Analog Monitor:

Electronic signal that is sent by signals of varying frequency instead of sent as ON or

OFF data transmission is called analog signal. Analog allows equipment to handle
information that continuously changes such as voltage, current, wave etc. Analog
signals can be represented by wave sign and watches which changes there position
continuously.

Figure 4: Analog Signal

These are traditional type of color monitors which are based on CRT technology.
These work like the television screen and accept analog signals.

Digital Monitor

An electronic signal that is sent as binary digits of either ON or OFF is called Digital
signal. Example given in Figure­5 is of digital signals and how they look like. In the
first diagram signals are either 0 or 1 i.e., up or down for ON and OFF mode. In the
right digital pictures are shown where a pixel is either ON or OFF helping to create an
image on the display screen.

Digital
Size
Timing

Figure 5: Digital Signal

The digital monitor receives digital signals and uses CRT technology. The data in
these monitors is received from video adapter. These are of different types such as
CGA (Color Graphics Adapter), EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adapter), VGA (Video
Graphics Array), SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array) and are fast and produce clear
images.

3.4 PRINTERS

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 Input Output Devices
Printers are used for producing output on paper. There are a large variety of printers
and printing devices. These devices can be classified according to the print quality and
printing speed.

There are vast varieties of printers. Classification of these printers can be done by the
technology used by them. These varieties of printers are:

Printing Technology : impact printers vs. non impact printers

Impact printers use variations of standards typewriter printing mechanism where a

hammer strikes paper through inked ribbon. A non­impact printer uses chemical, heat
or electrical signals to each or induces symbols on paper. Many of these require
special coated or treated paper to print characters on them.

3.4.1 Classification of printers on the basis of Speed

On the basis of speed printers are of following types:

1. Character Printer:

These printers can print only one character at a time. They work similar to
that of the typewriter. The examples are Daisy Wheel Printer, Dot Matrix
Printer and Inkjet Printer.

(a) Daisy ­ Wheel Printer:

This printer is similar to a ball­head typewriter. This type of printer has a

plastic or metal wheel on which the shape of each character is embossed.

Ribbon

Body
Paper Rotation Nob

Figure 6: Daisy­Wheel Printer

A hammer presses the wheel against a ribbon, which in turn makes an ink
stain in the shape of the character on the paper. Daisy­wheel printers produce
letter­quality print but cannot print graphics. The print quality of this impact
printer is very low.

(b) Dot­Matrix Printer: Paper Out

This is one of the most popular printers used for personal computing systems.
These printers are relatively cheaper compared to other technologies and use
impact technology. In the year, 1970s and 1980s, dot matrix impact printers
were generally considered the best combination of expense and versatility,
62

On/Off Paper In
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction and until the 1990s they were by far the most common form of printer used
with personal computers. Characters in this printer are formed by the
combination of dots.

Figure 7: Dot Matrix Printer

Dot­Matrix printer creates characters by striking pins against an ink soaked

ribbon. Each pin makes a dot and combinations of dots form characters and
illustrations. The moving portion of the printer is called the print head of Dot
matrix printer.

Advantages:

• Dot matrix printers, like any impact printer, can print on multi­part
stationery or make carbon copies.
• Impact printers have one of the lowest printing costs per page. As the
ink is running out, the printout gradually fades rather than suddenly
stopping partway through a job.
• They are able to use continuous paper rather than requiring individual
sheets, making them useful for data logging. They are good, reliable
and ideal for use in situations where printed content is more important
than quality.

Disadvantages:

• Impact printers are usually noisy.

• They can only print low resolution graphics, with limited color
performance, and limited quality.
• Per minute page printing is low.

2. Line Printer

Line printers are used to print large amount of data. These are fast speed printers
ranging from 300 to 2500 lines per minute. Examples are Drum Printers and Chain
Printers.

3. Page Printer

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 Input Output Devices
These are very high speed printers which produce high quality output. Their speed
ranges from10­25 pages per minute. These printers use modern Laser Printer
technology and print whole page at one go. There are many varieties of laser page
printers and so their prices from base label to high label.

3.4.2 Classification of Printers on the basis of Quality

The various types of printers based on print quality are as follows

(i) Ink­jet Printer: The Inkjet printer works on inkjet technology and
produce better quality print than dot matrix printers. These print by
spraying a controlled stream of tiny oink droplets accurately on the paper
forming either dot matrix or solid characters. The printing quality of this
printer is very good with the speed of 700 or more characters per second.
These are non – impact and hence are relatively less noise during printing
process. This printer can be used to print in color and is easy to use.

Advantages:

Compared to other printers, inkjets printers have a number of advantages.

These are:

• They are quieter in operation than impact printers.

• They can print finer, smoother details through higher print head resolution
• It can produce photographic­quality printing.

On/Off Button
Paper Out

Figure 8: Ink­Jet Printer

Disadvantages:

Disadvantages of Inkjet printers are:

• The ink is often very expensive.

• Many intelligent ink cartridges contain a microchip that communicates the
estimated ink level to the printer; this may cause the printer to display an error
message, or incorrectly inform the user that the ink cartridge is empty.
• The very narrow inkjet nozzles are prone to clogging due to dried ink.

(ii) Laser Printer: This is a high quality, high speed and high volume technology
printer. In laser printers, a laser beam is used to produce an image on a drum. The
light of the laser alters the electrical charge on the drum wherever it hits. The drum is
then rolled through a reservoir of toner, which is picked up by the charged portions of
the drum. Finally, the toner is transferred to the paper through a combination of heat

64
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction and pressure. Laser printers produce very high quality text and graphics but are very
expensive. The technology used by them is same as that of photo­copy machines.
Speeds of laser printers can range from 10 pages per minute to 200 pages per minute.
Laser printers are also called page printers, because they print whole page in one go.
Standard laser printers can be classified in two categories in terms of color:

• Monochrome laser printer, and

• Color laser printer.

Laser Beam

Toner

Paper Out
Mirror lenses

Drum

Fusing Section

Paper In

Figure 9: Laser Printer

Monochrome laser printers use a single toner. Color laser printers use four
toners to print in full color. These printers are about five to ten times as
expensive as their monochrome siblings.

☞ Check Your Progress 1

1) State True/False against each of the following statements:

a) Keyboard is an input device.

b) Monitor Is An Input Device.

c) Printer Is An Input Device.

d) Joy­Stick Is An Output Device.

e) Speaker Is An Output Device.

f) Microphone Is An Input Device.

g) Daisy­wheel printers prints high quality printing

h) Dot­Matrix printer is characters printer.

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 Input Output Devices
i) Color laser printers use single toner to print.

j) The laser printers are very cheaper.

2) What do you mean by input devices?

……………………………………………………………………………………
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3) What do you mean by output devices?

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4) Name some of the input and output devices.

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5) What are the various types of printers?

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6) What do you mean by dot­matrix printer?

.………………………………………………………………………………..
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7) What do you mean by Laser Printers?

.………………………………………………………………………………..
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3.5 SCANNERS

Scanner is an input device and is used to input data into the computer system in the
form of pictures. It optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and
converts it to a digital image. Examples of scanners are desktop or flatbed scanner. In

66
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction these scanners document is placed on a glass window for scanning. Mechanically
driven scanners which move the document are typically used for large­formatted
volume of documents.
Other types of scanners are planetary scanner. This scanner takes photographs of
books and documents. Three dimensional scanners are used for producing three­
dimensional models of objects.

Cover

Paper
Glass

Figure 10: Optical Scanner

3.6 DISKETTS

Floppy disk is a convenient data recording medium. It is called floppy because it flops
if you wave it (at least, the 5¼­inch variety does). Floppy disks are portable and can
be removed from the system. Disk drives for floppy disks are called floppy drives.
Data stored in Floppy disks are slower to access than that of hard disks. But it is less
expensive than the hard disk.

Floppy Disks come into three sizes:

(1) 8 Inches Floppy Disk

(2) 5.25 Inches Floppy Disk
(3) 3.5 Inches Floppy Disk

The earliest floppy disks, invented at IBM company, were of 8 inches in diameter.
They became commercially available in 1971. Floppy disks of today are available in
two sizes 5.25 inches and 3.5 inches and their storage capacity ranges from 360 KB to
1.44 MB.

Floppy disks were very popular and have been seen by all computer professionals.
This is the reason why floppy disk symbol is often seen in programs on buttons and
other user interface elements related to saving of files. Now pen drive have replaced
Write Protect Switch
flopy disks and flopy disks are outdated.

Floppy

67 Shutter

Insert Button
 Input Output Devices

Figure 11: Floppy Disk Drive & Floppy

Note: Floppy Disks were used by computer professionals from the year 1971 to the
year 2005 and are out dated now a days. Now pen drives have replaced floppy disks
and are being used by the users.

3.6.1 Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

The hard disk drive in computer system is the data center of computer. All the
programs and data of computer are stored in it. It is the most important permanent
storage device of computer. Hard disk differs from the other data storage devices, in
three ways:

Size (usually larger),

Speed (usually faster) and
Permanence (usually fixed in the PC and not removable).

The first PC hard disks had a capacity of 10 megabytes and its cost was very high.
The Modern hard disks have capacities more than 500 gigabytes and are very cheap
than to previous hard disks.

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Hardware and Software: An
Introduction

Cylinder

Head

Cover

Figure 12: Hard Disk Drive

Features of HDD:

Some of the main features of hard disk are:

1. Performance: The hard disk plays a very important role in overall system
performance. The speed at which the PC boots up and programs load is directly
related to the hard disk speed.

2. Storage Capacity: Hard disks have a very high storage capacity such as 500 GB
and even more. Bigger hard disk lets you store more programs and data in it.

3. Software Support: Newer software needs more space and faster hard disks to
load it efficiently. This is supported by the present age high speed hard disk
drives.

3.6.2 Random Access Memory (RAM)

Random access memory (RAM) of a computer system is a type of computer data

storage device. It works similar to integrated circuits and allows the stored data to be
accessed in any order, i.e. at random. The word random thus refers to the fact that any
piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location.

The RAM is a volatile memory i.e., the data or information saved in this memory gets
lost if power is switched off. It is permanently fixed in side the computer system.

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 Input Output Devices

IC

256 MB RAM

Figure 13: Random Access Memory

Computer RAM comes into many sizes such as 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2GB etc.
Normal PC RAM’s and Laptop RAM’s are of different in sizes and shapes.

3.6.3 Pen Drive

A USB flash drive is a flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB
(universal serial bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and
rewritable, much shorter than a floppy disk. Nothing actually moves in a flash drive: it
is called a drive because it is designed to read and write data using the same system
commands as a mechanical hard disk drive.

A flash drive is consist of a small printed circuit board protected inside a plastic, metal
or rubberized case, robust enough to be carried with no additional protection, in a
pocket or on a key chain. To access the drive it must be connected to a USB port,
which powers the drive and allows it to send and receive data.

USB Port

Protective Cover

Figure 14: Pen Drive

USB flash drive offers potential advantage over other portable storage devices. They
are more compact, faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and are
more reliable for lack of moving parts. Pen Drive comes in various sizes such as: 256
MB, 512MB, 1 GB, 2GB, 4GB, & 8GB.

3.6.4 Compact Disk (CD)

70
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction The CD – ROM (Compact Disk read only memory) is a direct extension of audio CD.
The CDs are available in the market since late 1982. Standard CDs have a diameter of
120 mm and can hold up to 80 minutes of audio. There is mini CDs with diameters
ranging from 60 to 80 mm.

Centre

Recording Surface

Figure 15: Compact CD

The amount of information that can be written on a CD is determined by the disc

recording capacity as well as the physical and logical formats used. There are various
versions of CD such as CD­R (CD Readable), CD­RW (CD Read­Write), SACD
(Super Audio CD), VCD (Video Compact Disk), and DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

3.7 KEYBOARD

It is the most common input device used for input of data and information into the
computer system. In a keyboard alphabets are printed on the keys. The first keyboard
was developed in 1800 century and was named as QWERTY keyboard. The standard
layout of letters, numbers, and punctuation is known as a QWERTY keyboard,
because the first six keys on the top row of letters spell QWERTY.

In general a computer keyboard has following key:

1. Alphanumeric Keys: It includes letters and numbers.

2. Punctuation Keys: These include comma, period, semicolon etc.
3. Special Keys: These can be, function keys, control keys, arrow keys and
Caps Lock keys etc.

Multimedia Keys

Function Keys

Numeric Keys
Space Bar

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 Input Output Devices
Figure 16: Keyboard

All the modern keyboards of computer are classified as:

(a) Original PC keyboard having 84 keys,

(b) Advance Technology (AT) Keyboard having 101­104 keys, and
(c) Multimedia Keyboard having 120 – 140 keys.

3.8 MOUSE

Mouse is a handy device which can be moved on a smooth surface to simulate the
movement of cursor on the screen. It is a pointing device which is used to input data
into computer by pointing on it. Physically, a mouse contains a small case, held under
one of the user’s hand with one or more buttons.

Right Button
Roller

Plastic Cover
Left Button

Figure 17: Computer Mouse

Its name is derived from its shape, which looks a bit like a mouse, its connecting wire
that one can imagine to be the mouse’s tail.

Mouse could be mechanical, optical or cordless types.

Mechanical Mouse: Mechanical Mouse uses ball for the movement of cursor on the
computer screen.

Optical Mouse: Optical Mouse uses Laser rays for the movement of cursor on the
computer screen.

Cord­Less Mouse: Cord­Less Mouse is battery driven and does not need any wire for
the physical connection with motherboard.

Computer mouse are very useful in designing pictures and graphs by the multimedia
designers. Mouse pad is required to move the mouse because it provides smooth
surface.

3.9 GRAPHICS TABLET

Graphics tablet is a computer input device which allows one to hand­draw images and
graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets
may also be used to capture data of handwritten signatures.

72
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a mouse as the primary
pointing and navigation device for desktop computers.

Drawing Surface

Drawing Pen

Body

Figure 18: Graphics Tablet

Graphics tablet is most suited for artists and those who want the natural feel of a pen­
like object to manipulate the cursor on their screen. Wacom is the most well known
manufacturer of graphics tablets, and incredibly well respected.

3.10 SPEAKER

Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are external speakers, commonly

equipped with a low­power internal amplifier. A plug and socket for of the external
speakers are used to connect it with computer system.

Speaker
Volume

On/Off

Stand

Figure 19: Multimedia Speaker

Computer speakers range widely in quality and in price. Laptops computers have
inbuilt speakers with them.

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 Input Output Devices

3.11 MICROPHONE

A microphone is an acoustic­to­electric transducer or sensor and is used to convert

sound signals into electrical signals. It was originally invented by Emile Berliner in
1877, and allows you to record voices or sounds and place them onto computers,
generally as a wave file.

Head

Wire

Stand

Figure 20: Voice Recording Microphone

To connect microphone, one has to insert the plug of it into the back of computer
system (generally written as mic next to it).

Integrated microphones can be found on laptops and some desktop monitors. These
Microphones are usually look like a small hole in front of the computer which when
spoken into will record your voice.

☞ Check Your Progress 2

1) True / False against each of the following statements:

a) Cordless mice are directly connected with computer.

b) Mouse Is Not A Pointing Device.

c) Floppies Are Used To Store Data.

d) Scanner Is Used To Print Documents.

e) Printer Is Used To Display Pictures.

f) Monitor Is Used To Scan Pictures.

g) Microphone converts sound into electrical signal.

h) A Computer Attached With Speaker Is Called Multimedia

Computer.

i) Speakers Are Used For Listening Audio Signals.

74
Hardware and Software: An
Introduction j) Graphic Tablet Can Be Used As Mouse.

2) What is mean by keyboard?

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3) What is a mouse and what are its types?

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4) What is a scanner and what is their functions?

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5) What is multimedia speaker? Where they are used?

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6) What is use multimedia graphics tablet?

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3.12 SUMMARY

Input/output devices are the devices that connect you to your computer. Input devices
let you input data and other information into your computer and they also let you give
your computer special instructions so that it will know what to do. For example, you
can type in data by using a keyboard, or you can input data in picture form by using a
scanner or give some instruction by clicking of mouse.

On the other hand, output devices display the results of your computer’s
computations. Examples of these would be your computer’s monitor, which displays
all of the programs you’re running, as well as the printer, which will print out a hard
copy of the information.

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 Input Output Devices

3.13 SOLUTIONS/ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1

1) (a) TRUE (b) FALSE (c) FALSE

(d) FALSE (e) TRUE (f) TRUE

(g) FLASE (h) TRUE (i) FALSE

(j) FALSE

2) Input devices let you input data and other information into the computer. They are
used to give special instructions to computer so that it will know what to do. For
example, you can type in data by using a keyboard, or you can input data in
picture form by using a scanner.

3) Output devices display the result of your computer’s computations. Examples of

these would be your computer’s monitor, which displays all the programs which
are running into the computer, or the printer used for getting result as printout.

4) Some Examples of Input devices are:

Keyboard, Mouse, Joy­stick, Microphone, and Graphics tablet.

Some examples of output devices are:

Monitor, Printer, Plotter and Speaker

5) There are many different types of printers. In terms of the technology utilized,
printers fall into following categories:

1) Laser printer
2) Ink­ jet printer and
3) Dot­matrix printer

6) Dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer refers to a type of printer with a print
head that runs back and forth on the page and prints characters by impact,
striking an ink­soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter.

7) Laser printers produce very high quality text and graphics. The technology used
by them is same as that of photo­copy machines. In laser printers, a laser beam
is used to produce an image on a drum. The light of the laser alters the electrical
charge on the drum wherever it hits. The drum is then rolled through a reservoir
of toner, which is picked up by the charged portions of the drum.

Check Your Progress 2

1) (a) FALSE (b) FALSE (c) TRUE

(d) FALSE (e) FALSE (f) FALSE

(g) TRUE (h) TRUE (i) TRUE

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Hardware and Software: An
Introduction
(j) TRUE

2) Keyboard is an input device and is used to input data into the computer system.
Computer keyboard contains letters, numbers, function keys, arrow keys and
some special keys on it.

3) Computer mouse is an input device. It is used to point on the instructions and

commands are input by clicking on them by it. A mouse has two – three buttons
on it and is moved on the mouse pad which gives smooth surface for its
movement. Mouse is consists of a small case, held under one of the user’s hands,
with one or more buttons.

4) Scanner is an input device which is used to input data in the form of pictures. It
optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a
digital image.

5) Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are external speakers, commonly

equipped with a low­power internal amplifier. These are used to listen audio
signals in computer system.

6) A graphics tablet is a computer input device that allows one to hand­draw images
and graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper.

3.14 FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES

1) Computer Fundamentals by V Raja Raman, PHI Publication New Delhi,

Year 2008
2) Computer Fundamentals by P K Sinha and Preeti Sinha, BPB Publication New Delhi,
Year 2007
3) Computer Fundamentals and Personal Computer Software by V C Jain,
BPB Publication New Delhi, Year 2006
4) Comdex Computer Course Kit by Vikas Gupta, Dreamtech Publication, N Delhi,
Year 2007

Reference websites:
(1) www.sciencedirect.com

(2) www.ieee.org
(3) www.abcya.com
(4) www.webpedia.com

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