OUTPUT WORKSHEET

Device
Description
4 Points
Advantages (2)
Disadvantages (2)
Costs
Quality
Speed
Suitability /Applications (2)
Dot Matrix
-Print head is made up of a series of pins laid out in rows and columns.
- The print head strikes an ink ribbon, leaving an impression on the page
- Characters are formed as a series of dots when the tiny pins strike the ink ribbon
- The more pins in the print head, the better the quality of the printer
- is useful when organisations need to produce carbon copy printouts
- costs less to produce multiple copies of data
- Prints only in one colour
- Produces low quality print compared to laser printer
Inexpensive
Low quality
Slow

Laser
-A laser printer is a non-impact printer which uses a toner kit to produce printouts
- Some laser printers are manufactured as three-in-one devices to include a scanner, a photocopier, and fax capabilities
- Usually have their own memory where pages are temporarily stored before printing
- They are used in may workplaces because they are quiet to use

-High quality printouts
- Fast printouts, faster than ink-jet or dot-matrix
- Most expensive printer to buy, especially colour lasers
- Toner is more expensive than ink-jet cartridges
Expensive
High quality printouts
Fast printouts

Inkjet
-These printers use cartridges that contain the ink
- They operate by heating the ink as it flows through a set of tiny nozzles
- Most of these printers can combine both black and white and colour printing at the same time
- Colour ink-jet printers are ideal for use at home where only a few documents need to be printed

-Cheap to buy – cheaper than a laser printer
- More compact than a laser printer
- Noisier than a laser printer (but not as noisy as a dot-matrix)
- Colour printing can be extremely slow
Expensive
Good
Faster than a dot-matrix but not as fast as a laser

Plotter Printer
-Plotters are a specialist type of printer which is able to draw high quality images on very large pieces of paper
- They are used by engineers, architects and map-makers to draw plans of buildings, diagrams of machines or large scale maps
- A plotter differs from a printer in that it draws images using a pen that can be lowered, raised and moved across the paper to form continuous lines
- The electronically controlled pen is moved around the paper by computer controlled motors
- There are plotters now which are ‘pen-less’. These are used for creating high density drawings

-Plotters are able to work on large sheets of paper and still maintain high quality resolution
- A plotter may print on a wide variety of materials and thus offer its user many options. Materials that a plotter can draw on include sheet steel, plywood, aluminium, plastic, cardboard and almost any flat sheet material
- They take up more space than regular printers
- The price of a plotter is much higher than the price of printer
Expensive
High quality
Fast

Speakers
-Most computers are fitted with a small internal speaker which can produce beeping sounds to alert you if you make an error
- Computers can also be fitted with a sound card which will enable sound to be output through external speakers
- These usually produce a much higher quality sound than the internal speaker

-Pretty durable if operated within their intended power levels.
- Quiet sounds reproduced can be magnified
- Easily destroyed if over powered
- The output can disturb others who are trying to work
Good quality speakers can be expensive