Cambridge IGCSE ICT Teacher’s Resource

Resource 2.02 Output devices

Output devices are used so that you can look at or see the results of work carried out or processed on
computers.

Printers
Despite being able to see results of your work on a screen, paper copies, usually called hard copies, of
information are still often needed.

Printers and plotters are used to produce these hard copies.

There are different types of printer.

Laser printers use a laser to make images of a page on a drum that has a negative charge. This lets it pick up
positively-charged toner, then the drum rolls over the paper and the toner is heated so you get a print on to the
page.

• Often used in schools and offices.

• High-quality printouts.
• Quick.
• Good resolution.
• Toner ink cartridge lasts for many copies before it runs out.
• Laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers.
• They cost less to run than inkjet printers.

Inkjet printers spray ink onto paper to make characters and graphics.

• Inexpensive to buy.
• Can print in colour.
• Can print quickly but can be slow when printing graphics.
• Resolution can be very high in a good inkjet printer and can therefore be used for photographs.
• Replacing ink cartridges can be costly and often need replacing (this is why users should check their work
thoroughly on screen before printing, and print only when really necessary).
• They are slower than laser printers.

Plotters
These are large devices that print but instead of using ink cartridges, they use pens to draw the output onto
paper.

• They can print out in colour using different coloured pens.

• Capable of producing very accurate drawings and plans.
• Often used in computer aided design (CAD).

Sound card and speakers

A sound card captures sounds and changes them to digital binary numbers which are then stored in files in
your computer. When you want to output sound, the sound card does the opposite and changes the binary
data held in the sound files into analogue signals to be used for the speakers attached to the computer. A pair
of speakers plugs into the computer’s sound card. A good-quality sound card would be necessary if you
wanted a really good gaming experience.

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 Cambridge IGCSE ICT Teacher’s Resource

Screens and monitors

Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are flat. They work by blocking light reflected from behind, so the
screens cannot be read in the dark unless they are backlit.

• They only need a small amount of power and can run on batteries.
• They don’t weigh as much as ordinary monitors so they are good for use on laptops.

Thin film transistor (TFT) screens use arrays of transistors to control backlighting of the screen actively. It is
a type of LCD screen but has more complex electronics than a passive LCD monitor.

• The arrays enable it to display graphics or animations more clearly and quickly than an LCD monitor.

Cathode ray tube (CRT) screens are made with glass tubes.

• The unit is large and bulky.

• Used a lot of power to work.
• Now replaced by flat panel screens.

Graphics cards
The processor loads the graphic file; the file is made up of binary numbers; it then outputs the graphic as a
stream of signals that control the output on the screen.

• All applications need graphical items, such as windows, icons, and drop-down menus.
• Gaming software make a high demand on graphics facilities of computers.
• Graphics cards have their own memory so it relieves the pressure on main memory.

©
© Cambridge
CambridgeUniversity
UniversityPress 2019
Press 2017