CSC 101

Introduction to
Computing

Lecture 7
Muhammad Salman Ali
msalmanali@comsats.edu.pk

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Last Lecture Summary I
 Output Devices
 Monitors
 CRT, LCD, PDP

 Comparing Monitors
 Size

 Resolution

 Refresh rate

 Dot pitch

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Last Lecture Summary II
 Video Cards
 Ergonomics and Monitors
 Electronic Magnetic Field (EMF)
 Data Projectors
 LCD Projector
 Speakers and Sound Systems
 Sound Cards
 Headphone and Headsets

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 Putting Digital Content in
Hands
 Most computer users can’t imagine
working without a printer
 Printers give you something you can
 touch, carry, and share with others.
 Printed documents are essential in most
workplaces, where people must share
 reports, budgets, memos, and other types
of information.
 Three types of printers are popular
 dot matrix, ink jet, and laser

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 Outline
 Three most commonly used types of
printers.
 Four criteria to be considered when
evaluating printers.
 How an image is created by
 Dot matrix printer
 Ink Jet
 Laser
 Four types of high-quality printing
devices commonly used in business.
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 Commonly Used Printers
 Impact printers
 Generate output by striking the paper
 Uses an inked ribbon
 Most common
 Dot Matrix
 Line Printer and Band Printers
 Non-impact printers
 Use methods other than force
 Tend to be quiet and fast
 Most Common
 Ink jet and Laser

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Dot Matrix Printer
 Can produce sheets of plain text very
quickly
 Used to print to multi-sheet pages
 Printing on wide-sheet paper
 Print head strikes inked ribbon
 Speed measured in characters per
second (CPS)

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Dot Matrix Printer Parts

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 Dot Matrix Printhead
Mechanism
Print head Mechanism
 which contains a cluster (or matrix) of short pins
arranged in one or more columns.
 Printer can push any of the pins out in any
combination.
 By pushing out pins in various combinations,
the print head can create alphanumeric
characters
 Forms a character by creating a series of dots.

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How Image is created?
 When pushed out from the duster, the
protruding pins’ ends strike a ribbon
 which is held in place between the print head
and the paper.
 When the pins strike the ribbon, they
press ink from the ribbon onto the paper.
 More pins that a print head contains, the
higher the printer’s resolution
 Slowest dot matrix printers create 50 to 70
cps
 Fastest more than 500 cps
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How Image is created?

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 Line Printers
 Special type of impact
printer.
 Uses a special wide
print head that can
print an entire line of
text at one time
 Do not offer high
resolution but are
incredibly fast;
 Fastest can print 3,000
lines of text per
minute. 12
 Band Printers
 a rotating band embossed
with alphanumeric
characters.
 machine rotates the band
to the desired character
then a small hammer taps
the band, pressing the
character against a
ribbon.
 Very fast and very robust.
 Can generate 2,000 lines
of text per minute 13
 Impact Printers
 Advantages
can print on multi-part stationery
 make carbon-copies.
 Lowest printing cost per page
 As the ink is running out, the printout gradually
fades rather than suddenly stopping partway
through a job.
 Able to use continuous paper rather than
requiring individual sheets, making them useful
for data logging.
 Good, reliable workhorses ideal for use in
situations where printed content is more
important than quality.
 Ink ribbon also does not easily dry out 14
 Impact Printers
 Disadvantages
Creates noise when the pins or typeface
strike the ribbon to the paper.
 Can only print lower-resolution graphics,
with limited color performance, limited
quality, and lower speeds compared to
non-impact printers.
 Single-sheet paper may have to be
wound in and aligned by hand, which is
relatively time-consuming
 When printing labels on release paper,
they are prone to paper jams
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Ink Jet Printers
 Non-impact printer
 Inexpensive home printer
 Sprays ink onto paper
 Speed measured in pages per minute
(ppm)
 Quality expressed as dots per inch (dpi)

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Working of Ink Jet
Printer

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Ink Jet Printer Working

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Ink Jet Printer
 Color output common using CMYK
 Cyan, Magenta, yellow, black
 Expensive maintenance is rare
 Ink cartridge need to be changed
 one cartridge for color printing and a
separate black-only cartridge for black-
and-white printing
 often used to print pictures taken with a
digital camera

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Ink Jet Printer
Advantages
 Quieter in operation than impact dot

matrix
 Can print finer, smoother details through
higher print head resolution
 Photographic-quality printing are widely
available.
 Practically no warm up time, and
 Lower cost per page.

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Ink Jet Printer
Disadvantages
 (Original) ink is often very expensive.

 Many "intelligent" ink cartridges contain

a microchip that communicates the
estimated ink level to the printer;
 lifetime of inkjet prints produced by
aqueous inks is shorter than those
produced with solvent-based inkjets
 Because the ink is water-soluble, care
must be taken with inkjet-printed
documents to avoid drop of water
 nozzles are prone to clogging 21
 Laser Printer
 Non-impact printer
 Works on a similar process as photocopier
 Laser is at the heart of these printers.
 Produces high quality documents
 Color or black and white
 Speed measured in pages per minute
 Quality expressed as dots per inch

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How Laser Creates an
Image

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Laser Printer Technology

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Laser Color Printing
 Works like a single-color model, except
that the process is repeated four times
and a different toner color is used for
each pass.
 Four colors used are the same as in the
color ink jet printers
 Cyan
 Magenta
 Yellow and
 Black.

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 Laser Printing
 Black color printers typically can produce 4 -16
ppm.
 For printing graphics, the output can be a
great deal slower.
 Most have resolutions of 300 or 600 dpi, both
horizontally and vertically, but some high-end
models have resolutions of 1,200 or 1,800 dpi.
 Price starts from Rs. 6,000increases
dramatically along with speed and resolution.
 Require new toner cartridges after a few
thousand pages,

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All-In-One Peripherals
 Scanner, copier, printer, Fax and e-mail
 Popular in home offices
 Prices are very reasonable

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Comparing Printers
 Determine what you need
 Determine what you can spend
 Image quality
 dpi
 Initial cost
 Cost of operating
 Speed

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High-Quality Printers
 Special purpose printers
 Used by a print shop
 Output is professional grade
 Prints to a variety of surfaces

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Photo Printers
 Produces film quality pictures
 Prints very slow
 Prints a variety of sizes
 Some do not need a computer

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Thermal Wax Printer
 Produces bold color output
 Color generated by melting wax
 Colors do not bleed
 Operation costs are low
 Output is slow

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Dye Sublimation Printer
 Produces realistic output
 Very high quality
 Color is produced by evaporating ink
 Operation costs are high
 Output is very slow

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Solid Ink Printer
 Excellent Print Quality
 Less wastage
 Less sensitive to changes in media
 Third-party compatible solid-ink can be
used

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 Solid Ink Printer -
Advantages
utilizes solid ink sticks
 After the ink stick is loaded into the
printing device, it is melted and used to
produce images on paper in a process
similar to offset printing.
 sticks are non-toxic and safe to handle.

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 Solid Ink Printer -
Disadvantages
Print durability
 Power consumption
 Excessive ink usage
 Odor
 clogged print Heads
 High-speed moving parts
 Ultraviolet resistance
 Lamination

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Plotters
 Large high quality blueprints
 Older models draw with pens
 Operational costs are low
 Output is very slow

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Care and Feeding of Printers
 Always read the owner’s manual for
instructions
 Unplug the printer
 Remove the paper
 Always place computer at airy place
 Clean the outside surfaces with a dry or
damp cloth
 Use compatible paper with your printer
 Don't overfill the paper tray
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Summary
 Impact Printers and Non Impact Printers
 Impact Printers
 Dot Matrix,

 Line Printers,
 Band Printers
 Impact Printer Advantages and
disadvantages
 Non Impact Printers
 Ink jet , Laser , All-in-One Peripherals
 Comparing Printers
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Summary
 High Quality Printers
 Photo printer
 Thermal printer
 Dye Sublimation
 Solid Ink
 Plotter
 Care and Feeding of Printers

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Recommended Websites
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Impa
ct_printers
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printers
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_printer
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_transf
er_printer
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sublimatio
n_printer
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_ink
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotter
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