Output Devices

Processing is invisible until the computer shows us the result. An output device is a device that receives data from a computer system for display, physical production, and similar purposes. Its defining job is the reverse of an input device's: it converts digital information into a human-understandable form. Examples include the monitor, projector, headphone, speaker and printer (some of these are shown in Figure 1.3).

Output for accessibility

Just as braille keyboards adapt input for the visually impaired, output too can be adapted: a braille display monitor is useful for a visually challenged person to understand the textual output generated by a computer.

Printers — output you can hold

The printer is the most commonly used device for getting output in physical, hardcopy form. Three types of printers are in common use:

• Inkjet
• Laserjet
• Dot matrix

The 3D printer

A newer kind of printer, the 3D printer, does something qualitatively different: instead of putting ink on paper, it builds a physical replica of a digital 3D design. Its uses are already significant and still growing:

• Manufacturing industries use 3D printers to create prototypes of products, turning a digital model into a testable object.
• In the medical field, their usage is being explored particularly for developing body organs. …