In the world of computers, input/output (I/O) refers to communication between the computer and the user. Output devices are computer hardware equipment, that are used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by the computer to the user.
Output devices of computer are types of peripheral hardware connected to the computer either using cables or over a wireless network. An output given by the computer can be in the form of a display on the screen or a printed document or a song that is played.
Immaterial of whether you have desktop computers, laptop computers or supercomputers, you will require at least one output device.
Monitor
A monitor is also called video display terminal (VDT). The users can view the visual display of the processed data on the monitor. Computer monitors come in a variety of screen sizes and not to forget, visual resolutions.
All monitors have a video card, which processes the data into images, to be eventually displayed. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) and flat panel displays are the two types of monitors. CRTs are cheaper, and have good viewing angle. They are bulkier and consume more power. The flat panel displays have no magnetic interference and lighter. They are also costlier.
Printer
Printer is an external hardware device, which takes processed data from the computer to generate a hard copy of the same.
After the monitors, printers are the most used peripherals of computers and they are commonly used to print text data, images, etc. There are three types of computer printers, namely inkjet, laser and dot matrix printers.
The dot matrix printer is an impact printer. It uses striking pins against a ribbon to produce the characters in order to print the data.
The inkjet printer uses magnetized plates that spray ink on the paper to produce the data. On the other hand, laser printers use a laser beam to produce the data.
Speaker
A speaker is a hardware device, that is connected to a computer's sound card, which outputs the sound generated by the card. Audio data generated by the computer is sent to the audio card that is located in the expansion slot.
The card translates the data into audio signals, which are then sent to either the speakers or the headphones. In the initial phase, computers had on-board speakers, which generated series of different tones and beeps.
When the popularity of multimedia and computer games grew, better quality computer speakers known for higher quality sound effects and music came into the market.
Projector
It is a hardware device with which an image and text is projected onto a flat screen. Image data is sent to the video card by the computer which is then translated into a video image and sent to the projector.
A projector is often used in meetings or to make presentations as it allows the display to be visible to a larger audience. Ceiling mount projector and table mount projector are the two types of projectors available in the market today.
Plotter
Plotters, like printers, create a hard copy rendition of a digitally rendered design. The design is sent to a plotter through a graphics card and the image is created using a pen. In simple words, plotters basically draw an image using a series of straight lines. This device is used with engineering applications.
Drum plotter uses a drum, on which the paper gets wrapped. The plotter pen moves across the drum to produce plots. The other type of plotter is the flatbed plotter. The paper is placed on the bed and graphics are drawn on it. This kind of plotter is used for larger drawings.
Braille Embosser
It is nothing but an impact printer that prints braille output by punching dots on the paper. A few embossers also emboss graphics. Before printing, the data should be first translated into braille by using braille translation software.
There are two types of braille embossers namely, single-sided embosser and two-sided embosser. Interpoint printers or double-sided printers, print on both the sides of the paper by lining the dots in such a manner that the dots do not overlap.
Braille Reader/Display
It is designed for visually impaired, it is an alternative for a monitor. It is connected to a computer via a USB connection. This device displays the output braille characters by raising nylon or metal pins on a flat surface. The data that is highlighted on the computer screen will be automatically displayed on the device by converting the text to braille.