Displaying is presenting the output from an information system to meet a given purpose. It is the presentation of information in the form of text, numerals, images, audio and video. A range of hardware and software combinations are used to display different types of information.
hardware
CRT Monitor
A monitor is a screen that uses cathode ray tube (CRT) technology similar to a television. Images are produced by firing a beam of electrons onto the inside of the screen, which contains a coating of phosphor The electron beam usually starts in the upper hand corner and moves from left to right and top to bottom in a series of zig zag lines called a raster scan
LCD Monitor
The most common types of technology used in flat screens is a liquid crystal display (LCD). It consists of a layer of crystal material placed between 2 polarising sheets. Light is passed through a liquid crystal material and current is applied at particular points. This causes the pixel to be activated.
Dot Matrix Printer
A dot matrix printer prints characters or images using dots. Each dot is formed by the impact between a pin, printer ribbon and the paper. There can be between 9 and 24 pins located in the printer head. A 24-pin printer produces higher quality output than a 9-pin printer. Dot matrix printers are reliable and cheap, but they are noisy and do not produce the highest quality output. Dot matrix printers have resolutions from 60 dpi to 180 dpi.
Ink Jet Printers
Inkjet printers produce characters by spraying very fine drops of ink onto the paper. The print head of an inkjet contains a nozzle with anywhere from 50 to several hundred small holes. The ink is propelled through a combination of nozzle holes to form the characters.Inkjet printers produce high-quality output in either colour or black and white. They are quiet, light and relatively cheap although the ink cartridges are expensive. Inkjet printers are very popular and are an ideal solution for people who want high-quality output without high volume. One disadvantage is that inkjet output is usually not waterproof.
Lazer Printers
Laser printers use data from the computer to direct a laser beam at a positively charged revolving drum. Where the drum is charged by the laser beam it attracts toner (powdered ink). The toner is transferred onto the paper and fused using heat and pressure to form the image. Laser printers print a complete page at a time. Laser printers used with personal computers print from 4 to 20 pages per minute while high-speed laser printers can print more than 100 pages per minute. Most laser printers offer 600–1200 dpi output and use standard size paper. The highest quality models produce output to rival commercial printing processes.
Speakers
Sounds are produced using a speaker. A small speaker is usually located in most personal computers inside the system unit. However, high-quality stereo speakers are often connected to the computer using a port and a sound card. The speakers are sometimes built into the sides of the monitor. In addition to sounds and music, speakers work with voice output.
Plotters
A plotter is an output device used to produce high-quality drawings such as maps, charts and building plans. The drawings are often larger than the available paper sizes of a standard printer. Plotters are operated using commands from the computer and can be used to draw an amazing array of shapes and figures. There are two different types of plotters: pen plotters and electrostatic plotters.
Below is a photo gallery of each of the different hardware aspects of displaying
A monitor is a screen that uses cathode ray tube (CRT) technology similar to a television. Images are produced by firing a beam of electrons onto the inside of the screen, which contains a coating of phosphor The electron beam usually starts in the upper hand corner and moves from left to right and top to bottom in a series of zig zag lines called a raster scan
LCD Monitor
The most common types of technology used in flat screens is a liquid crystal display (LCD). It consists of a layer of crystal material placed between 2 polarising sheets. Light is passed through a liquid crystal material and current is applied at particular points. This causes the pixel to be activated.
Dot Matrix Printer
A dot matrix printer prints characters or images using dots. Each dot is formed by the impact between a pin, printer ribbon and the paper. There can be between 9 and 24 pins located in the printer head. A 24-pin printer produces higher quality output than a 9-pin printer. Dot matrix printers are reliable and cheap, but they are noisy and do not produce the highest quality output. Dot matrix printers have resolutions from 60 dpi to 180 dpi.
Ink Jet Printers
Inkjet printers produce characters by spraying very fine drops of ink onto the paper. The print head of an inkjet contains a nozzle with anywhere from 50 to several hundred small holes. The ink is propelled through a combination of nozzle holes to form the characters.Inkjet printers produce high-quality output in either colour or black and white. They are quiet, light and relatively cheap although the ink cartridges are expensive. Inkjet printers are very popular and are an ideal solution for people who want high-quality output without high volume. One disadvantage is that inkjet output is usually not waterproof.
Lazer Printers
Laser printers use data from the computer to direct a laser beam at a positively charged revolving drum. Where the drum is charged by the laser beam it attracts toner (powdered ink). The toner is transferred onto the paper and fused using heat and pressure to form the image. Laser printers print a complete page at a time. Laser printers used with personal computers print from 4 to 20 pages per minute while high-speed laser printers can print more than 100 pages per minute. Most laser printers offer 600–1200 dpi output and use standard size paper. The highest quality models produce output to rival commercial printing processes.
Speakers
Sounds are produced using a speaker. A small speaker is usually located in most personal computers inside the system unit. However, high-quality stereo speakers are often connected to the computer using a port and a sound card. The speakers are sometimes built into the sides of the monitor. In addition to sounds and music, speakers work with voice output.
Plotters
A plotter is an output device used to produce high-quality drawings such as maps, charts and building plans. The drawings are often larger than the available paper sizes of a standard printer. Plotters are operated using commands from the computer and can be used to draw an amazing array of shapes and figures. There are two different types of plotters: pen plotters and electrostatic plotters.
- A pen plotter produces images using coloured ink pens on the surface of the paper. Depending on the output, pen plotters are either flatbed or drum. A flatbed plotter looks like a drafting table with pens suspended over it. The movement of the pens is controlled by the plotter software. Most flatbed plotters have different coloured pens of different widths. They are used in engineering and drafting applications. A drum plotter works in the same way except that the paper is rolled around a drum or cylinder. The pens only move to the left and right as the drum rotates. The drawings from a drum plotter are restricted to the width of the printer but are unlimited in length.
- An electrostatic plotter creates images by moving paper under a row of wires. When the wires are given an electrostatic charge they touch the paper and create the drawing. Electrostatic plotters produce high-quality output and are faster than pen plotters.
Below is a photo gallery of each of the different hardware aspects of displaying
Software
Each piece of application software displays data. The chapters in Part 2: Application software contain detailed information on the display features of various applications. The following is brief summary.
- Reporting is used to organise and display data from a database for printing. Database management systems allow complete control in the design of a report in either a tabular or column layout. It is possible to insert headings, sort data, choose fields, switch fields, change column width and select records. The purpose of the report determines its content, format and style.
- Formatting changes the appearance of the data. Text is formatted by changing the font, alignment, tabs, indenting, bullets, numbering and style. Additional design elements include headers and footers, colour, drop caps, text effects, call outs and borders. Numbers in a spreadsheet are displayed using built-in formats such as currency, percentage or fixed. Page layout is the arrangement of text and graphics on a page. A publication that is well designed will convey its message effectively and efficiently.
- Spacing between lines of text is altered to improve the appearance and readability of a document. Character spacing refers to the spacing between individual letters. It is changed in a number of ways such as scale, points, position and kerning.
- Mail merge combines a letter written on a word processor with data from another document such as a database. It saves time and makes final documents more personal.
- Tables are rows and columns of cells that are filled with text and graphics. Text can be displayed horizontally or vertically, and the width or height of the rows and columns can be altered. Tables can be sorted in alphabetic, numeric or date order.
- Charts are a graphical representation of numerical data. They convert data in rows and columns into a picture that can be read at a glance. Charts make data easy to understand.