Output Devices.

Monitors

You know, none of these are really easy choices. If it's just you working on the system, the decisions might be simple, but if you have to consider others' opinions, not so much. Let's start with the monitor. We use this to view the work we're doing at the time or to view a finished product. We may also use it to view videos or photos we've taken or found online.

Monitors come in many sizes and descriptions. To make the best decision, you should ask yourself what you'll be doing the most with your computer. Are you just writing papers or creating presentations? Are you surfing the Internet? Are you playing games once in a while? Are they games that are not intensive in graphics? Are you making and editing videos for fun - or for a profession?

If you can keep it simple, the standard monitor is for you. If you're playing games with intensive graphics, making videos or working with digital photographs or art, you may want a high-definition monitor. If you're going to use a computer as your home entertainment system, you can find one that is TV-ready as well.

The size of the monitor you use truly depends on your preference. Things to consider are your eyesight, who else will be using it and the distance the monitor will be sitting away from you (assuming you go with a desktop unit, not a laptop). There are monitor sizes ranging from 7 inches as a supplementary peripheral, but normal monitors range from a 17-inch diagonal to a monster 55-inch diagonal! You could comfortably surf from the couch in the living room with a monitor this size. 

Monitors are created with LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light-emitting diode). LCDs have layers of glass, polarized film and liquid crystals. You get electrical impulses sent through, and this causes the color to be shown and image to be displayed. LED monitors take the LCD one step further. They put a diode on the back that forces light through the layers for a sharper picture and better colors. It is said that LED monitors will last longer than LCD monitors.

Have you decided which one you want to go with? Don't forget, you've also got touchscreen monitors available should you have a use for them. The most practical use of a touchscreen monitor for consumer and professional use would be to someone with a physical disability.

Printers

The next difficult decision to make will be the printer that will work best for you. Printers are used to create a tangible product to look at away from a monitor. For consumer use there are two kinds to choose from: the inkjet and the laser printer.

The inkjet printer uses a liquid ink that's sprayed through a print head onto a piece of paper. How? Simply put, the printer interprets the signal from the computer and converts it to instructions that go through the print head. Inkjet printers are typically inexpensive to purchase, although the replacement ink can be costly and add up.

Laser printers use heat technology and specialized powder called toner or another medium (I've seen it with wax - it looked like crayons) that's heat-sealed onto a piece of paper. Laser printers are somewhat expensive, though they've come down in cost as the technology has increased.

Both types are often available as mono-color (or black-only printer), full-color or an all-in-one printer. An all-in-one printer typically has a printer, a copier and a scanner. Some still have a fax feature as well.

3D Printer

What is a 3D printer?

3D printers are output devices used to create three dimensional objects from a 3D computer model.

The computer model can be created by using a 3D scanner, or by hand using CAD modeling software.

Using a method called additive manufacturing, 3D objects are created by layering a material, layer by layer, from the ground up until the object is completed.