Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Click Cancel to close the dialog box without making a change.
7
Click the Monitor tab, and note the current Screen refresh rate setting and the Colors setting.
8
Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
9
Click Cancel to close the Control Panel window.
Printers
Printers generate
hard copy
—that is, physical printed pages you can
hold in your hands. Over the years, there have been many different
printer technologies, each with its own characteristics and benefits. In
this section, you'll learn about several printer types and find out what
differentiates one printer from another.
hard copy
Physically printed pages of a docu-
ment or a printed photo; the opposite of soft
(electronic) copy.
Printer Features
When selecting a printer, there are a number of factors to consider:
◾
Initial cost: How much does the printer cost?
◾
Per-page cost: How much does it cost to print a page, taking into
account the price of the
consumables
? How much does the ink,
toner, or ribbon cost, and how many pages will it print before you
have to replace it? Are there other parts in the printer that wear out
and have to be replaced after a certain number of pages?
consumables
Printing supplies that must be
replaced with use, such as paper and ink.
◾
Resolution: How many individual
dots per inch (dpi)
does the
printed image consist of? A higher resolution results in a sharper
image, as shown in Figure 3.21. A low-resolution printer might
output at 300 dpi, while a high-resolution printer might output at
1200 dpi.
dots per inch (dpi)
A measurement of printed
image quality, the number of individually colored
dots in one row (or column) of one inch of the
printed file. A printout can have a different horizon-
tal and vertical dpi, although this is not common.
◾
Speed: How many pages per minute can the printer output? A typi-
cal printer might output at somewhere between 10 and 20 pages
per minute for black-and-white and slightly less than that for color.
◾
Color: Does the printer print in color, or just in black-and-white?
If it prints in color, can it print photos well? Some printers are
designed specifically for photos and have special inks for them
and/or use special glossy paper for photos.
