Definition | Term |
LCD monitor or screen technology that uses a separate transistor to apply charges to each liquid crystal cell and thus displays high-quality color that is viewable from all angles. See also TFT (thin-film transistor) display. | active-matrix display |
Output device that looks like a printer or copy machine but provides the functionality of a printer, scanner, copy machine, and perhaps a fax machine. See also multifunction peripheral. | all-in-one device |
Defines a display's width relative to its height. | aspect ratio |
Component of a computer that produces music, speech, or other sounds, such as beeps. | audio output device |
The number of bits a video card uses to store information about each pixel. See also color depth. | bit depth |
Type of printing process that uses radio waves to transmit output to a printer. | Bluetooth printing |
Type of printer that prints information on paper in Braille for use by visually impaired users. | Braille printer |
Standard unit of luminous intensity. | candela |
Large, sealed glass tube whose front, the screen, is coated with dots of red, green, and blue phosphor material. | cathode-ray tube (CRT) |
The number of bits a video card uses to store information about each pixel. See also bit depth. | color depth |
Type of paper, used by most dot-matrix printers, which consists of thousands of pages connected together end to end. | continuous-form paper |
Difference in light intensity between the brightest white and darkest black that can be displayed on an LCD monitor. | contrast ratio |
Type of desktop monitor that contains a cathode-ray tube. | CRT monitor |
Output device that takes the text and images displaying on a computer screen and projects them on a larger screen so that an audience can see the image clearly. | data projector |
Projector that uses tiny mirrors to reflect light, which produces crisp, bright, colorful images that remain in focus and can be seen clearly, even in a well-lit room. | digital light processing (DLP) projector |
Thermal printer that uses heat to transfer colored dye to specially coated paper. See also dye-sublimation printer | digital photo printer |
Television that receives digital television signals and produces a higher-quality picture. | digital television (DTV) |
Output device that visually conveys text, graphics, and video information. See also display device. | display |
Output device that visually conveys text, graphics, and video information. See also display. | display device |
Port that is an alternative to DVI that also supports HDMI. | DisplayPort |
The distance in millimeters between pixels on a display device. See also pixel pitch. | dot pitch |
Type of impact printer that produces printed images when tiny wire pins on a print head mechanism strike an inked ribbon. | dot-matrix printer |
Printer resolution measurement of the number of dots a printer can print. | dots per inch (dpi) |
Video card port that enables digital signals to transmit directly to an LCD monitor. | DVI (Digital Video Interface) port |
Thermal printer that uses heat to transfer color dye to specially coated paper, creating images of photographic quality. See also digital photo printer. | dye-sublimation printer |
Audio output device that rests inside the ear canal. See also earphones. | earbuds |
Audio output device that rests inside the ear canal. See also earbuds. | earphones |
Display device with a shallow depth and flat screen that typically uses LCD or gas plasma technology. | flat-panel display |
Technology that sends resistance to a joystick or wheel in response to actions of the user. | force feedback |
Chip that controls the manipulation and display of graphics on a display device. | graphics processing unit (GPU) |
Printed information that exists physically and is a more permanent form of output than that presented on a display device (soft copy). See also printout. | hard copy |
Port that combines DVI with high-definition (HD) television and video. | HDMI (High-Definition Media Interface) port |
High-definition television; the most advanced form of digital television, working with digital broadcast signals, transmitting digital sound, supporting wide screens, and providing resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. | HDTV |
Display that uses OLED technology in a helmet, goggles, or glasses. | head-mounted display |
Audio output device that covers or is placed outside the ear. | headphones |
Device that functions as both headphones and a microphone. | headset |
The most advanced form of digital television, working with digital broadcast signals, transmitting digital sound, supporting wide screens, and providing resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. See also HDTV. | high-definition television |
Type of printer that forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper by striking a mechanism against an inked ribbon that physically contacts the paper. | impact printer |
Printing that uses infrared light waves to transmit output to a printer. | infrared printing |
Type of nonimpact printer that forms characters and graphics by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink on a piece of paper. | ink-jet printer |
Touch-sensitive device, resembling a dry-erase board, that displays the image on a connected computer screen. | interactive whiteboard |
Digital postage technology that allows users with an authorized postage account to buy and print digital postage. | Internet postage |
Small printer that prints on adhesive-type material that can be placed on items such as envelopes, packages, optical discs, photos, file folders, and toys. | label printer |
A printout that is wider than it is tall with information printed across the widest part of the paper. | landscape orientation |
Printer that creates photo-realistic quality color prints, used mainly by graphic artists. | large-format printer |
Type of high-speed, high-quality nonimpact printer that creates images using a laser beam and powdered ink called toner. | laser printer |
Desktop monitor that uses a liquid crystal display instead of a cathode-ray tube to produce images on a screen, resulting in a sharp, flicker-free display. | LCD monitor |
Projector that uses liquid crystal display technology that attaches directly to a computer and uses its own light source to display the information shown on the computer screen. | LCD projector |
Type of high-speed impact printer that prints an entire line at a time. | line printer |
Type of display that uses a liquid compound to present information on a display device. | liquid crystal display (LCD) |
Small, lightweight, battery-powered printer used by a mobile user to print from a notebook computer, smart phone, or other mobile device while traveling. | mobile printer |
Display device that is packaged as a separate peripheral. | monitor |
Display device capability in which information appears in one color on a different color background. | monochrome |
Output device that looks like a printer or copy machine but provides the functionality of a printer, scanner, copy machine, and perhaps a fax machine. See also all-in-one device. | multifunction peripheral |
The specific resolution for which an LCD is geared. | native resolution |
Printer output that is slightly less clear than what is acceptable for business letters. | near letter quality (NLQ) |
Unit of visible light intensity that is equal to one candela per square meter. | nit |
Type of printer that forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper without actually striking the paper. | nonimpact printer |
TFT technology that uses organic molecules that produce an even brighter, easier-to-read display than standard TFT displays. | organic LED (OLED) |
Data that has been processed into a useful form. | output |
Any hardware component that conveys information to one or more people. | output device |
Software that tells a printer how to lay out the contents of a printed page. | page description language (PDL) |
LCD monitor or screen technology that uses fewer transistors, requires less power, and is less expensive than an active-matrix display. | passive-matrix display |
Standard printer language that supports the fonts and layout used in standard office documents. | PCL (Printer Control Language) |
Type of nonimpact color printer that produces photo-lab-quality pictures. | photo printer |
Standard technology used with photo printers that allows you to print photos directly from a digital camera by connecting a cable from the digital camera to a USB port on the printer. | PictBridge |
The smallest element in an electronic image. Short for picture element. | pixel |
The distance in millimeters between pixels on a display device. See also dot pitch. | pixel pitch |
Display device that uses gas plasma technology, which sandwiches a layer of gas between two glass plates. | plasma monitor |
Sophisticated printers that produce high-quality drawings such as blueprints, maps, and circuit diagrams using a row of charged wires (called styli) to draw an electrostatic pattern on specially coated paper and then fuse toner to the pattern. | plotters |
A printout that is taller than it is wide, with information printed across the shorter width of the paper. | portrait orientation |
Special type of label printer that prints postage stamps. | postage printer |
Standard printer language used by professionals in the desktop publishing and graphics arts fields, designed for complex documents with intense graphics and colors. | PostScript |
Output device that produces text and graphics on a physical medium such as paper. | printer |
Printed information that exists physically and is a more permanent form of output than that presented on a display device (soft copy). See also hard copy. | printout |
The number of horizontal and vertical pixels in a display device. | resolution |
The time in milliseconds (ms) that it takes to turn a pixel on or off. | response time |
Video card port that allows users to connect external analog devices such as a television, DVD player, or video recorder to the computer. | S-video port |
Speakers positioned around one or two center speakers and positioned so that sound emits from all directions. | satellite speakers |
Temporary output presented on a display device. | soft copy |
Audio output devices that generate sound. | speakers |
Speaker component that boosts low bass sounds. | subwoofer |
Super Video Graphics Array; video standard with a resolution of 800 x 600. | SVGA |
Super XGA; video standard with a resolution of 1280 x 1024. | SXGA |
Feature included with some input devices that provides the user with a physical response from the device. | tactile output |
Thin-film transistor; LCD monitor or screen technology that uses a separate transistor to apply charges to each liquid crystal cell and thus displays high-quality color that is viewable from all angles. See also active-matrix display. | TFT (thin-film transistor) display |
Type of nonimpact printer that generates images by pushing electrically heated pins against heat-sensitive paper. | thermal printer |
Thermal printer that generates images by using heat to melt colored wax onto heat-sensitive paper. | thermal wax-transfer printer |
Type of powdered ink that is used by some laser printers and copy machines to produce output. | toner |
Ultra XGA; video standard with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. | UXGA |
Diagonal measurement of the actual viewing area provided by the screen in a CRT monitor. | viewable size |
Audio output that occurs when a user hears a person’s voice or when a computer talks to the user through the speakers on the computer. | voice output |
Term used to refer to LCD monitors that are wider than they are tall. | widescreen |
Wide Quad XGA; video standard with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. | WQXGA |
Wide Super XGA; video standard with a resolution of 1680 x 1050. | WSXGA |
Wide Ultra XGA; video standard with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. | WUXGA |
Wide XGA; video standard with a resolution of 1280 x 1024 or 1366 x 768. | WXGA |
Extended Graphics Array; video standard with a resolution of 1024 x 768. | XGA |