Unit 30 M1

Unit 30 M1

Hardware Basics

Computer monitors are important for any computer system, they allow you to see everything on the computer. You can watch videos etc using the computer monitor. Everything visual is presented by the computer monitor. The monitors can come in HD therefore producing a great images. However a monitor of great quality comes at a large price. The computer monitor may also not be compatible with all computer systems.

A keyboard is a key piece of hardware to have with a computer, you can use it to type anything on word processor. You can use it for internet searches and anything to do with typing up words. The limitations of this is that they are usually wired and too many wires coming out of a computer can get very confusing. Also can come quite expensive.

A mouse allows the cursor to move around the screen to wherever you may want it to go, and allows you to click on any thing on the screen that is accessible. Mouses come with wires which take up space and make things tricky, the movement of the mouse may be restricted without a mouse mat, therefoe leading to extra costs.

Hardware input

A digital camera is a basic hardware input which can be used by a graphics designer. The reasons for getting a digital camera are that you can use them anywhere and they are small enough to fit in your bag or even in a pocket. They can produce a great quality picture however this is dependent upon the price of the camera. The main limitation is that the price of a high quality camera is very high. Another problem with a digital camera is that a hard disk failure can result in photos being lost because they were not backed up or printed. Also to get a better SD card for more memory, a better megapixel camera and better lenses to allow clearer pictures and so you can zoom in better will all cost extra money and may become quite expensive.

A scanner can be utilized when creating graphic images, they are easy to use and allow you to scan any image that is on a piece of paper and visualize them on your computer monitor. This means that you can edit them or use them for designs etc. The limitations of this is that they can be very expensive and some are only compatible with certain sizes of paper e.g A4. Scanner maintenance can be relatively expensive, when owning a scanner you will have to replace many parts of it on a regular basis.

A graphics tablet enable the person to hand draw a design and visualize it on the computer screen. A limitation is that they are also very expensive for a good quality and it also may be difficult to find a graphics tablet at at a large enough size for a reasonable price. Graphics tablets are much slower than drawing with pencil onto paper, however have their benefits. They can also be awkward to use properly e.g. accessing menus.

Hardware output

A printer is a great hardware output that you can have with a computer. I have included a printer because the advantages of having one is that it allows you to print out your work and have a hard copy that you can show people. You can print out basically anything on the computer that you want a hard copy of. The limitations of a printer is that some printers can only print out on a certain paper size for example A4. To have a printer that can print on numerous paper sizes and thicknesses, it will be very expensive. Ink can also be costly because it can be rapidly used up. Toner costs can also be quite expensive if you have this done on a regular basis to maintain quality.

A vinyl cutter is a great hardware output to have because you can control the machine from your computer making them easy to use, controlling the movement of the sharp blade as you want. This is a great thing to have as it allows you to cut out your designs when making signs banners etc. However like any hardware, a decent vinyl cutter is going to be very expensive.

Software

Adobe Photoshop is a great software to have installed in your computer system, as it allows you to change a photo, combine photos, crop etc. The only limitations are that Photoshop can be difficult to use and it is very expensive to purchase and install. I had included Adobe illustrator because it allows you to edit vector graphics. However just like most software, it is very expensive to buy and install, and will also require time to work out how to use it effectively. Also you must have a lot of patience to create a high quality design. Also this requires some training to be able to use some software which may take up some time.