Unit 30 P3

Unit 30 M1

Computer monitors allow you to see everything on the computer. Everything visual is associated with the computer monitor. The monitors can come in HD therefore producing a brilliant image. However a monitor of great quality comes at a large price. The computer monitor may also not be compatible with all computer systems.

A digital camera is a basic hardware input which can be used by a graphics designer. The justifications for purchasing 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 disadvantage of a digital camera is that a hard disk failure can result in photos being lost because they were not backed up or printed.

Scanners are easy to use and they allow you to scan any image you want onto a piece of paper and then you can see them on your monitor. This means that you can edit them or use them for designs etc. The limitations of this are that they can be very expensive and some are only compatible with certain sizes of paper. 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. Another justification of purchasing a graphics tablet is that it’s almost like putting pencil to paper, making things much easier than designing an image on the computer. 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 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. Larger designs for example A4 can be very expensive.

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 and you can use it to get an understanding of how the design will look as a hard copy. 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 specific paper size, therefore to have a printer that can print on various paper sizes, it will be very expensive. There will also be further payments for purchasing paper for the printer. Ink can also be costly because it can be rapidly used up.

Some limitations of a projector are that they can be very expensive and will require a whiteboard to project onto, therefore further costs. Also you will need space on your wall to fit the whiteboard. To use a printer successfully you will need to use it in a dark room to get a good picture.

A vinyl cutter is a great hardware output to have because you can control the machine from your computer making them easy to use, dictating the movement of the sharp blade as you desire. This is a great thing to have as it allows you to cut out your designs when making signs banners and a vinyl cutter is required. A major problem is a good vinyl cutter is going to be very expensive.

Adobe Photoshop is great software to have installed in your computer system. The only limitations are that Photoshop can be difficult to use and it is very expensive to purchase and install.

Adobe is a very efficient way to create graphics. However just like most software, it is very expensive to purchase and install, and will also require time to work out how to use it properly.