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Monitor technologies
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There’s more than one way to make a monitor, but they all share one very important common feature: the pixel. Once we understand that all monitors have pixels, it’s easier to understand the different technologies you might find in a modern monitor.
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LCD breakdown
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The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is the dominant technology for today’s monitors. A good tech should possess a deep understanding of how LCDs work and how to open and repair an LCD monitor.
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Graphics cards and connections
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Monitors don’t create the images they display; that’s the graphics card’s job. Graphics cards come with different features and capabilities that a good tech understands very well.
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Resolutions and aspect ratios
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More resolution means a more detailed picture. Monitor resolutions have increased for decades and a good tech understands common resolutions and aspect ratios.
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Installing a graphics card
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Graphics cards often require special treatment when installing them in terms of power and cooling. In addition, systems need special drivers to take full advantage of the power of most graphics cards.
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Multiple monitors
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The CompTIA A+ concentrates on Windows, but every operating system gives you the ability to use more than one monitor. Make sure you understand the power of multiple monitors as well as how to install and configure them.
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Projectors
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It’s easy to think of projectors as nothing more than monitors that project on a wall but that’s a bit short-sighted. Projectors come with their own technologies and configurations that a good tech understands.
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Troubleshooting display technologies
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The CompTIA A+ exams will challenge you on monitor troubleshooting. Whether it’s simply changing the input or replacing a burned-out bulb, troubleshooting displays is critical for techs.
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Laser printers
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Laser printers provide excellent print output on paper in both black and white and full color. Laser printers use a fairly complicated printing process that techs should understand. This video details the processes and components for techs to maintain and
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Inkjet printers
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Inkjet printers offer relatively inexpensive color printing for everyone. Techs need to understand how inkjets work for maintenance and troubleshooting. This video covers all the components and processes involved.
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Impact printers
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Impact (or dot matrix) printers use a mechanical print head with print wires that strike a ribbon to print on paper. Impact printers are still around, and techs need to know how they work for maintenance and service. Mike describes the pieces and processe
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Thermal printers
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Thermal printers use heat to mark text on special thermal paper. They’re used in many point-of-sale systems and kiosks. Mike describes the features of thermal printers and what techs need to know to maintain and service the machines.
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Installing a local printer
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Installing a printer attached to a computer (a local printer) is a bread-and-butter task for techs. This video describes the installation process using the Devices & Printers section of the Settings app in Windows.
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Sharing printers
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It rarely makes sense for every computer in an office or lab to have its own dedicated printer. This video looks at printer sharing and security options in Windows, so techs can set up, maintain, and remove shared printers. Mike also covers how to access
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Installing wireless and cloud printers
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Many printers today come with wireless capabilities and can connect directly to an infrastructure or ad hoc 802.11 network. This video looks at manual and automatic setup options, plus how to connect a printer for cloud-based printing.
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Troubleshooting printers
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Good techs understand the many general issues with printers misbehaving. This video covers a lot of these issues, such as permissions, connectivity (physical/wireless and configuration errors), and mechanical issues.
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3D printing
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3D printers use some material (such as plastic) to create a physical object from a 3D model file. This video explores the concepts in 3D printing and provides examples of software for controlling the printer output.
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Syllabus
Syllabus
Course description
You will also learn how to install graphics cards, and how to troubleshoot displays and printers.


Meet the author
Mike Meyers, affectionately called the “Alpha Geek,” is the industry’s leading authority on CompTIA certifications. He is the president and co-founder of Total Seminars, LLC, a provider of PC and network repair seminars, books, videos and courseware for thousands of organizations throughout the world. Mike has been involved in the computer and network repair industry since 1987 as a technician, instructor, author, consultant and speaker. He has sold over a million IT and certification books, including the best-selling CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide and CompTIA Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide. He has personally taught thousands of students, including U.S. senators, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, members of the United Nation, every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, many branches of the Department of Justice, hundreds of corporate clients and academic students at every level.
You're in good company
We use Infosec Skills to provide continuous training to our technicians and to prepare them for various certifications. Infosec Skills allows us to create personalized training programs that focus on each of our technicians’ particular roles and see their progress as they take courses. We also, recommend it to clients to make their IT support teams better.
Caleb Yankus
This has been utilized to bridge the skills gap across our cyber team and to aid them as they prepare for their various certifications. It also has provided a nice learning foundation for our various cyber team members to utilize as we continue to find ways for cross-utilization with operations while minimizing the downtime needed to ensure everyone’s knowledge is the same.
Daniel Simpson
We use Infosec Skills to provide base level knowledge for employees. We also use the services to provide in depth learning for employees as they encounter new technologies. If an employee is is assigned to a new project, we can rely on Infosec Skills to provide a rapid concentrated learning environment. This rapid concentrated learning positions our employees for success.
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