Toner is a tiny powder that is fused onto the paper in laser printers to produce a permanent picture. Xerographic copiers and other toner-based printers frequently produce papers that print swiftly and last for many years without fading or smearing. They are ideally suited to the higher printing volumes that the majority of corporate printers are anticipated to produce since they typically have lengthy cartridge lifetimes.
How Laser Printer Work
In order to make the regions of the page that are black or colored appear, laser printers first flash the picture of the page onto a revolving light-sensitive drum. The oppositely charged toner then leaps onto the spots that were hit with light when the drum spins through a toner reservoir. The toner then jumps off the drum and onto the strongly charged paper as the partly toner-covered drum continues to revolve. On its journey to the printer’s output tray, the paper travels through a fuser, which melts the toner onto it.
Benefits of Toner
Toner normally consists of evenly formed particles that provide output that is highly smooth. Toner often holds up better to moisture and smearing than ink since it is a solid that melts onto the page. Because toner is solid, the possibility of it drying out if left unused is also eliminated. Toner for laser printers is often less costly than ink for inkjet printers, with the exception of a few small personal laser printers.
Drawbacks to Toner
Although high-capacity toner cartridges often last longer and offer cheaper prices per page than inkjets, toner cartridges are frequently pricey. Toner-based color laser printers frequently have less vibrant colors and a lower color range than inkjet printers, which makes them more suitable for printing color papers than photos.
Other Laser Printer Consumables
In addition to the toner, laser printers often include a variety of consumables. While some printers integrate the drum in the cartridge, others use cheaper cartridges with an additional separate drum that need regular replacement. Fuser oil is often needed by color laser printers as well to assist bind colors to the paper and toner waste bottles, both of which need to be replaced.
