Do Laser Printers Require Ink or Toner?

Laser printers use toner, which is a fine powder that gets melted onto the paper to create a permanent image. Toner-based printers, which also include xerographic copiers, typically print very quickly and turn out documents that last for many years without fading or smudging. They also usually have long cartridge lives, making them well suited to the heavier printing volumes that most business printers are expected to generate.

 

How Laser Printers Work

Laser printers start the printing process by having a laser beam aimed at a rotating light-sensitive drum flash the image of the page, charging the areas of the drum that correspond to where areas of black or color appear. The drum then rotates through a toner reservoir where the oppositely-charged toner jumps onto the areas that were struck with the light. The partially toner-covered drum then rotates until it reaches the heavily-charged paper causing the toner to jump off of the drum and onto the paper. The paper then passes through a fuser, which melts the toner onto it, on its way to the printer’s output tray.

 

Benefits of Toner

Toner is typically made of uniformly shaped particles, which give output with a very smooth appearance. Since it’s a solid that gets melted on to the page, toner tends to withstand both moisture and smudging better than ink. The solid nature of toner also eliminates the risk of it drying out if it goes without being used. With the exception of some small personal laser printers, laser printer toner is also usually less expensive than ink for inkjet printers.

 

Drawbacks to Toner

Toner cartridges tend to be expensive, with some costing over $200, although high-capacity toner cartridges typically last longer and offer lower costs per page than inkjets. Color laser printers that use toner also typically offer less vivid colors and a smaller color gamut than inkjet printers, making them better suited to printing color documents than photographs.

 

Other Laser Printer Consumables

Laser printers typically have a number of consumable items in addition to the toner. Some printers include the drum in the cartridge, while others have less expensive cartridges but a separate drum that also needs periodic replacement. Color laser printers typically also require fuser oil to help bind colors to the paper and toner-waste bottles that need replacement as well.

 

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Article Source: Chron