Printer Toner

Printer toner is the powered substance that is used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the image on the paper. Printer toner can be black or colored and varies between the different types of printers and manufacturers. Printer toner cartridges are specific to the different manufacturers, although there are some cartridges that can be refilled and reused in machines without invalidating the printer warranty.

How It Works

Printer toner is usually a polymer compound that is either a polymer resin or a styrene acrylate copolymer. Each manufacturer may use a slightly different polymer compound that will affect the melting temperature and ultimately the ability of the tone to be used only in specific machines. The polymer is mixed with a carbon compound to provide the color to the image.

Initially the polymer material was made in large sheets or blocks. The blocks were broken into smaller pellets or pieces and it was then crushed in an air-milling machine that literally ground the pieces into a powder. The process was similar to coffee being ground in a coffee mill. One problem with this process is that the powder tended to be microscopically unique, rather than conforming to the exact specifications. This led to blurry edges on printed items, rather than the crisp, clear images we are now used to.

Through several different processes, the major printer toner manufacturers began to change the manufacturing process from making and grinding the toner into actually growing the fine particles of toner using a specific chemical process. The resulting granules of toner are smoother, more uniform in size and better able to uniformly melt to create professional-looking printed material.

Printer toner works by being distributed onto paper by a cartridge. The image is scribed on the paper by a laser that provides a change in electrons and acts like an electronic field or glue to hold the toner on the paper. The scribing is done on a photoconductive drum that allows the laser to charge various parts of the paper to correspond with the image. The paper, with the fine-powdered printer toner then passes through a heated fuser or pair of rollers. These very hot rollers are temperature controlled to allow the paper and toner to reach the melting point in a fraction of a second. The heat melts the toner and fuses it to the paper, resulting in a permanent image on the paper.

Importance of Choosing Well

Since every printer is set to work with a different type of polymer, different melting temperature and speed of movement through the various drums and rollers, it is very important to use only the correct printer toner in the machine. Always use the manufacturer's recommended cartridges to prevent any problems in the use of the printer. Some companies are now offering options of refilling printer toner cartridges themselves, rather than going through outside vendors. This is both an economical and environmentally-friendly option you may wish to consider with regard to printer toner cartridges.