Inks from computer printers are available in a variety of ways. Inkjet printers use liquid inks that are applied to paper by spraying, by drop-on-demand methods, by thermal methods, or by piezoelectric methods. The solid ink printer uses a melted wax ink to print the drum, which transfers the ink to the paper. In contrast, printer toner is the source of laser printer inks, a type of toner that is electromagnetically transferred to paper.
The printer toner is supplied by the toner cartridge. Toner is made primarily of pigments and plastics and provides electrical charge, which is crucial to how the printer works. When printing is requested, the print drum will start with a positive charge. The printer uses a laser beam to release some points on the surface of the drum while rotating on the drum surface to form an electrostatic image. Next, the drum is coated with charged toner that adheres only to the discharge area of the drum.
The paper is given a negative charge, and then as the drum roll past the paper, the paper pulls the printer toner onto itself and picks up the image. Next, the paper is passed to the fuser, where the fuser enters the role of the plastic in the toner. The plastic melts through the fuser and bonds the pigment to the paper fibers, helping to prevent smudging and bleeding. At the same time, the electrostatic image on the drum is released and the next image is prepared.
This description is the process of a black ink printer. For color printers, the entire process must be repeated four times, once for each ink color: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Printer toner is often supplied through print cartridges, which may be printer-specific. This means that they can not be swapped between printers. Many print cartridge suppliers offer "regular" and "high yield" toner cartridges, with the output being measured on a typical page. This allows customers to choose the size that suits their needs. Some organizations provide refill cartridges, but care needs to be taken. Contrary to what many people think, buying a refill kit does not invalidate the printer warranty and doing so is illegal.
Editor’s Note: This post was Updated by Proffisy on 23 Feb,2018.
