The cartridge that goes inside a laser printer has toner in it. Laser toner is a black, powder-like electronically charged substance made up of plastic and pigment. The pigment provides the colouring and is mixed into plastic particles. It is different from ink jet ink, which is liquid. You do get coloured toner as well. There was a time when laser printers were limited to monochrome printing but these days there are plenty of colour laser printers. They work much the same way as monochrome printing except that they go through the printing process several times. The more expensive printers have a printer unit made up of drum, laser assembly and a toner system for each colour.
Laser printers used to too expensive to use at home, but with laser toner printer technology they have become affordable for everyone now and very popular. The toner is applied onto paper as powder. The printer has a heating system known as a fuser which melts the toner onto the paper. The powder is kept in something known as a toner hopper and the printer collects the toner from the hopper with the developer unit.
After collecting the toner, the paper is discharged and it passes through the fuser to affix the toner. Toner cartridges can be used in copiers, fax machines and laser printers. The fuser is responsible for melting the laser toner to create a permanent image on the paper.
What Happens when the Laser Toner is Finished?
There are a number of options you can look at when your toner cartridge is empty.
* Re-manufactured Toner Cartridges – these cartridges have been restored at the factory. The cartridge is sent back to the manufacturer where it is disassembled, cleaned, refilled with new toner and then quality tested. The lower prices and the fact that the toner cartridges are more environmentally friendly make re-manufactured toner cartridges popular.
* Laser Toner Refills – they are sold as kits and are easy to use and the cheapest way to buy toner because you refill your empty toner cartridge yourself.
* OEM Laser Toner Cartridges – these cartridges come with your laser printer. They are the most expensive type
* Compatible Toner Cartridges – they are much like the OEM cartridges that come with your laser printer, but they are made by a different manufacturer and will cost far less.
There are many toner cartridge supplier stores as well as online suppliers who will offer free delivery services as well, saving customers the time and frustration of trying to find the correct replacement toner to work with the correct laser printer. These suppliers stock the top brand cartridges; some of the names are Epson, Brother, Lexmark, Samsung, Kyocera, Canon and others.
Laser printers may be a bit more expensive than inkjet printers, but toner powder is cheap and the beauty of it is that it lasts a long time. There are advantages to using a laser toner printer and speed and quality are just two.