One of the most distinctive things about a laser printer (or photocopier) is the toner. It’s such a strange concept for the paper to grab the “ink” rather than the printer applying it. And it’s even stranger that the “ink” isn’t really ink at all.
So what is toner? The short answer is: It’s an electrically-charged powder with two main ingredients: pigment and plastic. Toner is available as black toner, magenta toner, cyan toner and yellow toner.
The role of the pigment is fairly obvious — it provides the coloring (black toner, in a monochrome printer) that fills in the text and images. This pigment is blended into plastic particles, so the toner will melt when it passes through the heat of the fuser. This quality gives toner a number of advantages over liquid ink. Chiefly, it firmly binds to the fibers in almost any type of paper, which means the text won’t smudge or bleed easily.
How long should a toner cartridge last? Why do different cartridges last longer than others?
a. Cartridge toner yield rates are based on an average consumption. Almost all manufacturers base their yield rate on 5% paper coverage. This is roughly equivalent to a 400-500 letters.
b. Printing with additional lines and borders adds significantly to toner yield. Shading and pictures use even more. Any of these factors, including poor maintenance, can alter actual page yields.
For more information, contact Mindy Godwin with ARC in Atlanta.
