If you’re wondering what exactly toner is, how it works, or why you might need it, we’ll cover 5 common questions to help provide clarity.
What is toner?
A powdered mixture, composed mainly of fine plastic particles, along with pigment and carbon. It is typically packaged in a cartridge for use in a laser printer or photocopier. Orange County toner suppliers can provide cartridges for most printers.
How is it used to print?
Inside the printer, a laser is fired onto a rotating drum that has been electrically charged. This causes the small particles of powder to stick to the drum. The drum transfers the powder onto a sheet of paper where a fuser heats and melts the plastic particles to create the image on the page.
Can you use it to print in color?
Initially, most laser printers could only print in black and white, but recently color laser printers have become much more common and affordable. Along with the normal black pigment, three additional colors are used – cyan, magenta, and yellow. Using these four pigments, the same process takes place using the drum and fuser, except it happens once for each color. Supplies of color toner in Orange County are easy to find.
How is it different to ink-based printing?
Cartridges are normally only supplied in a powder form. Most people are familiar with inkjet printers, which use cartridges filled with colored liquid ink. The ink is fired in tiny dots onto the page as the cartridge passes over it and then allowed to dry.
What are the advantages of using toner instead of ink?
– Cost. The initial purchase of a laser printer is more expensive, but for anyone who prints in high volumes, the reduced price of toner in Orange County over ink makes it more economical.
– Clarity. Laser printers are capable of sharper and more defined lines, which is makes text, in particular, easier to read and less blurry.
– Capacity. Inkjet printers run out of ink more often where a cartridge can last for thousands of pages, requiring replacement less frequently.
