If you’re wondering what a toner printer is, you’re probably thinking about a laser printer that uses a toner cartridge.
This toner, or we should say the laser printers, can print thousands of pages without worrying about replacing it anytime soon.
Isn’t that affordable and productive at the same time? It definitely is, especially when you compare it to the inkjet printers.
In this article, we’ll discover more about what is a toner printer, its components, how it works, its benefits and drawbacks, and what makes it a standout option.
After going through all these, you shouldn’t have any queries left about what is a toner printer.
So let’s start!
Why It’s Called a Toner Printer
Here we’re actually talking about the laser printers, which are also called toner printers. But why? The reason behind that is its core component, namely Toner Cartridge or Laser Toner.
It’s the consumable component for any such printer. The toner specifically is made of several elements, including toner powder, carbon, a fine and dry mixture of plastic particles, and black/coloring agents.
Together, all these elements help you print the actual image on your paper using laser technology. Since there’s toner powder, you don’t need to worry about running into dried ink like those in the inkjet printers.
What Are the Other Toner Printer Components
We discussed the toner and its elements. But some other components make up a toner cartridge which is the most significant part of the laser or toner printer.
The cartridges include components such as a print drum, cleaning blade, and the charge corona wire beside the toner itself.
But for the entire printer, you get some more components assembled together. You’ll get assemblies for Laser Scanning, Paper Transport, Fuser, and Transfer Corona.
There are also a High-voltage Power Supply, a DC Power Supply, and a Formatted Board that contributes to the printer.
If you’re not interested in knowing all these component names, that’s fine. But again, the technical details always help you to make the most out of any product.
How Does It Work
No one really thinks how the toner printer really works as it does well for the most part. But knowing how the toner works can give you an extra edge on understanding and utilizing the machine better.
The printer’s toner comprises powdered plastic, which is a material manipulatable by static electricity. Imagine you’re melting the plastic and then fusing it onto some paper. What do you create?
You can create clear images of anything you want. The technique used by this toner is called Xerography, which indicates printing with paper and not with ink.
The mechanism here is similar to the one you see in Photocopier Machines. In fact, there’s an interesting story to join both of them.
The inventor of the laser printer is Gary Starkweather, who used to be an employee of the world’s leading manufacturer of photocopier machines — Xerox.
And in both cases, a light beam or laser beam is converted into electricity or electrostatic charge. Then the electrostatic charges generate different kinds of electrostatic images.
In short, it’s the laser technology that fuses the toner powder or the powdered plastic on the paper to create high-quality images.
Benefits of a Toner Printer
Now we’ll talk about why you should use the toner/laser printer. The ideal scenario for using this printer would be to use it for massive printing. But how would you benefit from that? Let’s see!
Huge Printing Capacity
The toner cartridges of the toner printers come with huge capacity and are designed to print large volumes. One toner cartridge can print up to 10,000 pages, whereas an ink cartridge can print only up to 1,000 pages.
Excellent Speed
The laser beam used in this printer mechanism travels at a breakneck speed. As a result, the whole printing process becomes a lot faster. And here, you get an edge while printing a large volume of papers.
The slowest in the market could even print 20 pages per minute, enhancing the overall productivity and efficiency.
Accurate & Reliable
Laser printers are more reliable due to their accuracy and clarity. The sharp, precise texts and images are crystal clear and free from smears and smudges.
They’re also more durable and not going to dry out suddenly like the ink cartridges. In fact, they can last for years if handled properly.
Cost-Effective
The upfront buying cost of the laser printer is higher; however, when you take into account the number of printing papers it can deliver, you find it amazingly cost-effective for long-term operations.
The toners print way more papers than an ink cartridge for a similar price.
Reduced Noise
A laser printer produces negligible noise. So you don’t find it annoying or disturbing to use even for high-frequency printing work.
Disadvantages of a Toner Printer
Like every other machine, the toner or laser printer isn’t flawless. There are some drawbacks, but they can’t really undermine the immense capability of this printer.
High Implementation Cost
The major drawback is its upfront implementation cost. Most laser printers are more expensive to buy initially than inkjet printers. Also, the replacement cost of toner is higher, even though a toner cartridge is highly durable.
Limited Paper Options
You also have limited paper options as a disadvantage for laser printers. They aren’t compatible with all kinds of papers which limits your options.
Space & Power Consuming
Laser printers are bulky and large, which may seem to be a space-consuming product.
These toner printers consume more power as well. It could make an impact on your energy bills.
Not Good for Health and Environment
The toners are not good for human health as well as the environment. They release ozone and can harm the atmosphere.
Not for High-Resolution Photo
Toner printers can’t provide high-resolution, gallery-quality photos. These printers are good for colored texts but not for high-quality photos.
Why It Outways Inkjet Printers
It’s important to know where the toner printer excels over its competitors. Especially its major counterpart — the Inkjet Printers. However, inkjet printers have their own set of advantages to excel over the laser printer.
Let’s check out a comparative discussion below.
Firstly, laser printers are the perfect option when it comes to printing text with crisp and clear letters. On the other hand, Inkjet printers will likely bleed, and the letters won’t be as sharp as well.
Ink is also likely to smear, and the fact that inkjet prints dry even after printing could result in smudged documents. But with laser printers, the problem is solved due to its heat-transfer printing method. As a result, users get smudge-free printing right out of the printer.
Besides that, some of the other advantages of laser or toner printers over the inkjet are their high printing capacity, durable and prolonged cartridge longevity, fast speed, and overall efficiency.
While laser printers are preferable for text documents with high volumes, you have inkjets with an edge for printing photos with high resolution.
Now you should be good to understand where does the toner printer excels over the inkjet printer.
Conclusion
As we approach the end of the article, we expect you to have a clear answer to the question — what is a toner printer. In fact, you’re now probably schooled on everything you need to know about it.
Since you’ve gone through most of the aspects, you should be smart enough to decide why you should be using this printer.
It comes with a unique combination of toner and laser technology, allowing you to print a handful of pages at a low operating cost. In this article, we’ve talked about a lot of such advantages. However, there are a few disadvantages as well.
But again, it’s a highly popular printer, especially in offices, shops, and commercial spaces, due to its massive printing capacity at a faster speed.
And also due to all other benefits (discussed above) that bring productivity to its target user group.