Printer Types Lesson 001: Laser Printers Part 1

Laser Printer

Specialized type of printer that produces high-quality text and images.

What do laser printers use to create image?

Toner.

What do Inkjet printers use to create images.

Ink droplets.

What is toner?

A fine, dry powder.

How do laser printers utilize toner in order to create images?

By transferring toner onto the paper and melting it onto the paper to create a permanent image.

What do laser printers do better than Inkjet printers?

Faster and more precise, making them good for office and home use.

What is the start of the printing process for a laser printer?

The entire image being sent to the printer’s memory before printing to the paper begins.

Why is a laser printer memory a critical component for processing and holding image data for whole pages at once?

A laser printer is going to produce the entire image on the page at once.

What printers produce images and text line by line?

Inkjet and impact printers.

What are the basic parts of a laser printer?

Imaging drum, fuser assembly, transfer belt/roller, pickup rollers, paper separation pad, and duplex assembly.

Imaging Drum

Creates the image on paper by holding a negative electrostatic charge, applied uniformly by the primary charge roller or corona wire.

Primary Charge Roller

Modern, environmentally friendly conductive rubber roller that applies charge to the imaging drum through direct contact.

Corona Wire

An older, thin, high-voltage wire that ionizes the air to transfer charge to the drum.

What does a corona wire or primary charge roller do?

Ensures that the imaging drum on a laser printer is uniformly charged.

How is the image from an imaging drum transferred to the paper?

Through the use of a transfer belt/roller.

Transfer Belt/Roller

Applies a positive charge to the paper that pulls the negatively charged toner particles from the imaging drum onto the paper.

What does a transfer belt/roller ensure in a laser printer?

That the toner will adhere to the pattern in the exact pattern created on the imaging drum.

Why is the transfer belt/roller in a laser printer so critical?

To ensure that the toner is being evenly and completely applied to the paper before moving to the fusing stage.

Fuser Assembly

Where the toner, which has been loosely applied to the paper, is permanently fused to the paper through the application of heat and pressure.

What does the fuser consist of?

A heated roller and a pressure roller.

What is the paper passed through when it goes through the fuser assembly?

A heated roller and a pressure roller.

What does the heated roller and pressure roller do in a fuser assembly in a laser printer?

It melts and bonds to the paper fibers.

What do the heated roller and pressure roller in a fuser assembly ensure?

That the ink will not rub off or smudge when the paper is handled by the end user.

What benefits come from how a laser printer puts ink onto paper when it goes through the fuser assembly?

The paper will be durable and resistant to water and smudging over time.