| Toner-based printers are called as such because | | | | Common Brands of Toner-Based Printers |
| of the use of toners for printing. Toners are a | | | | The most common brands of toner-based |
| kind of powder that is made out of either carbon | | | | printers used today are: |
| or synthetic polymers. Originally, toner-based | | | | Hewlett-Packard |
| printers are only able to print text and images in | | | | Canon |
| black and white. It was only recently that colored | | | | Epson |
| toners have been manufactured allowing these | | | | Brother |
| printers to print text and images in black and | | | | Lexmark |
| white and colored. | | | | Advantages of Toner-Based Printers |
| How do Toner-Based Printers Work? | | | | One of the advantages of using toner-based |
| An electrostatic charge is distributed evenly | | | | printers is their ability to print on both pages of |
| around a light-sensitive device in the printer called | | | | the paper, allowing many users to cut their paper |
| a drum. The image or text that is to be printed | | | | usage by half. This ability has also lessened the |
| on the paper or board is then projected on the | | | | bulkiness of the end printing materials like reports |
| drum through some form of light source. This light | | | | and manuals. |
| source keeps the static charge on the drum to | | | | Another advantage of toner-based printers is that |
| stay on the drum. Any portion of the drum that | | | | they are not prone to water damage that is |
| is not lighted will loose the electrostatic charge | | | | normally experienced by users of liquid inkjet |
| that was distributed when the printer was started. | | | | printers. |
| The paper or board is then fed. The toner, being | | | | Disadvantages of Toner-Based Printers |
| in powder form, is immediately caught on the | | | | Many health experts have stated that using |
| drum and then transferred onto the paper. | | | | toner-based printers can cause a number of |
| There are two kinds of toner-based printers that | | | | health problems which is not experienced by |
| are available in the market today. The most | | | | those that use other kinds of printers. This is |
| common is the laser printer. These use laser | | | | because these printers use toners which are |
| beams that precisely lights the drum surface | | | | made of extremely fine particles. |
| during the printing process. Because of this, it is | | | | Another disadvantage is the cost. Although these |
| able to produce high quality text and images. | | | | printers are able to provide high quality printed |
| The other kind of toner-based printer is the LED | | | | text and images, the initial cost of buying these |
| printer. The only difference between this kind of | | | | kinds of printers are higher than other kinds of |
| printer and a laser printer is the light source. | | | | printers. Even the toner cartridges, especially |
| Instead of using laser beams, these printers use | | | | colored toner cartridges, are more expensive than |
| LED light to project the image and text onto the | | | | inkjet cartridges. |
| light-sensitive drum. | | | | |