What Is Toner?
Toner is the equivalent of ink in copiers or laser printers, and is a powder that is embedded on your paper to produce graphics or the written word.
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History
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The first copiers used carbon powder as a toner, but later a chemical polymer was added to increase the adhesion of the toner to the paper. Originally, toner was supplied in bottle form, allowing anyone to refill the toner reservoir, but that method was replaced by a cartridge system, usually containing additional parts, such as the drum.
How Does Toner Work?
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Toner is selectively attracted to a drum that has been electromagnetically charged with the desired image. The drum then places the toner onto the paper as it is fed past. From there the paper (now carrying the toner) is fed to a fuser unit where heat is applied, melting the toner into the paper before it is sent to the output tray, where the printed page can be retrieved.
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Color Toners
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With the advent of color copiers and color laser jets came the introduction of color toner. Aside from the traditional black, color copiers and laser printers use three color toners, usually packaged in individual cartridges; they are cyan, magenta and yellow.
Environmental Concerns
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Both black and color toner cartridges should be returned for refills or proper disposal, rather than being discarded as trash. In cases where the drum is included in the cartridge, there is the possible contamination from the selenium coating used in the manufacturing of these drums.
The Future of Toner
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Toner may very well not exist in the longer view. The introduction of E-Paper, which is what Amazon's Kindle uses as its display, may eventually make the the need for toner, as well as paper, obsolete.
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