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Toner

If you have a laser printer, you may have had to buy

toner for it at least once while you used the printer.

Of course, when trying to buy toner, you probably discovered that is much different than printer ink. Just a few of the differences are:

It is made up of dry chemical particles while printer ink is a liquid

Toner is commonly black while colored toners are more expensive, printer ink being about the same price whether it is colored or black

Toner is more economical than printer ink, lasting longer and printing more pages

It is only used in laser printers, while printer ink is used in inkjet printers

When using toner it is important to know that the finer the toner particles are, the better the printed pictures will be. Normal particles are measured by micrometers, also known commonly as microns. The lower the number of microns means the higher quality of the toner particles. The general size of particles is between eight and ten microns, but with developing technology, the sizes are getting smaller and the printing getting better. Developers have also discovered that the more uniform the size and shape of the toner particles, the better quality of print the laser printer gets. This is why companies are using chemicals to build smaller, more uniform toner particles.

Toner has a few drawbacks as well.

Unfortunately there can be some health concerns for people with respiratory conditions such as bronchitis or asthma, because particles are comparable to dust when released into the air. It can also be hard to remove from clothing if warm or hot water is used to clean it from fabrics. But, toner still has its advantages, and with developing technology, will be as high quality as ink in no time.

8/28/2008 10:28:12 PM