Simply put, copier toner is the chemical solution that enables laser printers to print and is used to develop xerographic images. Toner, which is contained in a sizable plastic cartridge, is used by a large number of commercial laser printers and photo copiers in office settings. The basic components of toner are fine powder and pigment, though many additional ingredients accentuate these elements. Depending on the specific requirements of the copier, each toner cartridge has different ratios of its constituent parts.
Toner Powder
The term “toner” actually refers to the powder mixture found in the toner cartridge of a copier. In the end, toner powder serves as the primary component of copier toner. It’s crucial to understand how toner powder functions before figuring out why copier toner contains the specific ingredients it does. When this talcum-like powder, which is incredibly fine, comes into contact with the rotating drum of the copier, it acquires an electric charge. The charge is then removed from the previously charged portions of the drum by the copier’s laser beam, freeing up some regions of the drum for toner application. A sheet of paper that has been partially coated in toner by the drum as it rolls over it produces an image. Toner powder is made up of various blended ingredients, which in turn creates extremely small particles that typically range in size from five to fifteen microns, or one millionth of a metre, around.
Plastic
The majority of the toner powder’s components—about 60%—are heat-sensitive plastic powder particles. During the laser printing process, tiny bits of plastic melt, enabling the toner to adhere to the paper and produce an image.
Metal Oxide
According to the Smart Computing Encyclopaedia, the amount of iron oxide in toner powder is typically around 40%. Rust is the term used to describe this reddish brown substance. This metal powder serves as a “carrier” to ensure that the toner adheres to the appropriate areas on the rotating drum by assisting in the creation of the magnetic charge required to oppose the charge of the other toner powder particles.
Pigment
The toner’s colour is provided by pigment, a substance that is powdery. All of the blended ingredients in toner powder are given different hues by pigment. It makes up a large portion of the base of the toner powder along with plastic and pigment.
Other Substance
The combination of pigment, plastic, and iron oxide in toner powder is held together by very minute quantities of ground sand and wax. Wax, like plastic, aids in spreading the toner powder used in copiers across paper sheets as it melts. Occasionally, silica that has been ground into a fine powder is added to the toner solution to prevent clumping.
