Toner
A toner is a special kind of ink used in photocopy machines and laser printers to produce printed text and images. It consists of a dry and powdery substance that sticks to the drum and to the paper once it is electrically charged. Mostly, it comes in a cartridge that is inserted in the printer. When the cartridge has been consumed, it can be replaced or refilled. But typically, it can print thousands of pages before the cartridge will be totally consumed.
Before, the form of toner is just a simple carbon powder. But later on, it was mixed with a polymer to improve its printing quality. Also, modern cartridges available today have come in different colors like magenta, yellow and cyan.
The formulation of this special ink varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The polymer used for the mixture also depends on what kind the manufacturer prefers. But they can either be a styrene acrylate polymer, polyester resin, polyamides or polyethylene. The size of the granules also differ from the way they manufactured and the type of machine they’ll be utilized. Also, their melting point varies from each other.
Because of the electrostatic property of this special ink, they can produce static-electric charges when combined to other particles. That’s why it is not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner whenever powder granules spilled into the printer or table. Or else, small explosion may occur. If they are fused to your skin, they can be washed off with water or hand cleaner. But when fused to clothes, cleaning is more difficult, and usually cannot be removed.
Research shows that being exposed to this carbon powder may give harm to your health. Because it is a fine powder, it has a tendency to remain suspended in the air, thereby, become an irritant to those that have respiratory problems. An unpublished study also has found out that the microscopic particles in these fine powders can be carcinogenic. Those people who are mostly exposed to laser printers and photocopy machines were examined and found an increased in lung disorders.
But despite of its effect to the health, most people still use this substance to be able to have printed documents and images. It is a necessity for office use and commercial purposes.
Toner cartridges can be used depending on the type and brand of printer you use. Some cartridges may not be compatible with other printers. That’s why mostly, cartridges come in OEM, which means they are made in the same company where your printer has been manufactured. The recycle cartridges are made by third-party companies, and usually these companies offer refills.
Your printer will always let you know whenever you are running out of ink, or which colors need to be replaced or refilled. Another way to determine if you need to replace it is when the images or prints look fading or there are issues of lines when printing.
You can purchase a toner cartridge in any computer refill shops or computer manufacturers. They come in different sizes. Usually, the higher the price, the more copies it will able to print and the higher quality the prints will be.