A laser printer uses laser light to create an image on a drum. The electrical charge of the drum is changed in the areas where the light hits the drum. The drum then revolves around the toner powder. Toner powder is only attracted to the negatively charged areas of the drum. The toner pattern is then applied to the printer paper, in a process of heat and compression.
Often laser printers are referred to as ‘page printers’, due to the fact that a complete page is transmitted to the drum, prior to the toner being applied. Other page printers that work on the same principle as laser printers do exist, however they do not use laser technology. Instead of lasers, these other types of page printers use light emitting diodes to charge the drum. The process of fusing the toner on to the page is the same with all page printers, be they laser or LED based.
Laser printers are able to print at a very high resolution, which means you get amazing image clarity. The resolution of a printer is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI). An antiquated dot-matrix printer operates at around 70 DPI. An inkjet is somewhat better and can achieve up to 360. A high-end laser printer is able to produce upwards of 1500 DPI.
Colour laser printers are becoming more affordable and can produce photorealistic images. They operate on the same principle as black and white laser printers, however, instead of one toner cartridge, they use 4 separate toner cartridges; black, cyan, magenta and blue.
Often laser printers are referred to as ‘page printers’, due to the fact that a complete page is transmitted to the drum, prior to the toner being applied. Other page printers that work on the same principle as laser printers do exist, however they do not use laser technology. Instead of lasers, these other types of page printers use light emitting diodes to charge the drum. The process of fusing the toner on to the page is the same with all page printers, be they laser or LED based.
Laser printers are able to print at a very high resolution, which means you get amazing image clarity. The resolution of a printer is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI). An antiquated dot-matrix printer operates at around 70 DPI. An inkjet is somewhat better and can achieve up to 360. A high-end laser printer is able to produce upwards of 1500 DPI.
Colour laser printers are becoming more affordable and can produce photorealistic images. They operate on the same principle as black and white laser printers, however, instead of one toner cartridge, they use 4 separate toner cartridges; black, cyan, magenta and blue.