Toner

Dry powder toner has long been used in the digital imaging world as a means of image transfer. That means the toner is the color, but it goes a bit deeper than that. There are other components in the toner beyond just simple pigments. Toner requires certain chemical and physical properties so that it behaves as needed throughout its life.

Toner starts off as a dry powder that can be held safely and conveniently in a bottle or canister. Toner is then drawn out from that bottle into a reservoir where it can be very accurately metered out and controlled in extremely precise amounts. Most often toner is used to draw an image by means of static charge. The toner itself is given an electrical charge so that it is ionically drawn or repelled form a surface. From that point the toner needs to be locked into place or set onto the substrate. Almost always this process is done through the application of thermal energy, a step called fusing. The heat will cause the toner, or more specifically elements within the toner, to melt and meld together. The step where the toner is fused to the paper is the final step of the imaging process