Laser printer

First developed at Xerox PARC by Gary Starkweather and released in 1971, a laser printer is a type of printer that utilizes laser technology to print images on the paper. Laser printers are often used in corporate, school, and other environments that require print jobs to be completed quickly and in large quantities. To the right is an example of what a laser printer may look like. This picture is of the Lexmark C782n laser printer. Finally, below is a chart of the steps a laser printer takes to print.

STEP	WHAT IT DOES
Cleaning	Removes prior image information and toner from the drum.
Conditioning	Applies a uniform negative charge to the drum.
Writing	Light source such as lasers, LED, or LCS (Liquid Crystal Shutter) write to areas on the drum discharging the negative potential where it hits.
Developing	The toner is ionized with a negative charge and is attracted to the areas previously written (discharged) on the drum.
Transfer	The toner of the drum is transferred to the paper by either a positively ionized field (created by a transfer corona wire) or by a transfer roller in newer printers. The toner is not yet permanently set on the paper and requires the last stage.
Fusing	Heat and pressure are applied to the paper and toner. The toner melts and then is pressed to the paper like doing an iron-on transfer to a T-shirt.

• Additional information and help with computer printers can be found on our printer help page.

Also see: Laser, LaserWriter, Page printer, Printer, Printer definitions, Toner