Laser printer
First developed at Xerox PARC by Gary Starkweather and released in 1971, a
laser printer is a 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.
In the picture to the right, is an example of what a laser printer may look like. This picture is of the
Lexmark C782n laser printer
and as can be seen much larger than an ink jet printer found in most homes. 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. |
Also see: Laser, LaserWriter, Page printer, Printer, Printer definitions, Toner