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Published: September 28, 2006
Have you ever wondered how exactly a laser printer works? You probably use one every day at work or at your home computer to print. But how does it do what it does? More importantly, who invented the laser printer? The answers will educate you.
The laser printer was born in 1938. CalTech graduate student Chester Carlson discovered electrophotography. This was a basic dry printing process that laser printing was built upon. After trying to sell his idea for nine years, Carlson gave up. The reason was that no company was interested in improving the process of copying using carbon paper.
In 1949, two years after Carlson gave up on his discovery, the Haloid Company started work on their own electrophotography project. The dry writing process was named "xerography" and the company later renamed itself Xerox.
Ten years later, the Xerox 914 was introduced as the first automatic copy machine, setting the standard for all future copiers. The first laser printer for a computer output was released in 1978. The Xerox 9700 laser printer was the first commercial laser printer. It had a capacity of 120 pages per minute, huge in size, expensive in price, yet to this day it is still considered the fastest commercial laser printer.
In the 1980s, laser printing was again revolutionized. In 1984, Hewlett-Packard produced the LazerJet. Its features included eight pages per minute copying capability and a replaceable "all-in-one" toner cartridge. In 1986, the toner cartridge re-manufacturing industry was created. This was due to the environmental problems that the empty toner cartridges were causing. The cartridges could be reused, thus lessening the burden on landfills.
As a piece of paper travels through the printer, a positive charge from the charge corona wire or the charged roller (depending on the model), plus a laser beam from the laser unit, and toner print the image onto the paper. After the image is printed onto the paper, the fuser in the printer, which is essentially a pair of heated rollers, melts the loose toner powder, thus "fusing" all of the toner onto the fibers of the paper. The paper then exits the printer.
There are major differences between the various types of printers. Laser printers, some fax machines, and some copiers use powdery toners. Liquid ink is used in inkjet printers, copiers, and fax machines. A "LaserJet" is Hewlett-Packard's (HP) name for their line of laser printers. HP's inkjet printers and plotter machines are called "DeskJet," "OfficeJet," and "DesignJet." A "BubbleJet is Canon's version of an inkjet printer.
Consumer Reports provide many excellent suggestions for consumers when they choose a printer. The most important suggestion is taking the supply cost into consideration when thinking about the price. A low priced printer with expensive ink or toner is not a very good balance. Secondly, printers that use a USB 2.0 connection do not necessarily have a faster connection speed than a plain USB connection. Other suggestions include choosing a printer that has ink tanks for both black and white prints and photo prints. This is to save someone the hassle of switching out the ink cartridges for their different printing needs.
The laser printer has come a long way since its birth in 1938. Many changes and improvements have taken place to make the printer used in today's society. When choosing a printer for use in your home or office, make sure you choose one that meets your needs, not the needs of the sales person.
CartridgeSave.co.uk. "Brief history of technology--Laser Printing." Copyright 2006. Cartridge SAVE. September 27, 2006. http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/laser-toner-cartrid ges-history.html
Harris, Tom. "How Laser Printers Work." HowStuffWorks. Copyright 2006. HowStuffWorks, Inc. HSW Media Notworks. September 27, 2006. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/laser-printer1.h tm
ACSI Bulk Inks. "What are the differences between Laser Printers and Inkjet Printers?" Copyright 1999. Automation Consulting & Supply, Inc. September 27, 2006. http://www.oddparts.com/ink/faq20.htm
Consumer Reports. "Buying Advice: Printers. Inkjets rule, but consider lasers. All-in-one models can scan, copy, and sometimes fax, too." ConsumerReports.org. Copyright 2006. Consumers Union. September 27, 2006.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-c omputers/printers/reports/how-to-choose/index.htm? />
The laser printer was born in 1938. CalTech graduate student Chester Carlson discovered electrophotography. This was a basic dry printing process that laser printing was built upon. After trying to sell his idea for nine years, Carlson gave up. The reason was that no company was interested in improving the process of copying using carbon paper.
In 1949, two years after Carlson gave up on his discovery, the Haloid Company started work on their own electrophotography project. The dry writing process was named "xerography" and the company later renamed itself Xerox.
Ten years later, the Xerox 914 was introduced as the first automatic copy machine, setting the standard for all future copiers. The first laser printer for a computer output was released in 1978. The Xerox 9700 laser printer was the first commercial laser printer. It had a capacity of 120 pages per minute, huge in size, expensive in price, yet to this day it is still considered the fastest commercial laser printer.
In the 1980s, laser printing was again revolutionized. In 1984, Hewlett-Packard produced the LazerJet. Its features included eight pages per minute copying capability and a replaceable "all-in-one" toner cartridge. In 1986, the toner cartridge re-manufacturing industry was created. This was due to the environmental problems that the empty toner cartridges were causing. The cartridges could be reused, thus lessening the burden on landfills.
As a piece of paper travels through the printer, a positive charge from the charge corona wire or the charged roller (depending on the model), plus a laser beam from the laser unit, and toner print the image onto the paper. After the image is printed onto the paper, the fuser in the printer, which is essentially a pair of heated rollers, melts the loose toner powder, thus "fusing" all of the toner onto the fibers of the paper. The paper then exits the printer.
There are major differences between the various types of printers. Laser printers, some fax machines, and some copiers use powdery toners. Liquid ink is used in inkjet printers, copiers, and fax machines. A "LaserJet" is Hewlett-Packard's (HP) name for their line of laser printers. HP's inkjet printers and plotter machines are called "DeskJet," "OfficeJet," and "DesignJet." A "BubbleJet is Canon's version of an inkjet printer.
Consumer Reports provide many excellent suggestions for consumers when they choose a printer. The most important suggestion is taking the supply cost into consideration when thinking about the price. A low priced printer with expensive ink or toner is not a very good balance. Secondly, printers that use a USB 2.0 connection do not necessarily have a faster connection speed than a plain USB connection. Other suggestions include choosing a printer that has ink tanks for both black and white prints and photo prints. This is to save someone the hassle of switching out the ink cartridges for their different printing needs.
The laser printer has come a long way since its birth in 1938. Many changes and improvements have taken place to make the printer used in today's society. When choosing a printer for use in your home or office, make sure you choose one that meets your needs, not the needs of the sales person.
CartridgeSave.co.uk. "Brief history of technology--Laser Printing." Copyright 2006. Cartridge SAVE. September 27, 2006. http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/laser-toner-cartrid ges-history.html
Harris, Tom. "How Laser Printers Work." HowStuffWorks. Copyright 2006. HowStuffWorks, Inc. HSW Media Notworks. September 27, 2006. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/laser-printer1.h tm
ACSI Bulk Inks. "What are the differences between Laser Printers and Inkjet Printers?" Copyright 1999. Automation Consulting & Supply, Inc. September 27, 2006. http://www.oddparts.com/ink/faq20.htm
Consumer Reports. "Buying Advice: Printers. Inkjets rule, but consider lasers. All-in-one models can scan, copy, and sometimes fax, too." ConsumerReports.org. Copyright 2006. Consumers Union. September 27, 2006.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-c omputers/printers/reports/how-to-choose/index.htm? />
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