| Laser Printers are commonly used printers that are | | | | Although, the duplexing technology can reduce the |
| known for its rapid printing abilities. The other marked | | | | printing speed to some extent as the paper path length |
| feature of a laser printer is the high quality text and | | | | increases. |
| graphics printing. It works basically on the principle of | | | | The dot-matrix and inkjet printers take the incoming |
| xerographic printing process. However, it is different | | | | spooled data for the printer and directly print that on |
| from the analog photocopying machines in which the | | | | the paper making it a slow process which can stop as |
| image produced is the result of direct scan of a laser | | | | soon as the printer is waiting for more data. On the |
| beam on the photoreceptor of the printer. | | | | other hand, a laser printer cannot work this way, the |
| Using a laser printer has a number of advantages over | | | | reason being the large amount of data required to |
| any other types of printers available. The speed of a | | | | output to the printer in a continuous fashion. The printer |
| laser printer varies from one model to another as it | | | | cannot wait for data arrival and if that happens, there |
| depends on a number of factors like the graphic | | | | can be gaps and misalignment on the page. |
| intensity required in processing the job and others. The | | | | To take care of the above problem, a printer buffer is |
| latest models of laser printers can print more than 200 | | | | used. The data is built up and kept in the large printer |
| single color pages in one minute, which is more than 12 | | | | buffer that is generally present in the printer. This data |
| thousand pages in an hour! The color laser printers are | | | | bank is large enough to account for every single dot |
| relatively slower, but even they can print at more than | | | | that can be printed on a page. However, this |
| 100 pages per minute. The high speed laser printers | | | | requirement of storing the dots in the memory before |
| are generally used for printing of mass mailings like | | | | printing can begin has limited the printing capability of |
| utility or credit card bills etc. | | | | laser printers to small size like A4 or A3. Most laser |
| The cost incurred in using the laser printing technology | | | | printer cannot print long banners as there is no |
| is dependent on more than one feature such as the | | | | memory to hold that amount of data. |
| cost of the toner, paper, once in a while replacement | | | | The printing takes place in seven steps. A Raster |
| of the drum, and change required in other consumable | | | | Image Processor scans the entire page line by line and |
| parts of the printer like transfer assembly and the | | | | stores a bitmap of the page in the raster memory. |
| fuser assembly. Laser printers having drums made of | | | | The drum is then charged negatively and the bitmap is |
| soft plastic can be costlier in the long run than one can | | | | written on the photosensitive drum using a laser beam |
| comprehend; its high overall cost becomes apparent | | | | whose functionality is dependent on the bitmap image. |
| only when the printer requires a drum replacement. | | | | The charged toner particles are charged negatively |
| Another feature in the family of laser printers is the | | | | and wherever the laser has not discharged the drum, |
| duplexing model. This allows printing on both sides of a | | | | the charges will repel and printing won`t take place, |
| paper without the need to remove the paper at all. | | | | hence creating the required print out. The toner |
| This technology can cut paper cost directly into half | | | | contains a plastic powder that is attracted to the parts |
| and also lessen the filling volumes. Formerly, the | | | | where the laser beam hit and in the end the plastic |
| duplexing technology was available only on the | | | | powder is fused at 200 degree Celsius to bond the ink |
| high-end laser printers. However, now they can be | | | | with the paper. |
| seen on a number of mid-range office laser printers. | | | | |
