What Is Printer Toner Made Of?

by Tiffany Garden

Printers are used in many different areas of our lives. Printer toner is the fuel that helps to put words to paper. Have you ever wondered about what printer toner is made out of? It's a fascinating process that will have you appreciating the printer even more.

The Early Days of Toner

Early types of toner were strictly carbon powder. As the technology advanced, polymer was introduced in the process to help with the quality.

Toner Materials of Today

Specific polymers are used in the creation of printer toners today. There are a few different types, but styrene acrylate and styrene copolymer, along with polyester resin are the most commonly used.

Advances in Printer Toner Materials

Toner manufacturers work on creating as small of a toner particle as possible. The smaller the particle, the better the printing quality. There has been a strong push towards advancement in this area.

Function

Most of the printing process with toner is accomplished via negative and positive electron charges. The toner gets a negative charge, while the laser then turns parts of the drum positive. The parts that are turned positive come from the data that is being printed.