Laser Printers - Perfect Printing with Toner

Laser printers offer crisp prints and, unlike inkjet printers, print documents in a single pass. Nowadays, laser printers are indispensable for any professional office.

How Did Laser Printing Originate?

In 1937, physicist Chester F. Carlson patented electrophotography. After various developments, the technology was acquired by the company Haloid, which in 1950 brought the first dry copier to the market. For marketing reasons, electrophotography was renamed xerography, and Haloid eventually changed its name to Xerox.
The inventor of the first Xerox copier, Bob Grundlach, made the first full-color prints in his lab in 1953. In 1959, Xerox patented color copying. The first commercial color copier, the Xerox 914, had a print speed of six pages per minute and was only available for rent, providing Xerox with steady revenue over time. Today, Xerox remains one of the leaders in printing technology.

In 1970, Xerox opened the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where the first laser printer was developed by Gary Starkweather. Initially, the main challenge was the correct modulation of the laser beam to create the print image. These early laser printers were, of course, incredibly large and expensive. Luckily, that's no longer the case today.

Which Was the First Commercial Laser Printer?

There is some debate over whether the IBM 3800 was the first commercially available laser printer or if that title belongs to the Xerox 9700. While the IBM 3800 used continuous paper, the Xerox 9700 was the first laser printer to print on single sheets. The first color copier for plain paper was the Xerox 6500, which could print five pages per minute.

An Overview of Popular Laser Printers

New inkjet or laser printers are introduced almost every week worldwide. Often, these are proven devices that have simply received new cases or additional features.

Laser printer technology has continued to advance, and today, laser printers are no longer rare in the private sector. Modern laser printers and multifunction laser devices come equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Ethernet, and can be controlled from computers or smartphones. Their sizes and costs have significantly reduced. Laser printers and copiers showcase their strengths best in professional environments. Any business that prints or scans regularly should opt for a laser printer. Even highly powerful, professional devices now come in space-friendly sizes. The performance and reliability of laser printers are among their standout features. Inkjet printer heads can dry out quickly, a problem laser printers don't have at all.

Laser Printers Are Cheap and Fast

Large to enormous print volumes, ranging from several hundred to several thousand pages, are no problem for these machines. Their print speed ensures that the printers can easily handle this workload. Simultaneously, the toner can produce thousands or even tens of thousands of pages without issue. The high yield of toner cartridges makes printing and copying significantly more cost-effective than inkjet printing. The more pages you can print with a single cartridge, the cheaper the cost per printed page.

Advantages of Laser Printers

Even today's laser printers use the principle of electrophotography developed by Chester F. Carlson in 1937. Unlike inkjet printers that transfer ink to paper through a print head, laser printers use toner dust, which is transferred from a drum onto paper and melted by a fuser unit.

Why Laser Printers Are Superior to Inkjet Printers:

• Laser printers are faster.
• Laser prints (especially color prints) are much cheaper than inkjet prints.
• Laser toner doesn't dry out.
• Laser printers are generally less maintenance-intensive.
• Laser printers can print photos without special photo paper.
• Prints from laser printers have good UV resistance.

Disadvantages of Laser Printers

Laser printers and multifunction laser devices print quickly and cost-effectively. Yet, there are concerns that laser printers may be harmful to health. Some manufacturers even offer air filters to cover the ventilation slits. We do not sell these filters. In online forums, it’s reported that devices equipped with such filters often overheat and shut down. Manufacturers typically warn against blocking ventilation slits in their manuals. Whether modern laser printers emit harmful substances and to what extent is still not fully understood. During printing, a specific odor mainly comes from the fuser unit, where toner is fused onto the paper at high pressure and temperatures. Therefore, we recommend not placing the laser printer directly on your desk.

Professional Laser Printers Must Be Maintained

Laser printers are designed for extremely high print volumes. Paper dust, which accumulates in the machine, can interfere with sensors or smooth paper feed. Over time, regular dust also enters the machine and adds to the wear. Older laser printers also emitted ozone during printing, which, due to its corrosive properties, damaged printer components.

Professional laser printers often print several hundred thousand pages during their lifetimes. To ensure smooth and long-lasting operation, many manufacturers offer maintenance kits, which contain various wear parts like rollers, separator pads, drums, and more.