As an office manager within the New York City tri-state area, understanding the fundamentals behind toner and how it works with office equipment is an important part of your job. When employees go to print documents, they expect the documents to be crisp and clear which rely on properly functioning toner. DEC Office Solutions, Inc. is a family owned and operated Office Equipment and Document Solutions company that provides services and supplies for the entire New York City tri-state area. In this article, the fundamentals of toner and its uses with different types of office equipment will be explored, as well as highlights on the following topics:
What is Toner
Toner vs Ink
Toner Cartridge Features
Maintenance and Replenishment
DEC Office Solutions
What is Toner?
Toner is a dry powder mixture that is used specifically in laser-printer imaging processes by “fusing” the powder onto paper. It’s comprised of carbon particles, wax, and a variety of other pigments and colorants to generate the end result. When the device “prints,” a drum is exposed to laser light which creates an electrostatic image, similar to a picture, that needs to be “developed.” This is where the toner powder comes in and is spread to the paper through processes of rolling or electro statically to gain the vivid colors and precise detail from the printer.
Toner vs Ink
The main difference between toner and ink lies in the application process. Traditional ink is in liquid form, and is applied to paper by equipment like inkjet printers. Toner, however, is on a completely different spectrum since it’s a dry powder mixture. Such technology is mostly used on laser printers or photocopier printers since they contain a drum with a rudimentary form of electrical charge that serves as the natural “attractor” for the statically charged toner powder particles. The main advantage of toner over ink is that it produces a sharper finish product, with more vibrant colors and smoother images. Also, an added benefit is that the toner powder is “heat retentive”, so the print quality is significantly augmented through the fusing process and by the fourth print, it’s even fused in further, making it ideal for intricate graphics.
Toner Cartridge Features
Toner cartridges come in a variety of makes and models and this opens up a lot of options for office managers to suit their office equipment choice as long as it’s laser-based. Toner cartridges also feature the ability to conserve toner through special settings and numerous other features. It’s a balanced gamut of efficiency and cost savings, depending on the specific office equipment since many provide direct access to the toner level and quality settings. This allows for optimization as well as cost savings. For example, many laser printers come with toner that is “overrated,” meaning it’s more toner than typically needed to make the desired prints. Managers can then adjust the settings and“halve” the quantity of the used toner powder.
Maintenance and Replenishment
The actual maintenance process of the office printer or laser printer is relatively simple, but, if hazards come into play, it’s best to rely on expert knowledge since the toner powder is very fine and tends to get everywhere if mishandled. Toner should only be replaced when it’s empty, or nearing an empty tank and users should not try to clean toner up if spilled since it’s such a sensitive material.
The replenishment process for toner can be done in a DIY fashion when a new toner has to be purchased online or through a retailer. There are instructions on the newly acquired toner cartridge on how to adjust it to the printer and the installation is also surprisingly simple, as there are usually less than 4 steps.
DEC Office Solutions
DEC Office Solutions, Inc. is able to provide supplies and services for all kinds of office equipment such as Copiers, Printers, Multi-Functional Devices, shredders, scanner and more. Additionally, they offer Document Management Solutions (DMS) and Managed Print Services (MPS) to optimize the way businesses operate.
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