Digital printing has slowly been replacing lithographic printing and especially at the consumer and business level, as a result of much lower production costs which are transferred through to the end users.
A laser printer is a popular type of personal computer printer that uses a non-impact photocopier technology.
When a document is sent to the printer, a laser beam imprints the document on a selenium-coated drum using electrical charges.
After the drum is charged, it is rolled in toner, a dry powder type of ink.
The toner adheres to the charged image on the drum.
The toner is transferred onto a piece of paper and fused to the paper with heat and pressure.
After the document is printed, the electrical charge is removed from the drum and the excess toner is collected.
Most laser printers print only in monochrome.
A colour printer is more expensive than a monochrome printer of this nature.
IBM introduced the first laser printer in 1975 for use with its mainframe computers.
In 1984, Hewlett-Packard revolutionised laser-printing technology with its first Laser Jet, a compact, fast, and reliable printer that personal computer users could afford.
Since then, laser printers have decreased further in price and increased in quality.
Hewlett Packard continues to be the leading manufacturer with competitors including Lexmark, Okidata, and Xerox.
This printer technique is different from an inkjet printer.
The toner or ink in a laser printer is dry.
An inkjet is wet.
An inkjet printer is about more expensive to run than a laser printer because ink needs replenishing more frequently.
The printed paper from an inkjet printer will smear if wet, but a laser-printed document won't as it finishes dry.