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Laser printer facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Apple LaserWriter Pro 630
The Apple LaserWriter Pro 630 was one of the first laser printers

A laser printer is a special kind of printer that helps you print documents and pictures from your computer. It uses tiny particles of a powder called toner instead of liquid ink. This toner is stored in a cartridge and is put onto paper using LED technology. Often, using a laser printer can be more economical (cheaper to run) than using an inkjet printer.

The idea for the laser printer was first invented by a team at Xerox in 1969.

How a Laser Printer Works

Laser printing involves several cool steps to get your image or text onto paper:

  1. Charging: First, a special spinning drum inside the printer gets an invisible electric charge.
  2. Writing: Next, a laser beam shines onto the spinning drum. It draws your image or text by changing the electric charge on certain parts of the drum. This creates a hidden electrical picture.
  3. Developing: Then, tiny particles of toner (the powder) are attracted to the parts of the drum where the laser drew the hidden picture. The toner has an opposite charge, so it sticks to these areas.
  4. Transferring: The drum then rolls over a piece of paper. The toner image moves from the drum onto the paper. There's a roller behind the paper that helps pull the toner off the drum and onto the paper.
  5. Fusing: After that, the paper goes through a special part called a fuser. This part has rollers that get hot and press down on the paper. The heat and pressure melt the toner, making it stick permanently to the paper.
  6. Cleaning: Finally, the drum is cleaned. Any leftover toner is removed, and the drum's electric charge is reset. This makes sure the drum is ready for the next print job.

Images for kids

  • Hp laserjet 4200dtns

    HP LaserJet 4200 series printer, installed atop additional 500-sheet paper tray

  • Gary Starkweather

    Gary Starkweather (seen here in 2009) invented the laser printer.

  • Laser unit dell p1500 print

    Laser unit from a Dell P1500. The white hexagon is the rotating scanner mirror.

  • Color Laser Printer Magnified

    Magnification of color laser printer output, showing individual toner particles comprising 4 dots of an image with a bluish background

  • FujiXeroxDocuColourLaserPrint C1110B

    Fuji Xerox color laser printer C1110B

  • Printer Steganography Illustration

    Small yellow dots on white paper, generated by a color laser printer, are nearly invisible. (Click to see higher-resolution image)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Impresora láser para niños

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Laser printer Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.