Scientists develop 'revolutionary' toner for laser printers Dec 14, 2011 16:15 by Matt Bird

Toner cartridges that feature a “revolutionary dry ink” have been developed by scientists at Xerox.

They say the “super toner” delivers higher-quality, sharper colour images more economically, cutting electricity use by up to 30 per cent.

In addition, it reduces emissions of carbon dioxide in the production of tens of thousands of tonnes of toner produced each year.

The new toner is called EA Toner, which stands for emulsion aggregation.

“They start with a liquid material that looks like house paint. That’s the ‘emulsion’ part,” the American Chemical Society (ACS) explains.

“Then, they throw in pigments for colour, waxes and other useful things and let everything ‘aggregate’, or stick together. Then, it all dries out, and what’s left is a fine powder that they can put into a toner cartridge.”

The work is the subject of a new episode in the 2011 edition of a video series from the ACS entitled Prized Science: How the Science Behind ACS Awards Impacts Your Life.