Why is toner particle size distribution important?
A great deal of R&D effort has gone into improving print head design and toner transfer. The goal has been to produce simpler and increasingly more accurate systems with fewer components and improved imaging, which are suitable for a wide range of consumer and industrial digital printing applications. Final image quality though can be compromised by the quality of the toner itself. Toner companies have therefore been faced with the task of improving the toner particles. While individual manufacturers have their own formulae for toners, most comprise around 90% thermo-plastics that are colored with 10% carbon black pigment and set with infrared following transfer to paper. Traditionally, dry toner particles are made by compounding, pelletizing and granulation, followed by micronization, classification and sieving. This results in a fine powder with a tight specification for particle size distribution. However, the method has several drawbacks, notably variation in particle shape and cha
