Digital Decorating:


Understanding Color Laser Printers

May 1, 2015

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Imaging Supplies Warehouse to help educate the industry about color laser printers. It is not an endorsement of the company or technology over any other decorating discipline. Please do further research on the technology referenced below before making any purchasing decisions.

There are different technologies and methods used in today’s color laser printers, including light-emitting diode (LED) technology. It is the newest technology and considered to be cutting-edge.

Printers with LED technology have a light-emitting diode in the print head, which is used as a light source within the imaging device. Unlike laser systems, the LED print head is in a solid state and has no moving parts. The LED bar pulse-flashes across the entire page width and creates the image on the print drum as it moves down.

With an LED print head, the dot size is smaller (compared to other methods), which results in more accurate output. Smaller dots allow for a wider range of shading, which also improves print quality. Because LED light sources have no moving parts, they are more reliable than other technologies that have moving parts, which can break down over time.

LED technology also is smaller and more compact, meaning it uses less energy and material resources.


Source: Imaging Supplies Warehouse