Laser printers are capable of making very small dots and placing them close together to project a clear, precise, crisp image. Typically, they provide a dot spacing of 300 dots per inch, but are available with resolutions of 600 dots per inch and more. Generally speaking, laser printers use either multiple LEDs or a laser beam as light sources to help create the dots.
The toner used in creating the dots needs to be fused to the paper so it won't rub off. Fusing the toner can be done in several ways: heat-pressure fusing, cold-pressure fusing, or flash fusing. Heat-pressure and flash fusing are the most common.
 Heat-Pressure Fusing
Heat-pressure fusing melts and presses the toner onto the paper, but the correct type of paper must be used. With heat-pressure fusing, the paper is subjected to temperatures in excess of 300°, which can damage certain types of paper or create other problems. For example, wax-backed pressure sensitive labels can melt, causing label "float," or the adhesive from the labels can gum up the printer. Use of laser-quality media can help eliminate some of these problems.
 Cold-Pressure Fusing
Cold-pressure fusing, as the name implies, fuses the toner to the page by pressure, but without heat. The major advantage of a cold-pressure fusing printer is its low cost. Though cold-pressure fusing printers have fewer moving parts and usually last longer than other types of laser printers, the relative high pressure sometimes causes a glossy image that can be rubbed off easily with a moist finger.
 Flash Fusing
Flash fusing fixes the toner onto the paper with high-intensity lamps. The light energy from the lamps is absorbed by the toner, causing it to melt and adhere to the paper. Unlike other laser fusing technologies, no heat or pressure is applied.
Laser printers offer great versatility for printing and are available in two types – continuous form and cut sheet. Continuous forms are best suited for production print runs that require laser quality. Cut sheet is most often, but not always, found in an office environment and used to print correspondence on company letterhead, envelopes, and transparencies.
Laser printers can easily print applications ranging from bar coded labels to MIS reports.
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