Digital color printers and copiers work on principles far different than offset printing. Electricity, heat and pressure are used to deposit and melt toner, a plastic powder. Offset uses ink and water. Color copy papers are not only judged by brightness and smoothness, but also upon their ability to accept toner and hold it on the surface without rubbing off.
Digital Imaging Surface is Mohawk’s new and unique surface treatment specifically engineered to produce superior color copies. Papers with a Digital Imaging Surface print with exceptional toner transfer and toner adhesion resulting in enhanced print fidelity.
Digital Imaging Surface is the result of Mohawk’s considerable technical expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing and represents a new benchmark in advanced digital color printers and copiers.
How toner-based printing works
Toner-based laser printers use electrophotography, often referred to as xerography. The core of this process is a revolving drum or belt which is coated with a light sensitive chemical that becomes electrically charged when exposed to light. The locations where the light touches the drum attract toner—a plastic powder that looks like ink. As the drum rotates, the toner transfers to the paper which has been given a strong electrical charge. Once on the paper, the toner remains powdery and would brush off if touched. The paper is
Digital Imaging Surface is Mohawk’s new and unique surface treatment specifically engineered to produce superior color copies. Papers with a Digital Imaging Surface print with exceptional toner transfer and toner adhesion resulting in enhanced print fidelity.
Digital Imaging Surface is the result of Mohawk’s considerable technical expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing and represents a new benchmark in advanced digital color printers and copiers.
How toner-based printing works
Toner-based laser printers use electrophotography, often referred to as xerography. The core of this process is a revolving drum or belt which is coated with a light sensitive chemical that becomes electrically charged when exposed to light. The locations where the light touches the drum attract toner—a plastic powder that looks like ink. As the drum rotates, the toner transfers to the paper which has been given a strong electrical charge. Once on the paper, the toner remains powdery and would brush off if touched. The paper is
After transferring the toner-coated image to the paper, the drum passes a cleaning blade, which scrapes off any remaining toner, and then receives a uniform electrical charge, essentially erasing it for the next exposure.
Design considerations for toner-based printing
Vignettes, blends and gradients: though easy to create in layout applications, digital presses are susceptible to printing banded artwork because of their resolution. The most common solution is to apply the “Add Noise” filter within Photoshop. Other tips are to use tint values with a fairly wide range, from 15% to 85% and to print the vignette with a 2nd-generation stochastic screen. Always get a sample of the printed output to be safe.
Toner coverage: in general, total toner coverage of any given area on the sheet should not exceed 320%. That is, the combination of overprinted process colors should not exceed 320%, out of a possible 400%. Technically it’s possible to print 100% of each of the four process colors, but the result will be a thick, raised, shiny glob of black. You can change the CMYK Setup setting in Photoshop. In the Photoshop separation setup, create a setting that uses 320% total “ink” limit.
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