Now that we’ve already taken a look at how laser printers work (part 1) and examined the difference between OEM, compatible and remanufactured toner cartridges, let’s take a look at some other questions and issues that pop up about laser printers.

Read on to find out about suitable paper for a laser printer, how to remove toner from clothes and… how your printer may be letting others track you without your knowledge.

Fuser Heat and Paper Types

The heat required for the fuser to melt the powdery toner onto the paper is pretty high. Some types of paper don’t work well with this. For example, some paper types (including glossy coated papers) will “bubble” like a poppadom when exposed to the heat.

Depending on how hot the fuser gets, you may find that the toner doesn’t stick as well to some paper types. In short, you can’t always assume that a good inkjet paper will work well in a laser printer, and vice versa.

Is Your Laser Printer Spying on You?

If you have a colour laser printer, did you know that it’s probably embedding a pattern of near-invisible yellow dots on every colour printout that you make? Did you also know that this is believed to be unique to each laser printer and therefore a way of tracking which printer a particular document came from?

You might be surprised to hear that this “feature” has been embedded in colour laser printers since the 1990s, and- far from being the ramblings of paranoid conspiracy theorists- is actually quite well-known, has been admitted (though not explained) by some manufacturers, and even partially decoded.

As mentioned, the yellow dots are almost invisible to the naked eye under ordinary light. However, under bright blue light, they stand out more, and of course, this can then be magnified to make the dots easier to see. Keychain mini-flashlights with blue LEDs (of the type that have become very common in recent years) can be used as a source of relatively pure blue light. For more details, see “Seeing Yellow”, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s article on the subject and (of course) Wikipedia.

How Do I Remove Toner from Clothes and Other Items?

Toner can be a problem if it gets on clothes- or anything else you don’t want covered in laser toner! The best solution is to avoid getting the toner on things in the first place, as it’s generally very difficult to remove.

1- Remove As Much Toner As Possible Without Water

First thing is to remove as much toner as possible without using water. While handling the article, avoid rubbing the toner in as much as you can. Try one or more of the following:

- Shake the article to remove any loose toner- you should preferably do this outside, as it’s not a good idea to breath in toner.
- You may also know that laser printer toner is magnetic and can partly be removed using a magnet as well.
- Use a vacuum cleaner (i.e. a hoover) to get as much off as possible.

2- Use Cold Water

Place the item in a basinful of cold water and agitate (shake) the item to remove as much toner as possible. Drain and refill the basin and do this again.

3- The Washing Machine

For clothes, you can try using a mild detergent on a cold wash to get rid of toner that remains. DO NOT USE HOT WATER TO REMOVE TONER!

Once done, dry naturally in the shade or indoors. Do not get the item hot- and do not dry it in the sun- as heat can permanently set the toner and make it virtually impossible to remove.