To get a finer print, some companies are using a chemical process to grow toner particles from molecular reagents.

This results in more uniform size and shapes of toner particles.

These toner particles are then applied and fused to the paper as it goes through the printer, producing a warm, toasty printout in seconds.

Before now, the toner particles were about 10 to 14 microns across.

Refillers replace the toner particles, the black dust that functions as ink in a laser printer.

A Gyricon sheet is a thin layer of transparent plastic composed of small beads similar to toner particles.

The negatively-charged toner particles are attracted to areas where there are indentations in the paper surface.

One pass by itself is not enough to effect an electrical charge on the drum, needed to attract toner particles that are then transferred to paper.

The resulting imprint, in the form of charge distribution on the plate, attracts toner particles, which is then transferred to reusable paper plates.

Those rough areas cause an uneven distribution of the toner particles, which tend to clump in the valleys of the surface.