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Inkjet vs laser : toner emission

According to IDC annual report, EPSON is the third place of printer manufacturer. EPSON introduce their inkjet printer with supersized ink tank and precision technology, can produce laser-quality, high speed and low-cost printing. To compare with laser printer, inkjet printer do not have ozone and toner emission (fine particles) issues. HP also follow the same idea to develop new inkjet printer. HP and Epson promote their supersized ink tank inkjet printer and refillable cartridge  aggressively in the global market. Not only laser printer manufacturers but also recyclers (both inkjet and laser) are facing a big challenge.

Furthermore, In 2015, Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology assessed 11 common laser printers to see if they emitted nanoparticles during use, and if these particles are harmful. As toners don’t list the presence of nanoparticles on the product labels, the first step was to confirm that they were indeed present in formulations currently on the market. When tests proved positive, the researchers hit “print” and measured what came out. The results were surprising. They discovered that some printers release particles at concentrations comparable to highly polluted highways.

Researchers shown that Printer Emitted Particles (PEPs) caused significant cytotoxicity, membrane integrity damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, angiogenesis, actin remodeling, gap cell junctions and epigenetic changes in cells at doses comparable to those from real world exposure scenarios representative of inhalation exposures in the range of 1-200 hours. Researchers conclude that laser printer-emitted engineered nanoparticles can be deleterious to lung cells and may cause persistent genetic modifications that could translate to pulmonary disorders.

Printer aide develop a filter on the top output bin of a laser printer, which can catch the emission come out from top output bin with paper together. However, we believe laser printer manufacturers should to integrate hardware corrective measures to eliminate the release of nanoparticles during printing.

If you are interested this topic, you can reach me by email. (Roger Teng :  taiwan@printeraide.com.tw)