Developer Powder

Polyester/Plastic

All developer powders have plastic as the main component but in different percentages. Most manufacturers use between 85% and 95% plastic in powder form. It must be fine powder for optimal functionality. You shouldn't be able to feel the printed words on a sheet of paper.

Black Carbon

The plastic used in making developer powder is clear. Carbon is then added to make the mixture black. Carbon will ensure that developer powder sticks permanently onto the paper after fusing. This element is obtained by burning tar or creosote and grinding it into fine powder.

Fumed Silica

Developer powder needs to move out of the cartridge freely. It should also spread uniformly on the sheet of paper without much trouble. This means the developer powder should not stick together at all costs. This is made possible with fumed silica which acts as the developer powder control agent. All developer powders need this element.

Charge Control Agents

Laser printing works with precise static charges. As developer powder gets out of the cartridge, it's subjected to a static charge at the metering blade. This process is called Tribo-electrification. The control agents make it possible to subject the developer powder to a negative bias. This makes it possible for the developer powder to stick to the OPC drum. The composition of chemical agents varies between developer powders. The standard control agents are chromium, iron, and zinc.

Polypropylene Wax

Earlier laser printing resulted in smudges on a page. Developer powder used to cling on the fuser rollers when subjected to pressure and heat. These developer powder remnants would stick to the next page. The introduction of the polypropy­lene wax solved this problem by helping lubrications. It's a polymer with fewer elements on its strands. The space allows the molecules to slip away. That is the lubrication needed to prevent developer powder from sticking onto the rollers.