The term inkjet printer is very descriptive of the process at work — these printers put an image on paper using tiny jets of ink. The term laser printer, on the other hand, is a bit more mysterious — how can a laser beam, a highly focused beam of light, write letters and draw pictures on paper? This is how the MICR is uses as well to print onto business checks.

In this article, we’ll unravel the mystery behind the laser printer, tracing a page’s path from the characters on your computer screen to printed letters on paper. As it turns out, the laser printing process is based on some very basic scientific principles applied in an exceptionally innovative way.­

The Basics: Static Electricity