whats the difference between Ink and Toner and catriage?

Hi Cutie,
Toner is a powder used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the text and images on the printed paper. In its early form it was simply carbon powder. Then, to improve the quality of the printout the carbon was blended with a polymer. Toner particles are melted by the heat of the fuser, causing them to bind to the paper. The specific polymer used varies by manufacturer but can be a Styrene Acrylate Copolymer or a Polyester Resin. Toner formulations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from machine to machine. Typically formulation, granule size and melt point vary the most.

The original particle size of toner averaged 14–16 micrometres or greater. To improve image resolution particle size was reduced, eventually reaching about 8–10 μm for 600 dots per inch resolution. Further reductions in particle size producing further improvements in resolution are being developed through the application of new technologies such as Emulsion-Aggregation. Toner manufacturers maintain a quality control standard for particle size distribution in order to produce a powder suitable for use in their printers.

Toner has traditionally been made by compounding the ingredients and creating a slab which was broken or pelletized and then turned into a fine powder with a controlled particle size range by air jet milling. This process resulted in toner granules that, if viewed under a microscope, showed varying sizes and jagged shapes. To get a finer print, some companies are using a chemical process to grow toner particles. This results in more uniform size and shapes of toner particles. The resulting smaller uniform shapes permit more accurate color reproduction and more efficient toner use.

In earlier machines toner was poured by the user from a bottle into a reservoir in the machine. Modern machines feed directly from a cartridge. Empty cartridges are often refilled by third party vendors.

An ink cartridge is a replaceable component of an ink jet printer that contains the ink (and sometimes the print-head itself) that is spread on paper during printing. It contains liquid ink.

Each ink cartridge contains one or more partitioned ink reservoirs; certain manufacturers also add electronic contacts and a chip that communicates with the printer.