Toner technologies are being advanced every day by researchers, chemists and engineers to supply better results and simpler construction. Toner particles are now produced in much smaller sizes and reduce the amount of energy used in their development and use. Currently, electrical charges are used in the process of printing to transfer the toner to the page. A new development in toner and printing technology is sonic toner release. In this particular technology sound waves are used to transfer, or release the toner from the transfer drum to place the toner particles to the page.

In the process multiple scanner beams are set to receive particular color signals and are scanned across the photoreceptors of the printer. This works much the same way as current laser printers with a small difference. These beams are separated by wider distances and are controlled by timing algorithms to match all of the color information for an image or document. Each color portion is developed or rendered prior to the photoreceptor receiving the scan. The toner particles are still adhered to the drum via electrostatic charges but when released to the page for fusing a sonic wave vibrates them clear and they fall into place on the page.

This means that the drum does not need to be reset for each subsequent page and saves electricity and in the process loses less toner to waste. Although this technology is still in development and testing, it should prove to be an improvement upon current technologies. There is, unfortunately, no known release date for this method of laser printing or even if it will be released as a viable mass market technology. So for now we will continue to use electrostatic methods coupled with improved toner particle sizes as well as alternative printing methods like solid ink printers.