Electrostatic printing is the pioneering technology that led to the proliferation of the large format digital printing technology. Even though the cost per unit output is competitive with ink-jet printing, it is somewhat competitively disadvantaged against ink jet printing primarily due to the high cost of initial equipment investment. It is still however, widely used in various niches in the digital graphics industry because of the ability of

the technology to produce prints at extremely high speeds with excellent resolution and superior reproducibility of colors. Additionally, electrostatic printing is the preferred method for producing lightfast and fade resistant images that can last up to seven (7) years.

The electrostatic method of printing or imaging is very similar to the principles of imaging used in photography. A “latent image” (somewhat like a trace of the image) is created on a substrate which is later developed into a “full image” by attracting or repelling ink particles called “toners”. There were two electrostatic printing methods used - dry method and liquid method, therefore, there are dry toners and liquid toners.

In the dry method, a photosensitive surface such as a cylindrical selenium drum is selectively exposed to light creating a latent image on its surface. When the sensitized selenium drum is brought into contact with dry toner, beads of toner particles carrying an opposite electrical charge are attracted to the latent image on the selenium drum. The developed image is then fused and transferred to the paper by heat or pressure or a combination of both.

In the liquid method, the creation of a latent image is done by selectively exposing the dielectric layer applied on a paper to an electrical charge. The dielectric layer is necessary to enhance the ability of the paper to accept an electrical charge, and thus enhance its ability to produce latent images. The latent image is then exposed to a liquid toner fountain where the latent image is developed. The wet image is then dried by air or vacuum to remove excess liquid toner carrier.

Sometimes heat is used to help dry the image faster.

The liquid method of electrostatic printing is used widely in large format digital printers for producing industrial scale graphic prints and images. It is also possible with this printing method to produce images on different substrates by transferring the image produced on paper onto another substrate (i.e., film, textile, ceramic, etc.) by means of applying heat and pressure, a process known in the industry as sublimation.

Hilord has been a pioneer electrostatic toner manufacturer for over 30 years, and has been a reliable supplier of quality electrostatic liquid toners to electrostatic printer manufacturers such as Xerox, 3M, Nippon Steel, Oce’, Rastergraphics, Calcomp, Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Ricoh, Minolta and many others. Currently, and for many years, Hilord’s electrostatic liquid color toners enabled many printer manufacturers and developers to decorate the world in full living color.

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