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I'm working on a project for which I need to print images using a laser printer, so I can later use heat to transfer the toner to other media. Since my home printer is an inkjet, I have been going to a copy shop to print out my designs. I'm used to using a CUPS print server on Linux at home and at work, so I'm not at all familiar with the Windows print settings. I believe that the PC I have access to at the copy shop runs Windows 7 (since it runs too smoothly to be XP and seems to be based on WinNT, not MS Phone).

I have been tweaking the print settings in order to obtain best results. Most of the settings are self-explanatory, however, the only sources of information I have been able to find online (from Brothers, HP, and Microsoft) for the 'media type' setting suggest that I select the media type best corresponding to the media I am actually using for best results.

This isn't good enough for me! Can anyone enlighten me as to what this setting actually does? It seems like it could be incredibly useful to me if it adjusts internal settings like toner density or heat applied, and while copies aren't terribly expensive, I would prefer to be able to set the media type more intelligently than "guess and check".

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In a laser printer, the "media type" setting regulates the amount of heat applied to the paper in the fuser.

Unlike inkjets, lasers use dry toner. This is applied to the paper using electrostatic attraction, but that process is not in any way permanent. Electrostatic attraction is very weak, and the toner will easily rub off. For a print to be successful, the toner needs to be permanently attached to the paper. To achieve this permanency, the toner needs to be melted so it will stick to the paper properly. This melting is done in the fuser.

The fuser consists of 2 heated rollers, between which the paper moves. If the temperature of the fuser and the speed of the paper are correct, the toner will melt and stick to the paper without causing any side effects like excessive curl in the paper or, in extreme cases, the paper catching fire.

The amount of heat that needs to be applied to melt the toner depends on the properties of the paper. Heavy paper requires more heat to achieve the correct temperature. Light paper requires less.

There are 2 things the printer does to achieve this: it can raise the fuser temperature and/or it can slow down the speed of the paper. The first method is obvious, but cannot be taken to extremes as excessive temperatures may damage the toner, the fuser, or the paper. The second method works because it gives the paper more time to reach the required temperature.

In practice, a printer will use both methods. Hence you may see that switching from light to heavy paper keeps the speed constant, but going to card slows it down. Most printers only have 2 speeds; the other adjustments are to the temperature. The paper types at which the printer changes speed vary from model to model.

Unfortunately, this requires mostly a "try it and see" approach, unless you use the exact same paper the manufacture used to design the different settings. You should make an intelligent guess about the type of paper you are using and see what the result is. Unless you use really weird papers, you will probably be correct the first time.

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