Characterization of ultra-fine particle emissions from a laser printer

A laser printer for home and office use has been tested regarding emissions sub-micrometer particles. Total concentration of ultra-fine particles as well as particle size distributions were measured in a small chamber. Toner coverage, paper type, and the number of pages printed were varied. Particle number concentration around 1.8 x 106 cm-3 were measured. The printer released particles with a mean size of 90 - 120 nm. Smaller particles were detected during the first minutes after starting a print job. The dependence of the particle emission on the page coverage and the number of printed pages was found to be weak.