Book 3, Question 87
Why Do Printers Put Ink on Paper?
A printer is like a robot painter. It puts tiny dots of ink or powder on paper, following instructions from a computer. Even photos are made of millions of tiny dots that are too small to see!
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 3
More fun facts
- Ordinary printers work by putting ink or toner onto paper.
- Toner is ink in powder form.
- Early copiers made an electric image of a page on a spinning metal drum, used it to place toner on paper, then sealed it with heat.
- 3-D printers can print real objects instead of just words and pictures.
- Scientists have even 3-D printed tiny space shuttles using ink made from scallops and cheese.
- Some special rewritable paper can be printed with light instead of ink.
Sources: Science News Explores, Smithsonian Magazine, Science News Explores
Questions kids ask
What is toner?
Toner is ink in powder form. Copiers use heat to seal it onto the paper.