A copier is an integral part of any workplace. You probably are familiar with heated office arguments over a copier or have seen them while watching your favorite movie/TV show. While it receives little to no attention when it is working properly, a lot goes on behind that well-covered copier. You don’t need to know their ins-and-outs of your copier, but a little knowledge won’t hurt, especially noting that it can help you to avoid some concerns that could dig deeper into your pockets. Here is an overview of the copiers’ primary parts that you mainly contact and their functions to get you started.

Moving in

You do this all the time; place the papers in the tray where the machine draws them.  The part that you come into contact with is known as the paper cassette/tray, the container that holds the sheets. The paper is taken from the tray by a rubber piece known as the paper feed. The paper feed sends the sheets to the print system, where the registration roller, a soft rubber roller, collects and sends them towards the drum, goes through the copying process to the carriage systems, and out where you collect the end product. You collect the finished papers from a catch tray, another point of contact. As innovative copiers continue to hit the market, catch trays come in all designs. Today, you’ll find some multi-drawer systems supporting a range of sizes from small to large papers, others even consisting of staplers to ease your binding activities as you organize the finished copies.

Component and controls

Components and controls are a no-brainer; it is where you do all the work, feeding the copier the information you need for a job. Tech advancements have made this part interesting, as you can now find modern touchpads, an improvement from the traditional buttons units. This part is basically the user interface where you tell the copier how many copies you need, their darkness, among other features. Top Brands invest in innovative technology to make the control area easy to use. This enhances your productivity as you won’t waste much time trying to figure what to do next to get an output that matches your project’s needs.

The “copy” process

The toner is empty, again; how often those office arguments get heated! Some people might think that with modern technology, copiers only use electricity. I know it sounds stupid, but ask around; you’ll be surprised by how little people know about copiers. Okay, let’s get back on the toner and the copying process. The Toner cartridge is filled with the developer (positively charged metallic powder) and plastic particles. The element, when heated, becomes ink that determines the quality of your finished copy.

During the copying process, transfer corona (not the pandemic, a part of the copier) releases an electrical charge, attracting toner to the copy paper as it goes through.  From there, the fuser unit comes to play, binding the toner to the paper. That’s where ink is released onto the paper as it passes through the fuser unit’s rollers. The papers then hit the paper transport, a carriage system that passes it along for you to receive it at the catch tray.

That’s the basic idea; we’ll dive a little deeper, part by part, to know more about your copier to help you keep it at its best.