What element in a laser printer is responsible for attracting toner?

The drum is a crucial component in a laser printer that plays a key role in the printing process by attracting toner. During the printing cycle, the drum is coated with a photosensitive material and is initially charged by the corona wire. When a laser beam hits the drum, it discharges specific areas, creating a latent electrostatic image of the text or graphic to be printed.

As a result of this process, the charged areas of the drum attract the negatively charged toner particles. Since toner is essentially a fine powder that sticks to these charged areas, when the drum rotates, it transfers the toner onto the paper during the printing process. The drum's ability to selectively attract the toner based on the electrostatic charges is what ultimately creates a sharp image on the printed page.

Other components, such as the corona wire, are important for initial charge creation, while the toner cartridge holds the toner, and the fuser melts the toner to the paper. However, it is the drum specifically that is directly responsible for attracting and holding onto the toner before it is fused onto the paper.