Method for Evaluating Toner Adhesion on Copier Paper, 2000 Recycling Symposium Proceedings

C. Tim Scott, Roland Gleisner, Jeanne Dahlke-Bauman --A new instrument and technique developed at the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory to evaluate the adhesion of inks on paper was used to study toner loss on copier papers. This instrument creates a fold with a very small radius in the printed region of a paper specimen. This fold is repeatedly rolled through the specimen until the desired degree of wear is induced. If the radius of the fold is small enough, a critical strain is reached where the toner layer fractures cohesively. Subsequent cycling will cause adhesive failure of the toner as fragments are peeled from the paper surface. Image analysis techniques were developed to quantify toner loss. The extent of toner loss appears to be a function of several factors including instrument parameters (smaller gaps and more cycles increase toner loss), copier parameters (lightest and darkest settings are least durable), and paper properties (toner is more durable on 20% recycled content copier paper than on virgin copier paper).