Physicochemical colourants effects on polymeric composites printing toner

Purpose – This paper aims to report on production of the colour digital printing toners cyan, magenta and yellow. Colour digital electrophotographic printing is currently in high demand. The provision of a large colour gamut depends on appropriate selection of precise colourants to produce toner capable of producing a thin layer on paper. Design/methodology/approach – Printing toners were synthesised by the emulsion aggregation method, and then evaluated for chemical constitution and effects of the colourant substituents. Findings – Results demonstrated that increasing the polarity of a pigment produced better dispersion and lower particle size with narrower distribution and even better colour reproduction. While, changing a pigment’s characteristics did not affect the toner shape or its thermal properties. Practical implications – The developed method provides a simple way to synthesise colour printing toner. Social implications – Emulsion aggregation toners provide less hazardous materials during printing. Originality/value – Evaluations of the influence of solid-state parameters and physicochemical properties of the pigments on printing toner characteristics were done for the first time.