How exactly does laser printer work?

How exactly does a laser printer work and how is it assisted by static electricity?

• Any diagrams appreciated. Thanks a lot.

• Answer:

  The incoming data stream is used to modulate the light from the laser source. There is a mirror in the laser assembly and this scans the modulated light beam across a photo-sensitive drum. The drum acquires a static electric charge that is a 'picture' of the data stream. The drum rotates to accompany several scans. The toner is also charged - but in an opposite polarity to that of the drum. When the toner hits the drum, it sticks to where the charges are different. The paper is charged so that it picks off the toner from the drum as an image. The paper with the loose, 'un-fixed' toner now passes through the fuser where the plastic-based toner is melted onto the paper. Then the paper is fed out of the printer. There's a good deal more to it than all that - but that's the basic idea.