Overview on recent progress in electrophotography

Although electrophotography has matured in recent years, there are still some advanced developments in progress - mainly in Japanese companies - to achieve high-quality color printing at a quality similar to or better than that of offset printing, high-speed printing for large-volume commercial printing, and to enhance environmental suitability and usability by utilizing information devices and technologies. In this article, the technologies and advancements in development in the past five years are reviewed with respect to the electrophotography process, key materials - toner and photoreceptor, image processing, environmental suitability and usability. Some new and remarkable commercialized products and spin-off technologies of electrophotography are also introduced in this article.