Toner is a largely powder-based printing agent used by laser printers, using organic compounds and polymers to make up the majority of the material. Pros. #1: Toner means faster printing. Toner cartridges and laser printers on the whole operate more quickly than their ink-based cousins. This is largely due to the precision that s possible with a laser over a spray of ink. Each must travel across the paper and either etch a pattern (laser) or apply ink (ink), but a laser is far more precise than even microscopic droplets of ink can be.