Which component is cleaned during the cleaning step of electrophotographic printing?

In the cleaning step of electrophotographic printing, the component that is specifically addressed is the imaging drum. The imaging drum is a critical part of the laser printer where the image to be printed is developed. During the printing process, the drum collects toner and must be cleaned to ensure that residue does not affect the quality of future prints.

After each print cycle, the cleaning phase involves the removal of leftover toner particles on the imaging drum, which helps maintain clarity and prevents smudging or ghosting on subsequent printouts. This cleaning is often performed using a cleaning blade or brush that scrapes off any excess toner.

While the transfer roller and fuser unit play important roles in the printing process, they do not specifically undergo cleaning in this step. The transfer roller is responsible for transferring toner from the drum to the paper, and the fuser unit applies heat and pressure to fuse the toner to the paper. The bitmap image, on the other hand, refers to the digital representation of the image being printed and is not a physical component that requires cleaning. Thus, the imaging drum is the correct answer in the context of the cleaning step in electrophotographic printing.