Images formed from liquid toners penetrate and colour the paper fibres, unlike dry toners, which adhere to the paper surface. Liquid toner images cannot easily be removed from the surface of the paper. Liquid toner has some limitations. Even though the liquid carrier is fast drying, it does not evaporate instantly. Hence liquid-based systems work at about half the speed of the equivalent dry toner system.
Images formed from the liquid process are also prone to fading.
Colour toners Colour toners are commonly based on organic dyes, which are subject to fading and known to change colour. Xerographed documents that are to be retained long term should be made using dry toners containing pigments of known stability and on archival quality papers. Colour toners that had pigment impregnated within a polyester resin showed better fusion with the page and the printed images were less subject to fading. This is because polyester is a good absorber of UV light. This theory is supported by the finding that photographs placed in polyester sleeves are less subject to fading.