Toner
cartridges come in a variety of flavours now under the banner of
original and non-original with all kinds of claims on both sides so
which one is right for you?
First a little history....
In 1938, the first invention that would lead to the laser printer and
toner cartridge was patented. The process, knows as "electro
photography", used a dry printing method, not that different than
today's laser printer. It was 1948, however, before the commercial
application of electro photography because available.
In 1959, the first automatic reproduction machine, the Xerox 914, which
used a dry printing process. In 1978, the fine tuned technology was
applied to the computer printing needs of business and private
citizens. Physically large and with a large price tag as well, the
Xerox 9700 laser printer that used a toner cartridge wasn't affordable
by individuals except the wealthy.
Everything changed in 1984 when Hewlett Packard began to market the
"LaserJet" printer. This printer came with a replaceable toner
cartridge that was not difficult to change, although it could sometimes
bit a little messy. The really problematic part was that people who
used the LaserJet had stacks of expensive but empty toners stacked in
the storage room or wherever they could find to store the toner
cartridges.
This problem was quickly resolved by environmentally aware designers by
re-manufacturing the laser toner cartridge. This significantly reduced
the cost of using laser printers.
What’s happening today?....
Nowadays we have the luxury of having a laser printer on our desk at
home if we want that type of printing. The as well as the initial
outlay for the printer has become quite affordable and provides a
unique, very professional looking print out.
Today, laser printers are manufactured by many companies and the price
tag is only slightly more than the common ink printer (though colour
laser printers are still quite expensive the gap is getting smaller).
The laser toner cartridge costs have been reduced so that it is
reasonable to use the laser printer at home as well as at the office.
In fact the toners are usually much cheaper when you take into account
the larger number of pages you get for the amount you pay (the industry
uses the terminology ‘cents per page’ or CPP)
Basically there are 2 types of cartridges, originals and non-originals
and there are 2 types of non-originals being compatibles and
remanufactured (this goes for inks also as does the information below).
Otherwise known as non genuine, after market this is how they work:-
- Compatibles are actually a brand new cartridge manufactured to work
in the same way (without breaking the trademark, copy protection laws)
as the same original cartridge with the same machines. The benefit you
gain from these is obviously cost savings with at times massive savings
up to around 50%. The downside is they are not as environmentally
friendly as remanufactured toners and there are the occasional failures
and complaints about lower quality (though failure rates for the top
companies making these are within industry norms and not significantly
higher than those of the original manufacturers themselves)
- Remanufactured toners however are a little different as they take an
empty original (it should have only been used ONCE) and fill it with
toner. As long as you buy from a reputable retailer it will have also
been checked to determine if parts need to be replaced as well as toner
refilled. You also get good cost savings as you do with compatibles but
the environment wins out big time as you helping ‘close the loop’ by
reusing an empty original. Once again the same applies as above with
quality and failures (both negligible in my experience as a retailer in
this industry).
NOTE: Its worth making a special note here that disposing of empty
toners is a problem worldwide as the plastic they’re made of takes so
long to break down and the toxicity of the toner inside. In many
countries today there are programs available where you can get rid of
your empties without just throwing them in the bin. In fact if you hunt
around you’ll probably find a company will pay you for them as they
need a constant stream of empties coming through so they can
remanufacture them.
Something to keep in mind....
When purchasing a re-manufactured laser toner cartridge, be sure to
read the box carefully and ensure you are selecting the right toner
cartridge. The first time you purchase a re-manufactured toner
cartridge, the box may look entirely different or very plain because
these inexpensive toners are often not packaged in fancy, colourful
boxes like the name brands. But then they don't cost what the name
brand toners do, either.
The bottom line....
If you use a reputable retailer for your home/office supplies they
should have a clear policy in place not only about faulty toners but
what happens if a cartridge has somehow caused damage to your machine
(this would be very unusual by the way). Under these circumstances this
policy should give you a full warranty to have the equipment repaired
ASAP at no cost to you.
With my clients when they ask what I suggest I always recommend they
try a non-original to see for themselves the quality etc. In any case
the trick is to be able to make an informed choice with someone you
trust so at least if something goes wrong the people you bought from
haven’t skipped the country.
