Why Understanding Toner Technology Could Save You Money

Printer toner: what is it and how could it save you money and time in the long run? Although this may not be a question you have asked yourself before, taking the time to understand a little bit about the printing process could see your productivity increase and your outgoings shrink.

Indeed, whilst many of us own a computer and printer, for professional and personal reasons, there are very few who actually understand how they work. By learning the basics of their operation, you are in a much better position to evaluate whether they are right for the job or not.

For example, if you are a large company and need to print off hundreds of pages at a time, on a regular basis, it is important to know that an inkjet printer won't be able to competently handle the job. Conversely, if you want your printer to produce high quality photographs, a laser is not the right tool for you.

So, what exactly is the difference between an inkjet and a laser printer, and where does toner fit into it all?

Inkjet printers operate on the principle of spraying small particles of ink onto a page. They are the most common type of printer and usually produce a high quality of finish, especially when printing photographs and color documents. However, they are not suitable for high volume printing and if the ink is not left to dry properly, can smudge easily.

Laser printers, on the other hand, employ the use of printer toner. Traditionally used in photocopiers, it was first utilized in commercial laser printers in 1978. Taking the form of a powder, the toner was initially comprised of carbon. However, over the years, and to increase the quality of the print, its composition changed to also include a polymer (either a styrene acrylate copolymer or a polyester resin).

The toner particles, which are electronically charged, are permanently bound to a paper's fibers after being melted by a fuser. This holds the advantage over the liquid inks found in inkjet printers in that it doesn't smudge or bleed once printed. Not only that, but toner printers are also capable of printing on almost any type of paper.

Using printer toner, in comparison to ink, additionally makes it a much more cost efficient option for printing large quantities of text. In fact, one toner cartridge is capable of printing up to 2000 pages before it will need to be changed. This is in contrast to an inkjet printer, whose average lifespan doesn't last past a few thousand pages.

As a result of the differences between inkjet and laser printers, it is very important that you understand their role and how they work. If you expect to use your printer to regularly produce a large volume of work, then you should have a laser, which utilizes toner technology and not an inkjet, which will be more costly and time consuming in the long run.

Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Understanding The Different Types Of Toner Cartridges For Laser Printers

In a laser printer the laser beam moves, and "prints" an image onto a electrically charged, rotating, photoreceptive drum. Toner, which is a kind of dry ink powder, is transferred from the toner hopper or cartridge, first onto the surface of the drum, and then from drum to paper. At this point the toner is still a fine powder, and is held onto the paper by static electricity. In the final step the paper passes through some heated rollers (the fuser). The heat causes the toner particles to melt, and to fuse with the fibers in the paper. Toner cartridges are the consumable items which contain the toner. Usually the printer will give some indication such as a "toner low" warning light, which tells the user it is time to replace the cartridge.

The replacement toner cartridges can be expensive, and can often cost more than the laser printer itself. This is because printer companies discount the price of the printer, in the hope that they will recoup their costs by the sale of genuine brand toner cartridges.

Some people notice this, and just discard the printer when it is out of toner, buying a new printer rather than a replacement cartridge. This is a false economy: the cartridges sold with new printers are often only 33% full.

When buying a replacement toner cartridge the owner has a number of choices. Firstly they can choose whether to buy "genuine" cartridges, which are also called "original" or "OEM", or whether to but "compatible" brands which are usually cheaper. Secondly they can choose whether to buy refilled, or remanufactured cartridges.

Genuine, original, or OEM cartridges are those manufactured by the printer company itself. As the company has often discounted the original cost of the printer, they hope to recoup their costs by selling consumables such as cartridges. The manufacturer will usually claim that the quality of their OEM cartridges is better than that of compatible brands.

This may be true in some cases, but not necessarily all. However when you buy a genuine brand cartridge you can be sure that the quality will be at least as good as the cartridge which came with the brand new machine.

Compatible cartridges are made by other manufacturers. The price is often much less than genuine cartridges, as the compatible manufacturer is not trying to recoup money discounted from the initial price of the printer. As we have seen, the quality may be lower than genuine cartridges, but the only real way to be sure is to buy one and check it out, or to ask a friend who has bought one. The other disadvantage is the manufacturer of the machine will often claim that the use of non-genuine cartridges will invalidate the warranty on the printer.

Lastly we have to consider refilled and remanufactured cartridges. These are both cheaper than brand new cartridges. The difference between them is simply that refills are just old cartridges, which have been refilled with toner. Remanufactures are stripped down, and any worn out moving parts are replaced. These therefore cost more than refills, but will be less likely to be unreliable.

I know of a site that is one of the UK's leading suppliers of Brother printer toner cartridges and toner cartridges made by other brands, with over £12 million worth of stock available for next day delivery.

Understanding Laser Toner Cartridge and Its Types

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Laser printers nowadays have become the printer of choice for most businesses and homes because of its speed and affordability. Along with the demand for laser printer is the need for laser toner cartridges. Laser toner cartridge is the storage receptacle for toners.

During laser printing operation, data is converted to electric signals that activate the lasers towards a part called drum; the toner is then coated to the drum which rolls over the paper. The images or texts will now be imprinted on the paper. Continued use of the laser printer will used up the toner. When it is finally empty, the laser toner cartridge is removed to be replaced by a new one.

As a replacement for the empty cartridge, consumers can choose from OEM, compatible or remanufactured types.


The OEM or original equipment manufacturer cartridges are those offered by the manufacturer of your printer. If you are using a printer from HP, an OEM toner cartridge is the one made and sold by HP. Often, this type is expensive. Printer manufacturers gain more profit from the sale of printing consumables such as toner cartridges than the actual sale of the printer unit.
The compatible cartridge are new ones manufactured by third -party companies. As an example again, this type will still work with a canon laser printer although it is not made by Canon company.
The remanufactured type are used cartridges that are disassembled, removed of worn or defective parts, cleaned, replaced with new parts, reassembled, refilled with toner, packaged, tested for quality and sold on the market. This type will also work for your laser printer.

Laser printers have now become affordable because of the many kinds and brands offered in the market. Consumers tend to spend more on paper and toner replacement than the actual cost of the printer. Naturally, they would want to save on these two consumables.

Fortunately, consumers have other types of laser toner cartridges as an option aside from OEMs. Compatible and remanufactured toner cartridges are made to perform at par with OEMs in terms of print quality and quantity. Using the latter two also should not void warranty for the printer units.

Consumers can look over the internet and find lots of businesses offering all types of laser toner cartridges. There might be a little time needed and some effort to find a legitimate seller of quality laser toner cartridges but I guess during these times of cutting costs, it is worth the trouble.

Consumers can check out Laser Toner Cartridge Specialist for all types of premium quality toner cartridges at very affordable prices.

Lincoln Boss is involved with the ink and toner cartridge retailing business and internet marketing.