Archive for the ‘Toner Cartridge Tips’ Category

Printer owners should not have to worry about maintenance upkeep because the reliability and durability of these machines gets better with each year of production.  For the most part, users will only need to be able to swap out expired toner cartridges.  It may seem like a simple task to some, but for people who have never done it, the task can be intimidating.  This is a simple tutorial for inexperienced users trying to get through the process and need a little guidance.

A lot of toner cartridges are being made with handles these days, making it easier to pull out of the printer when empty.  Once you remove a seemingly empty cartridge, though, be sure to put something under it like a sheet of newspaper, as leaking is always a possibility.  The new cartridge will come in a sealed bag inside a box.  Remove the bag from the box, and carefully open the bag, unless you see that toner has already leaked excessively inside the bag.  If this is the case, the product is defective and you should return it to the vendor.

Remove the new cartridge from the bag and gently shake it from side to side so the toner is evenly distributed.  There will be a shipping seal that needs to be removed before installation.  Just pull the tab and it should easily come out.  Hold the handle and slide the cartridge into the allotted slot, and sure it locks into place.  Close the panel and print a test page.

If the cartridge is not being recognized, it is possible that the printer memory is stuck and will only recognize the previous cartridge.  In this case, remove the new cartridge, turn off the printer and unplug it for about 10 minutes.  Plug it back in, turn it on and install the cartridge again.  This process is called a ‘cold start’ and should reset the memory.  Any other issues, contact the vendor you purchased the replacement cartridges from.

Having backup toner cartridges is essential to offices that print daily high volumes.  For users that do not print as much, ordering new cartridges when toner starts to run low will be sufficient.  But for users that go through thousands of prints each week, ordering a new cartridge every time one is needed will become a burden and the shipping costs will add up.  Buying in bulk will not only save money, it will simplify the printing process.  In a work environment, people should not have to worry about functioning equipment, and purchasing toner cartridges in bulk will ensure that.

For the best results possible, it is important to store extra cartridges in an appropriate place to maximize the lifespan and quality of the toner.  There a few easy-to-follow guidelines that will preserve these cartridges as long as needed.

Do not remove the new cartridge from the packaging.

Keeping the toner cartridge in the sealed plastic bag will protect it from acquiring any dust or other debris that could be lingering in the office.  If the cartridge is exposed to the elements, it could get clogged or damaged enough to diminish the quality of prints.

Keep out of the sun

Excessive sun exposure will damage and potentially ruin a toner cartridge.  It could melt the plastic or contaminate the toner.  For ink cartridges, it could dry the ink too much to be repaired.

Store at or below room temperature

Heat can have the same affect on a cartridge that the sun does.  Anything about the low 70’s could cause irreparable damage.  If the work place is always uncommonly hot, another option is to store the spare cartridges in a refrigerator.  Once it is needed, though, it is essential to let the toner warm up before installing.  If it is put into the machine when it is cold, the heat that is applied in the printing process could make the cartridge expand, damaging your printer.

Replacing toner cartridges is something that users can do by themselves.  It is a fairly simple task that should be easy enough to figure out but also has countless explanatory documents either on helpful websites or from the manufacturer.  For users who have had many different models from various vendors, they will find that replacing a Brother Toner cartridge is a bit different from an HP, Xerox or Lexmark.  This is a basic guide to performing this task, if further issues arise, it may be necessary to contact a technical helpline.

There are LED lights on these printers that will alert users when the toner is running low.  Some printers may have an LCD screen on the top panel that provides the same notice to users.  These alerts will be displayed before toner is completely gone, giving users enough time to order some replacements.  Brother would prefer the exclusive use of OEM toner, but compatible forms are available from third party vendors that should work just as well.

The release button on the top panel will pop open the front cover, exposing the toner assembly as well as the drum unit.  These two parts will be connected, but typically the drum unit will last considerably longer than cartridges so it will not need to be replaced as often.  Separate the toner cartridge from the drum unit.  It is recommended to put some kind of protective paper down to prevent the spill and potential stain that can be caused by toner.

Take the new cartridge from its packaging and shake it lightly a few times to evenly spread the toner throughout the cartridge.  Remove the protective shipping seal and place the cartridge into the drum unit.  It should literally snap into place, so be sure to listen for that so the two parts do not separate once inside the machine.  Insert the assembled toner/drum unit into the printer, close the top panel and continue printing.

In 1978, the very first laser printer using toner was released.  It was the Xerox 9700 and this innovative machine would pave the way for future manufacturers and laser printers that would change the business world.  In 1986, the toner cartridge remanufacturing industry was introduced to the world and would quickly become a friend to many budgets.  This industry not only saves consumers money, but it also helps to preserve the environment by eliminating the amount of cartridges in landfills.  Toner cartridges are especially dangerous in this atmosphere as they can leak into the underground water system.

A toner cartridge is considerably larger than an ink cartridge that is found in most household inkjet printers.  Size is not the only difference, however.  Inkjet cartridges contain liquid ink whereas toner cartridges hold a powder that is a concoction of carbon and polymer.  To apply this material onto paper, the toner powder is heated and ultimately fused.  The images are created by opposite electrical charges that bind fibers and create smudge-free, long-lasting prints.

In the early years, toner cartridges were built-in to the printer and could not be removed.  It was a one-and-done system that would eventually evolve with interchangeable cartridges.  Only black toner was used back then, so only monochromatic documents could be produced.  However, technology has advanced and now most high-end laser printers use the CMYK format, which includes four toner cartridges, each containing a separate color.  The colors are cyan, magenta, yellow and black and can be blended in various ways to create a large depth of color tones.

Toner cartridges are easy to find on the internet or in office supplies stores.  Though remanufacturer cartridges are a good option, refilled cartridges are not as reliable as manufacturers do not replace any defective parts, rather just throw more toner inside a cartridge and hope for the best.  Also, be careful to not inhale toner powder, it can be a health hazard.

Every laser printer purchased new will come with a starter toner cartridge either installed in the machine already or in the box with instructions for users to install it themselves.  Typically, this starter cartridge has a below-average print capacity, so replacements will be needed fairly soon depending on the volume of printing.  There is an array of vendors to choose from, including the original manufacturer of the unit.  Bu when there are replacement toner cartridges with different capacities, what is the best choice economically and professionally?

The answer to this question lies mostly in the output volume that is produced on a daily basis at the home or office.  If printing is only an occasional action, the high capacity replacement cartridges may not be necessary.  For less money, you can purchase a toner cartridge that will provide plenty of prints over an extended period of time.  Especially in the fluctuating economy, for some budgets it just makes more sense to spend less now.

However, other offices may go through the standard capacity toners in a week, and would be making the economical choice to get high capacity versions.  Though these versions will cost more upfront, ultimately it will save money, and if the volume of printing is high enough to exceed the capabilities of the lower-capacity toner cartridges, it only makes sense to go with the high cap.

The toner inside both options of cartridges will be the same grade and produce the same high resolutions.  The cartridges will be the same physical size and both will install easily.  The only differences are the page yields and the cost.  Most high capacity toner cartridges can print twice as much as standard capacity but cost only a quarter more, making them economical in a cost-per-page sense.  However, if the standard capacity can handle your printing needs, may as well save a few dollars.

A new and intuitive development has recently been introduced into the world of laser printing by a company known as Print Recovery Concepts, Inc. Though known mostly for being a vendor of standard compatible toner cartridges in the past, they now offer toner that comes from soy beans rather than the typical oil-based product. Though soy ink has been around for a while, this is the first anyone has seen of soy toner, but it certainly will not be the last.

In the United States of America alone, businesses, schools and government establishments consume nearly 100 million toner cartridges every single year. Because it takes approximately 2 liters of oil to make 1 pound of toner, as much as 50 tons of oil-based products are used in a standard calendar year. Not only is this detrimental to the environment, but landfills fill up with waste that is made of harmful petroleum. Perhaps, soy printing will be a solution to a growing crisis.

This soy-based toner is said to produce the same quality documents, the same amount of prints per cartridge and cause no harm to the laser printer, according to the President of Print Recovery Concepts. One may think these alternative toners would be overly expensive, but they are priced at around the same price as oil-based, OEM versions. They also come with a full warranty to back up the promises made by the environmentally conscious manufacturer.

It is easy to see the harm that has been done to the environment by using damaging material. Now that companies are coming up with solutions, it is important for consumers to demand the world-wide sale of those green products. SoyPrint is a revolutionary system that could end up changing the way we print and ultimately make a huge impact on the future of this planet.

The amount of toner that is sitting on the shelf as back up is completely contingent on the amount of printing that is done by a user or by an office.  If one rarely uses the machine, there is no need to stock up on replacement cartridges.  Once the “low toner” message appears on the display screen, removing the toner cartridge and shaking it will probably get quite a few more prints out of it.  However, when the atmosphere is fast-paced and the printing demand is high, nobody will have time to shake the cartridge every time the prints start to look faded..

So when is the appropriate time to purchase toner in bulk and how much should someone get?  Lets say the office has a printer that holds toner with a maximum page yield of 5,000 prints.  That may seem like a large number to those who use personal inkjet printer for simple, occasional tasks, but for a work-environment with daily multiple-page print jobs, those 5,000 prints will be used up quickly. 

As is the case with many products, the more toner you purchase, the less expensive each one is.  So, for that office it is probably a good idea to purchase 3-5 toners at a time.  That way, when one expires, the new one can be inserted and printing can resume in only minutes.  These cartridges have a long shelf life spanning from 2 years to 8 years.

For offices that use inkjet printers, ink cartridges are pretty much held in the same regard as toners.  They have a long shelf life and will run out quicker than one might think, especially if printing a bunch of photos.  Some color inkjets have only 2 cartridges, one with black ink and the other that holds cyan, yellow and magenta ink.  This will make replacements a bit more difficult because if one color runs low, the entire cartridge must be replaced, thus wasting the ink in the other compartments.

When consumers order a new or remanufactured toner cartridge from a major manufacturer or a third party vendor, the cartridge will arrive with a shipping seal.  If it does not have a seal, the quality of that toner has been compromised and you should immediately contact the company you bought it from and get a replacement.  These seals are very important.  You probably wouldn’t buy a jar of pickles at the store if the plastic seal on the lid has already been removed.  Sure, there may be absolutely nothing wrong with those pickles, but it’s a safer bet to just grab a new jar with the seal intact.

The seal is a very thin material that is mostly inside the cartridge, but has an end sticking out that has a pull tab.  If the cartridge is inserted into the machine with the seal still intact, no toner will come out and as a result, the printer will be useless.  This happens more than one might think.  Be sure to remove the seal simply by pulling on the tab. 

A standard shipping seal is wrapped around one of the main rollers within the cartridge.  Its purpose is to fill the space that is in between the developer and application rollers as well as the spaces around the doctor blade.  With the gaps filled, no toner can be released thus protecting the cartridge from springing a leak.  It can happen on occasion that a seal is accidentally removed or not installed correctly.  The user will know this right away as the bag the cartridge is shipping in will be full of powder toner.  Sometimes the shipping seal can get jammed, so regardless of how hard you pull, it will not come out.  This would be considered defective and will warrant a replacement at no charge.

Often times, consumers will order third party compatible toner cartridges that work perfectly fine but are not being recognized by their printer or are giving an error message that toner is empty even though the new cartridge was just installed.  This is not only extremely frustrating for consumers, but it also negatively affects small businesses that deliver high quality remanufactured or compatible toner cartridges.  The truth is, most of the time the only one to blame is the original manufacturer.

Toner chips are installed in cartridges to monitor the number of droplets that are released.  So as the toner gets low, the chip will communicate that information with the printer which will then alert the user.  Though this seems like a genuinely helpful tactic that was built to be beneficial, it has not pleased most printer experts like one would hope.  These chips are often set to expire at a certain date so the printer will read that a cartridge is out of toner long before it is.

Some of the “Smart chips” will load into the printer’s memory, so when a cartridge that is not directly from the manufacturer is installed, an error will automatically be given.  Major manufacturers have started implementing this strategy into most new cartridges because it eliminates the third party competitors and forces users to buy OEM replacements.  Sometimes the chip will even deliver false alerts that make users believe that a third party cartridge could or has damaged their printer, which very rarely actually happens.

The Parliament in Europe has banned the use of these chips mainly to increase recycling capabilities and prevent unnecessary waste.  Users can also avoid these deceitful tactics by using a chip re-setter or by purchasing 100% compatible toner cartridges.  The 100% compatibles usually come with a new chip and will avoid the affects of the previous chip recognized by the printer.

There comes a time in every HP LaserJet 2840’s life when the imaging drum or toner cartridge needs to be replaced. However, the drum on this all-in-one machine seems to be somewhat hidden, and many find that replacing the drum is a little tricky. If you’re ready to replace your imaging unit or toner and you want simple instructions, you’ve come to the right place.

The first thing you need to do to replace the drum is open the scanner assembly. You have to do this because the drum literally sits underneath this unit. To open, simply push the scanner-release button.

Now, open the top cover of the machine. Once you find the imaging drum, grasp its handle, and then rotate the drum until its handle is facing upward. Don’t worry if you have to apply a little force to get the unit out—your machine will be just fine.

Next, remove the drum from the all in one by lifting straight up. After you remove it, you may want to put it in a plastic bag so that excess toner doesn’t leak onto your furniture.

You now need to take your new imaging unit out of its packaging, and place it on a sturdy surface. Remove any shipping plastic or labels. At the end of your drum there may be a shipping lock, which you will also need to remove.

Take your new imaging drum and align the arrows on the side of the printer with those on the drum. Lower your drum into place and firmly lock it in.

If you are replacing toners too, open the assembly like before. If the correct toner cartridge is not in position, rotate the carousel until the cartridge you need to replace is in front of you. Pinch the two blue tabs on the side to remove the cartridge from the carousel. Take any sealing tape and packaging of the new cartridge, then squeeze the release levers on the cartridge and lower the toner straight down.

Once you close the top cover and scanner assembly, you are ready to begin printing again!