Remanufactured Toner Cartridge Myths

Below we have listed the top 7 myths surrounding Remanufactured Toner Cartridges!

1. Can a defective toner cartridge damage my printer?

A toner cartridge is a mostly self contained unit which has limited contact with the rest of the printer. Worst case scenario is that some leaked toner from a faulty or damaged cartridge will need to be carefully removed from the printer. All toner cartridges will deposit a very small amount of toner inside the printer; many newer printers now come with a waste toner box to collect this safely. Toner cartridges that have been professionally remanufactured will not damage printers or create anymore wear and tear than a brand new original OEM cartridge. You should ensure you regularly remove any toner deposits from inside the printer as part of regular printer maintenance.

2. Will using a remanufactured toner cartridge void my printer warranty?

Following recent pressure from the European Union and American Fair Trade Laws, the OEM printer manufacturers are not allowed to void your printer warranty for using compatible or remanufactured toner or ink cartridges.

3. Will a remanufactured toner cartridge be of inferior quality compared to an OEM product?

Here at Cartridge Discount we always use remanufactured toner cartridges in our printers when available, and we can honestly not notice any significant difference in print quality compared to the original OEM toner cartridges. There is a massive cost saving and the knowledge that you are helping the environment at the same time!

4. Do toner cartridge remanufacturers reuse toner in their cartridges?

You cannot reuse toner, if you did then none of the cartridges would work! Toner becomes contaminated during the printing process by electrical charges and paper dust, so it is therefore completely un-reusable. Different toner cartridges can also require a different toner formulation, and by combining two different types of toner inside one cartridge you would encounter problems.

5. Do toner cartridge remanufacturers just replace the toner in recycled cartridges?

Single re-use ink cartridge ‘remanufacturers’ (also called ‘drill and fill’ sellers) are actually conning you and the environment. A professional toner cartridge will replace every worn or damaged component in the cartridge. The imaging drum in the cartridge will be cleaned, tested or even replaced. The OPC drum is the most expensive part inside many toner cartridges, but it is the most crucial component for the quality and performance of your toner cartridge. The majority of professionally remanufactured toner cartridges have brand new OPC drums, charge rollers and other mechanical parts. Microchips must also be replaced to ensure the full functionality and compatibility of the cartridge.

6. If I return my empty toner cartridge to Lexmark/Canon/HP etc … will it be re-used?

You may be surprised to find that only 20% of returned empty cartridges sent to OEM manufacturers are actually re-used. Independent cartridge remanufacturers recover and re-use more empty cartridges than all the OEM’s put together. A recent survey found that OEM manufacturer’s schemes to collect empty cartridges generally resulted in the toner cartridges being broken down into their constituent parts and then the base materials were recycled. Where as, third party toner remanufacturers will almost always re-use the cartridges that they collect following inspection and cleaning.

7. Is the toner used inside the cartridge as good as the OEM’s?

Since the invention of chemical toner nearly 10 years ago, almost all of the OEM toner cartridge manufacturers are designing their toner cartridges with this new technology. This became available to third party toner cartridge remanufacturers about 18 months ago, and now the quality achieved by remanufactured cartridges is the same as that of the OEM’s.

You can find a large selection of remanufactured toner cartridges at www.cartridgediscount.co.uk.