Cartridge Care - Laser Toner Cartridges
Laser Toner Cartridges
Laser toner cartridges operate with high voltage and an extremely fine toner powder that is placed onto the print paper via a magnetic developer roller, a laser beam process and an electro photographic light sensitive drum.
The electrically charged characters, formed in toner, are placed onto the print paper that is also electrically charged to hold them in place. The paper is then passed through a relatively high temperature fuser roller that melts the characters and permanently fixes them onto the paper.
The drums are susceptible to damage from exposure to light, especially bright sunlight. Drum shutters reasonably protect some types, while others have a shutter and a slot where light can readily fall on a strip of drum surface.
Care of Laser Toner Cartridges
Follow these tips to save money and keep your printer in top condition:
- Do not expose the cartridge to direct sunlight or room light
- Do not open the drum shutter
- Do not touch the drum surface
- Do not rotate the drum
- Do not position the cartridge on its end on or with the label side facing down
- Do not attempt to open the cartridge
- Do not dispose of non-recyclable cartridges in an incinerator
- Do not leave in motor vehicles for any length of time, as even on a cool day the temperature can exceed safe levels
- Store cartridges in a normal room temperature
- Place the empty cartridge in a black plastic bag and cardboard box
- Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible
- Keep the packaging from new and rebuilt cartridges for future transport.
Toner is not harmful, however if your hands or clothes become stained with toner, wash your hands with lukewarm water and soap. For clothes, simply brush off outside in the open air. Do not wash toner-stained clothes in hot water as the toner will set into a permanent stain. Use cold water only.
Re-Manufactured vs Refilled Laser Cartridges
There is a big difference between a refilled cartridge and one that has been remanufactured. A refilled cartridge has been drilled out and new toner placed inside. Refilled cartridges are usually good for 1 – 2 times after the initial use. Since the drum and other parts are not being replaced this can cause many problems. Unfortunately, this has given the remanufacturing industry a bad reputation.
A remanufactured cartridge is opened to replace the consumable items such as toner, gears, drum blades and any other parts that need replacing. Once the cartridge has been remanufactured, it is tested to ensure a quality print is achieved.
Most of the large manufacturers such as Canon, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Lexmark have recycling programs that allow them to re-use parts. In most cases the cartridge you are buying ‘new’ is in fact a remanufactured cartridge. Many of HP’s cartridges contain new and recycled parts.