Category: Laser Toner Blog

Does a compatible toner void my warranty?

The Facts…

The biggest advantages of using compatible toners are that they give
good quality printing at a reduced cost, over branded toner toner
cartridges.

In our case, we aim to provide our ColourSoft Compatible laser toners at
the same performance as our Original Counterparts, thus ensuring our
customers get not only good value, but excellent print performance.
Finding good compatible toners at a low cost is not difficult if you ensure
that you purchase from a supplier that have guarantees and returns on
their websites.

If your printer has been purchased within the last 12 months, by law
manufacturers legally have to give a 1-year guarantee on any electrical
products. This is whether you use an original or compatible toner.

Will compatible toners affect my printer warranty?

It is highly unlikely that any toner cartridge will cause damage to a
printer. This is because toners are self-contained units and only come into
contact with mainly the paper you are printing on!

There are instances whereby a toner can cause damage to a printer.
However this is only in the case of a really poorly manufactured toner,
which is not aligned and developed to fit into the printer well. Also
poorly re-manufactured or refilled toners can cause leakages in a printer.
Again, be prudent on where you purchase toners, as these above factors
could cause you inconveniences.

If you purchase a cartridge from a reliable supplier they will guarantee
machine performance if there is a failure with the cartridge. So in
essence, using compatible toners will not affect the warranty of your
printer. The quality is almost the same as if you were to buy original
equipment from the manufacturer, just at a lower cost.

Why does it say my cartridge is empty when I install it? 

Every cartridge is individually inspected, weighed and tested before packaging to ensure that it is filled with the correct amount of toner. This error message is usually the result of a cartridge that is not firmly seated in its designated slot. 

To troubleshoot the problem, begin by completely removing the cartridge from its port. Reinstall the cartridge by positioning it so that it snaps into place and is securely fastened in its slot.

Keep in mind that your printer doesn’t actually read the amount of toner in the cartridge. Printer software simply estimates the amount of toner remaining in the cartridge by remembering the number of pages that were printed when the previous cartridge was installed, and using this information to estimate when your next cartridge should be replaced. If a new cartridge is installed before the printer driver resets, there is a chance that the printer may think that the old empty cartridge is still being used. 

To fix the issue, reinstall the cartridge and click on the install new cartridge option; you may have to refer to your printer’s manual for further instructions. Selecting the new cartridge option will indicate to your printer that a new cartridge has been installed which will then prompt it to reset the page counter. This should eliminate the error message.

Do you need to buy Original Toners to get the best performance from your printer?

Some myths surrounding product specifications are circulating around the internet, alleging that
using OEM products is the only way to ensure that you’ll get an OEM-level performance out of
your cartridge. However, this just isn’t true. The publishers at PC World worked with researchers
from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to compare the print capabilities of several
OEM cartridges against compatible/remanufactured replacement cartridges. What they found
was that all of the compatible/remanufactured cartridges they tested produced a higher volume of
print work than OEM cartridges printed. This means that, in addition to saving you money off
the purchase price of a cartridge, compatible/remanufactured cartridges will generally print more
pages than their OEM counterparts. This gives you additional savings off the OEM cost: you’re
paying less and getting more ink or toner per cartridge!
While print specs may vary from one product to another, you can count on ColourSoft
compatible and remanufactured toner cartridges to deliver an OEM-comparable performance on
every project. Our cartridges have a standard two-year shelf life, which is the same shelf life
most OEM cartridges carry. Our compatible and remanufactured cartridges also carry at least the
same page yield as OEM products, and some cartridges are actually capable of outperforming the
OEM version (per the previously-cited findings of the RIT/PC World investigation).

DO TONER CARTRIDGES EXPIRE?

Expiration dates are easy to overlook and ignore. Does anyone check the
expiration dates for beef jerky or pasta noodles?
Like that cup of mixed berry yogurt, toner and ink cartridges come with
expiration dates that are kind of important to pay attention to. Especially
when it comes to storage and usage.
INK CARTRIDGES
The truth of the matter is that the workings of it can be rather tricky. For
example, once an ink cartridge expires the integrity of the ink goes downhill
rather fast.
TONER CARTRIDGES
On the other hand, after a toner cartridge expires you may get a few more
years of use if it was stored properly.
While an expiration date will forever be looming over your cartridges, it
may seem like there’s nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable.
But that’s not true. Proper storage of the cartridges can make a huge
difference.
For both, make sure you keep them in their original packaging. Store in a
cool temperature-controlled environment.
For the Toner:
-Make sure it’s lying flat and not upright
-In an area free of dust
-Nowhere near where corrosive gas
For the ink Cartridge:
-Store in an upright position
-In a dark area free of sunlight
-Keep the cartridge sealed

4 Common Printer Problems and Their Solutions

Many problems are associated with a printer. If you do not properly take care of your printer and maintain it regularly then the problems arise very frequently. The problems can be caused by many reasons such as poor toner quality, internal damage, improper configuration etc. Here are some common problems that you mostly face.

Getting bad quality prints

Nothing can be worse than getting bad quality prints from your printer. The quality of prints may vary upon the quality of toner. If you use low-quality refilled toners then you can get bad quality prints. Cheap refills never give you satisfactory results. You should always go for the OEM brand or compatibles from a reputable brand such as ColourSoft LaserJet Toners.

Printer prints slowly

Many printer owners have reported that their printers take too much time to print a single page. According to the experts, slow printing can be caused by many reasons such as printer memory issue, high resolution and choice of printer drivers. To resolve this problem you need to check the resolutions settings and printer memory. Another method to fix the slow printing problem is that you should check the automatic duplex setting. Duplex setting can generally take time because it needs the printer to flip every paper.

White spots on printed paper

It’s very frustrating to notice white spots on the prints. However, this problem is not associated with toner cartridges. White spots can be caused when the paper absorbs excess humidity from the atmosphere. Therefore, you should clean the printer component very gently by using a dry lint-free cloth and make it fresh. However, take care not to damage the printer components while cleaning.

White lines on printing papers

Last but not least, unnecessary/unexpected white lines on printing papers are another annoying problem that many printer owners face. This problem occurs due to the presence of dust in drum and toner cartridge of your printer. To fix this problem, you need to take out the cartridge and drum assembly and softly clean with a brush to remove debris.

 

Differences between toner and drum

In laser printing, there is often talk of toners and drums. What many people aren’t aware of is that laser printing essentially requires both of these components. It doesn’t, however, seem possible to buy image drums for many printers.

The reason for that is that particularly smaller, more affordable printers are equipped with so-called combi-cartridges. Combi-cartridges consist of both toner and image drum. Every time you change the toner cartridge the image drum is automatically changed as well.

 

 

  • Toner and drum are often confused

 

 

Toner and drum are often confused when customers order replacements.

 

Toner is what provides the colour in laser printing. Toner is a powder made up of several components such as colour pigment, developing agent, resin and anticaking agents.

 

When the printout becomes paler or the printer asks for a new toner, you will need a new toner cartridge. Insert the new toner cartridge.

 

The image drum is the unit with which the printer or copier transfers the image onto paper.

 

Depending on the printer model, the drum is either built into the printer and available as a spare part, or the drum can be exchanged individually (often the case with Brother products) or the drum is a built-in component of the printer cartridge (commonly the case with Canon, HP and Samsung devices).

 

The image drum transfers toner to the paper. The transfer follows the rules of electrophotography. In simple terms: Toner is transferred to the image drum using rollers and an electric charge before it is transferred to paper and fixed by using pressure and heat.

 

  • Which component do I need?

 

 

Always buy the component that your printer asks for. If your printer isn’t demanding toner or drum, the following rules apply:

 

  •   If the printout shows stripes or repeating artefacts, it can be a sign of a defective drum.
  •   If the printout becomes increasingly paler and taking out and shaking the cartridge leads to an improvement, it is likely that the toner has run out.

 

Most small laser printers, for example by Canon and HP do not have separate image drums. The drums are a direct component of the toner cartridge.

Inkjet V Laser Printer: Dawn of Cost Reduction

We have all been there – decisions, decisions. Choosing the right type of printer, either for home or work, has never been a walk in the park. One tricky part of buying a printer is undoubtedly deciding whether to get a laser printer or an inkjet printer. And for good reason.

The two types of printers employ different approaches, with each suitable for different printing needs. As you might expect, each printing technology has its own pros and cons. But when it comes to buying a printer, the cost -both initial and ongoing – is paramount. Which begs the question: which is cost-effective, an inkjet printer or a laser printer?

This blog post looks to give you a succinct guide on the pricing of both laser and inkjet printers. It will look at the initial price tag as well as the cost in the long haul. Read on; you will be glad you did.

But first, let’s delve into a few rudiments.

What are Inkjet and Laser Printing?

Back in 1969, a luminary Xerox worker named Gary Starkweather had an ingenious idea that marked the birth of laser printing. Simply put, Laser printers render a digital image by scanning a laser beam across photoreceptors. In essence, a laser printer utilizes a toner cartridge and a thermal fuse. On its part, inkjet printers do the same by spraying liquid ink through a raft of minute nozzles onto the paper.

Price Tag

I’ll admit right from the outset that you can garner a basic inkjet or laser printer for practically the same price tag. Quite unexpected, right? If you are looking for a basic printer that can print as well scan and photocopy, there is simply not much difference in pricing. There’s little or no difference in the prices of a budget all-in-one printer.

What’s the most noticeable difference? A budget laser printer is only capable of churning out black and white prints. Conversely, an inkjet version can print color documents.

If you crunch numbers, a laser printer is a little more expensive. You can garner a basic laser printer for something like Ksh 12,000/-. An inkjet alternative will set you back around Ksh 4,000/-. There is a catch, though: they typically come complete with a starter cartridge that is almost spent, implying that a refill is inevitable.

Ongoing Cost

With time, printers require consumables like toner, ink, and paper. You can quote the running cost of a printer using a standard cent per A4 page. A budget laser printer capable of producing only black and white documents has an average cost per page of around 6 shillings/page. But the rate drops drastically if you go for a higher price tag.

An inkjet printer typically rakes around 30 Shillings/page for both color and black & white prints. For black and white pages, the cost drops to around 8 or 10 shillings/page. What’s more, laser printers have extra maintenance costs if pit against inkjet printers. You will require regular replacement of components like fuser cartridge.

Parting Shot

Pound for pound, inkjet printers are more economical than laser printers for low-turn printing. In case you do large printing, you’d be much better off with a laser printer.

 

Just what is 5% coverage?

I often hear that customers can’t believe their ink or toner cartridge is empty.  Yet, when I check them, they are in fact empty. I know the perception is that cartridges don’t last as long as they should.  That is because of the page count on the box! These numbers really don’t mean much to the average user and don’t reflect the reality based on what people normally print.

The reality is that all page yields are based on 5% coverage of ink or toner.  This is a mandate from Organization for Standardization (ISO). Most people regularly print more than the 5% average.

5% represents a small invoice or memo (covering around half the page) and not a full page of larger text with logos and other print. For example this newsletter will end up representing more like 10%-12% coverage if it was printed out.

So your actual page yield will most likely be less than the advertised yield, no matter where you buy the cartridge-as everyone’s yields are all based on only 5% coverage- everyone has to place the same amount of ink or toner in cartridges.  Starter cartridges that come with new printers often have half or less toner or ink in them than a normal cartridge.  In fact, we fill some ink cartridges with more ink than the originals had in them.

Over the years, I have performed enough research and development to find these facts to be true on several of the same cartridges from different vendors, including our own products, against the OEM (name brand cartridge).  Using our compatible toners will make sure that all you do is save lots of money with products from ColourSoft!

 

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