Ask the Tech
The Laser Toner Cartridge Dilemma
November 25, 2009
Perhaps you use a laser printer because you know you can count on outstanding print quality. Is it possible to get high quality prints and reduce your environmental impact at the same time? Yes it is and we can show you how.
First some background on laser toner cartridges. The average toner cartridge weighs about 3 pounds and is about 40% plastic, 40% metal with lesser amounts of rubber, foam, paper and toner. The plastic portion of the cartridge alone will last intact in a land fill for hundreds of years. On top of that each year more than 300 million plastic printer cartridges end up in landfills. Feeling guilty yet?
Of course using re-manufactured laser printer cartridges would be the green answer but if quality is important to you is this the right answer?
Re-manufactured cartridges got a bad name from the “drill & fill” operators who would take spent cartridges, drill a hole in them and fill them with low-cost toner. However toner is not the only critical component in a toner cartridge. Within the cartridge is the developer roll sleeve, organic photoreceptor and the cleaning blade all of which need be compatible in order to produce quality images. These “toner only” cartridges just couldn’t be counted on to deliver quality.
Xerox has developed a re-manufacturing process which retains the cartridge’s plastic shell which is disassembled and rebuilt with new components. These cartridges perform to the same specifications as new products while at the same time containing up to 90% reused/recycled parts. This process also keeps more than 10 million pounds of cartridges,waste toner and toner containers out of landfills.
There is another upside to these cartridges. They are compatible with both HP and Brother printers. Using these cartridges will not void HP warranties and you may save 20 – 25% per cartridge.
Are you interested in decreasing your impact on the environment and increasing your bottom line? These cartridges may be the place to start.