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Printer Toner Cartridges: What They Probably Won’t Tell You When You Buy a Laser PrinterBy Chris Russ |
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Printer toner cartridges will probably exceed the price of your laser printer long before the machine has worn out.
Why are printer toner cartridges so expensive, when they seem to consist of a plastic container containing ground-up plastic powder?
One reason is that the manufacturers of laser printers try to keep the purchase price of printers as low as possible so they can get their machine into your home or office. Then they have a very good chance of selling you printer toner cartridges for years to come. You bought a Brand X laser printer, so of course you will look for Brand X printer toner cartridges. You may not even be aware that alternatives exist!
Most of the manufacturer’s revenue comes from printer toner cartridge sales, so it should come as no surprise that printer toner cartridges are expensive compared with the price of the machine they’re used in.
Another reason for printer toner cartridges being so expensive is because there’s a lot more to many of them than a simple plastic container full of powder. In the early days of toner-based machines, technicians would be called in to replace many of the parts that today are incorporated into the printer toner cartridge. Machines have been designed so that users can change out the wearable parts themselves, and these components are designed into the printer toner cartridge.
One thing that you’re not always told when you buy an office machine is how much it’s likely to cost for printer toner cartridges and maintenance over its lifetime. For some there’s a photo conductor drum cartridge to replace on a regular basis in addition to printer toner cartridges. Some laser printers have a user-replaceable fuser assembly and maintenance kit, while others require a technician to strip the machine, change the fuser assembly, and fit the other parts included in the maintenance kit.
When purchasing a laser printer you should calculate the estimated running costs over its expected service life (say 100,000 copies for small printers and 1,000,000 copies for larger office machines). To determine expected page costs over the long haul (assume 5% page coverage on an average density setting) you will need to know the cost and life expectancy of the following parts (including installation costs if not user replaceable):
Toner cartridges (may include black and four colors) Photo conductor (if not part of the toner cartridge)
Fuser assembly
Transfer assembly
Paper pickup and feed rollers
Competent sales people will be able to give you these figures or get them for you, but all-too-often purchasing decisions are made according to the features of the machine and with little regard to ongoing supplies and maintenance costs.
Also, you need to consider whether competition will drive the cost of printer toner cartridges down during the lifetime of the printer. Are after market consumables likely to become available in future? Hewlett Packard and Canon printers have been the main stay of the after market printer toner industry for many years, but there’s less competition in the toner cartridge market with some of the other brands. Don’t buy an orphan (a model that’s likely to have a small installed base that will cost you a small fortune in supplies and service)!
Professionally re manufactured printer toner cartridges will give you equivalent copy quality at a lower cost per page. Diligent re manufacturers ensure that the factories they source their parts from - toner, photo conductor drums, cleaning blades etc - comply with international quality standards. The best products are rarely the cheapest price, and wise operators will search out reliable suppliers and build long term relationships with them.
As a consumer you are advised to buy compatible and re manufactured toner cartridges from a supplier you can trust. Printer toner cartridges are not all created equal, and some products that have hit the market in the past have given disappointing results and tarnished the reputation of the after market printer toner industry as a whole.
Choose your printer carefully, and then find a vendor who offers high quality after market printer toner cartridges that will save you money and give you consistent trouble-free printing. |
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About the Author |
| Chris Russ has been helping customers reduce their ink and toner cartridge costs since 1990. For more information, visit http://www.ezyink.co.nz/. |
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