Toner Cartridges

How to increase your toner cartridge's lifespan

With the cost of replacement toner cartridges spiralling ever upwards; it's hardly surprising that more and more people are looking for ways to increase their cartridge's lifespan. Unfortunately there's no avoiding the inevitable, but good news is that there are ways of putting it off:

How hungry is your printer?

Printers use toner at different rates and it is well-worth keeping track of just how much yours is using. Cheap printers are often the hungriest and you may find that any money saved on the hardware is quickly gobbled up in replacement cartridges. Make a record of how much your printing output costs over a six month period and ask a trusted supplier if they can suggest a more economical alternative. Some manufacturers give an estimate of the number of pages that each cartridge will print. If they don't; you can reasonably assume that they are trying to keep something quiet.

Do you need colour?

In an office environment the likelihood is most of your print output will be plain black text. By switching to a black toner cartridge you'll save money and avoid the frustration of your printer shutting down when one of the pigment wells is empty. Alternatively invest in one colour and one black cartridge and change when necessary.

Does size really matter?

If you're trying to get the most out of your printer cartridge; the simple answer is 'yes'. Choosing a smaller font size not only saves ink, but paper too.

Have you read the instruction manual?

Anyone who's worked in an office can tell you that the majority of a printer's output ends up in the waste basket within a few of days. Most printers now have 'draft' or 'economode' functions, which print at lower quality to extend the toner cartridge's life. For official documents it's as easy as pressing a button.

Do you believe everything that you're told?

A worrying number of printer cartridges show low toner warnings when there's as much as one third remaining. Make up your own mid based on the quality of the prints being produced. You may be able to squeeze more life form your cartridges by gently agitating them to displace any toner trapped in the corners.