Compatible Toner Cartridges

If you own a printer that necessitates toner cartridges, you’re likely aware of the high cost of OEM replacement cartridges. OEM means “original equipment manufacturer.” This of course means that if you own an HP or Epson printer, as an example, you’d be using HP or Epson ink toner cartridges. To help solve concerns with expensive OEM toner ink cartridges, many after market compatible toner cartridges exist in the UK. These offer brands aside from the OEM.

Not all laser printers are created equal. The same applies to toner cartridges. In order to require customers to buy their cartridges, each manufacturer uses a different design so that only their replacement cartridge will fit inside their printer. While this is good news for them in terms of profits, it can potentially create a complex problem for customers to solve. Because there are so many companies who make them, finding compatible toner cartridges means knowing exactly who made it. What’s more, most companies have several models, so you must also know the exact make and model of the printer. The good news is that there are three reliable methods for determining the right cartridge.

Compatible Toner Cartridges

Differences Between OEM and Compatible Cartridges

There’s been a great deal of controversy concerning the implementation of compatible ink cartridges. When these products came on the market, OEMs tried to dissuade their use by alleging that if used, compatible ink toner cartridges would void the printer’s warranty. But, legislation has since been passed in the UK that preclude printer OEMs from enforcing this restrictive policy. Printer owners are free to choose any type of printer toner cartridges, despite whether they’re OEM or compatible. However, you need to be aware that the performance of compatible cartridges can be highly inconsistent. In 2008, a quality assurance company named QualityLogic did a study that compared HP branded LaserJet toner cartridges to five kinds of compatibles. The results offered that “the quality and usability of pages printed with Original HP LaserJet colour toner cartridges was consistently more reliable than output from the re-manufactured colour toner cartridges.”

Compatible Toner Cartridges

Toner Cartridge Chips and Fuses

Another plan used by OEMs to prevent the use of third-party laser toner cartridges in their products is the installation of chips and fuses. The chip corresponds with the printer to authenticate that the cartridge is an OEM. It’s thought that the chip supervises toner usage and flags the cartridge as empty. So despite whether the cartridge is refilled, the printer will think it’s empty. In addition, a built-in fuse “blows” (disrupts the electrical circuit) if the toner cartridge is empty. It isn’t easy to replace a blown fuse in a cartridge. Both the chip and the fuse should be exchanged for a compatible toner cartridge to work efficiently. Does this appear to be getting a bit intricate? Well, that notion is what the OEMs want you to assume. The truth is that both chips and fuses are accessible and replaceable, so a lot of compatible cartridges are as competent in connecting to the printer as OEM cartridges.

The selection between OEM and compatible toner cartridges is fully up to the printer’s owner or user. In the UK, compatibles allow for considerable cost savings.