4 Things You Should Know About Printer Toners before Purchasing a Printer

Printer toner is essentially a powder that is used in photocopiers and printers to transfer images and text on to the paper. Initially, toner used to be a mix of carbon, sugar and iron oxide. Now however, carbon is mixed with polymer. The mixture is heated and melted. This melted mixture transfers on to the paper and appears with high clarity.

The toner is present in the cartridge in the printer. With use, the toner gets exhausted and needs to be replaced. Depending on your usage pattern, the cartridges might need to be changed at a certain frequency. The ultimate usage cost of the printer increases because of the toners. One way to avoid it is to buy a high quality toner that works for longer. Here are 4 things you should know before buying one.

Why are toners so expensive?

Yes, toners are expensive because they are one of the biggest sources of revenue for manufacturers who do not mind slashing the price of your printer. Toners are their ways of retrieving the discount that they gave you on the machine. However, this is not the sole reason for the high costs. Making toners has now become an expensive process, especially for the laser machines. Also, polymers are more expensive than the old world sugar and iron oxide. So, the high costs are not without reason.

What is the cost of replacing cartridge and printer toner?

The cost of replacing the cartridge depends on the kind of cartridge that has been used in your printer. There are different types of cartridges. Some machines have certain additional attachments such as a photo conductor drum. When changing the cartridge, you might have to change the entire assembly. Such printers cost you more in the long run because the cost of new cartridge assembly is high. So, check out the kind of printer before purchasing.

Can you change the cartridge and fuser assembly by yourself?

Different printers are built in different patterns. For some models, you might need a technician to dismantle parts of the machine and fix the new cartridge and fuser assembly. For some other models, the process is easier and you can do it yourself. Purchase a printer that does not force you to call a technician every time you need to change the parts. Also, prefer printers that come with free maintenance kit so that you can service the machine on your own.

Is it good to buy latest trendy printers?

Trendy models invariably attract a lot of people. However, is it a wise decision? Trendy printers might not be the best choice because once the trend dies down, the printer might go out of production and you might not be able to find parts for replacement. Check out the internal parts of the machine and choose one that uses the tried and tested ones.

Finally, before buying a printer, calculate the cumulative cost of operation. How many pages can the printer print on a single cartridge? What is the cost of replacement? What is the life expectancy of the parts?

Consider all these aspects and buy a robust printer.

Want to get high quality prints? Use a printer toner. But before buying one, these are some important points that you should know. Click on this link to know more!