Is Ink Toner Purchased from a Retail Chain Higher Quality Than Recycled Toner for Your Laser Printer

Ink toner for laser printers can be expensive when you purchase it from a retail chain. You can find recycled ink toner at a much lower price point, but is it as high a quality as the retail brand? The answer could depend on where you purchase your recycled ink toner – and whether it is specific to your laser printer or not.

Recycled ink toner can refer to two different things- refilled ink toner and remanufactured ink toner. You may find a significant difference between the two types. To help explain the difference, you should understand the componenets inside an ink toner cartridge. In addition to the ink toner powder, an ink toner cartridge also contains a drum, or a photoconductor. The drum transfers the image to the pager. Next is the magnetic roller that collects the toner and distributes it across the drum. There is also a wiper that cleans away the extra toner from the drum. These components will all most likely last longer than the amount of ink toner inside the ink toner cartridge.

When you buy a refilled ink toner cartridge, you are purchasing a cartridge that has been emptied, cleaned and probably inspected before it is re-filled with fresh toner. The drum, magnetic roller and wiper, as well as the other intricate pieces inside the cartridge are most often left in the same condition they were in when the cartridge was opened. This means you are dependant on the luck of the draw as to the quality and function of those parts.

When you buy a remanufactured ink toner cartridge, the cartridge has been opened and cleaned, but there is much more care and service taken before it is filled up with ink toner again. The drum, the magnetic roller and the wiper blade are all replaced, ensuring they will function just as they do in a brand new ink toner cartridge. The cartridge is then filled to specs with new toner powder, sealed to prevent it from leaking and tested to make sure it works properly.

Purchasing a remanufactured ink toner cartridge for your laser printer will most often give you an ink toner cartridge of very nearly the same quality as a new ink toner cartridge. Purchasing a refilled ink toner cartridge usually will not. So, if you want the same level of quality as a new ink toner cartridge from a retail store, look for a remanufactured ink toner cartridge for your laser printers, and not a refilled ink toner cartridge.