Basic Toner Cartridge Review
Most of us only think about printer toner cartridges when the blasted things run out and need to be replaced, with no clue that there is a whole world of knowledge out there just related to our printers that can have a tangible, even economic, impact on our lives. So check out some of the tips in the toner cartridges review below to get a glimpse of what you’re missing out on.
To start with the most basic part of the toner cartridges review, these products are designed for use with many different brand name and generic laser printers. They are large cartridges that each weigh between 2-3 pounds and are composed of a combination of plastic, metal and other miscellaneous materials. In the end the ink is only a small fraction of the total product. In fact, it’s not really ink at all, toner is made up of carbon or tiny plastic materials and coloring agents.
One of the most striking bits of information is one far too many of us are already familiar with: the ink from a brand new cartridge produced by some of the most common brand names actually costs more per milliliter than a bottle of expensive vintage champagne. This is due in part to the composition of the ink, but much more so because of the large amount of resources expended in manufacturing the cartridge itself. It takes 5-9 pounds of virgin materials and three quarts of fuel to make each and every toner cartridge, leading to the high prices you see in office supply stores.
However, there is a way to avoid buying high priced toner. Cartridges are divided into three categories: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges, which are the high priced packages lining store shelves across the US; “compatible” (or generic) cartridges produced by third parties, and re-manufactured cartridges recycled by the original manufacturer or local recycling company. Both compatible and re-manufactured cartridges are significantly less expensive than OEM counterparts, particularly re-manufactured cartridges. Although the manufacturing companies try to warn you away from these sorts of products, just look for a toner cartridges review to find a safe place to purchase them.