Toner Cartridges: A Buyer’s Guide

While inkjet printer cartridges that use liquid ink are still an extremely popular choice in the printing world, laser or printer toner cartridges have seen a surge in their sales owing to the high level of efficiency, productivity as well as long term cost-effectiveness provided by them.

Most customers often feel baffled when looking at the huge array of choices available when buying printer cartridges. Understanding the basics and the working process of printer toner cartridges is perhaps the first step towards making a good purchase. The write-up below is a great guide for the layman buyers looking at buying toner cartridges for their printer.

About toner cartridges 

A printer toner cartridge uses powdered micro-particles that create a print in an electronically charged and heated state. It is hence the static electricity that creates magic on paper, unlike the liquid ink used in inkjet cartridges.

Buying a toner cartridge, however, does not imply buying a box of cartridge powder only. Most cartridges come as a complete package of the drum assembly, the hopper as well as the toner developers along with a replaceable cartridge. Suitable to laser printers, there is often a requirement for different colored printing cartridges within the package.

Features to look for when buying

Being reasonably costly, it is often a tough task to look for a quality toner cartridge in Canada amongst the huge variety of manufacturer/ brand names floating in the market.  While quality should always be given priority over cost in case of cartridges, there are a few factors to keep in mind to make the investment more cost efficient for you in the long run. Let’s take a look at some of the key questions to consider when it’s finally the time to invest in a new printer toner cartridge.

• Suitability to the printer- Matching the cartridge to the brand and model of your printer is important. This can be a simple task for those planning to go in for new OEM cartridges. However, for those looking at recycled/third-party options, it is important to check reviews for the cartridge being a match to your printer model, toner powder quality, etc.

• A number of printed pages and cost- On an average, a good quality printer toner cartridge can give a user around 1500 pages of a good print. Consider your usage and check with the supplier for the same. Additionally, the high cost of toner cartridges in Canada can be upsetting to new buyers. That said, always consider the cost in terms of cost per page to evaluate the long term cost efficiency of the printer toner cartridge that you’ve shortlisted.

• Recyclability- A good number of leading manufacturers offers a recycling plan for the cartridge. Check for the suitability of the same.

• Print quality- Finally, print quality is the ultimate test of a toner cartridge. Consider multiple reviews and customer feedbacks (rather than the big words on the box) to pick out a good quality printer toner cartridge.