3 Important Considerations while Buying Perfect Printer Toner Cartridges

The dry powder used in laser fax machines, laser printers and photocopiers to reproduce text and images clearly on a piece of paper is known as toner. Laser printers are perfect for schools and businesses that can give a high-volume output of text and the fine details of the text due to the quick-drying toner as against the low-quality, but much cheaper ink jet printers. However toner cartridges come in various options and before making a purchase you should consider them all.

How Toner Works

Toner is a powder that contains two parts – plastic and pigment. The pigment offers color to the text and images and is mixed into plastic so as to melt when put through the heat fuser of the printer. When printer paper is passed through the heat fuser, the molten toner binds to the paper and ensures no smudge or bleeding.

What to Consider while Buying a Toner Cartridge

1. Model

The fastest way to decide what type of toner cartridge is required is to take a look at the part number of manufacturer. This can typically be found on fax machine, printer or copier. It may also be present in the operations manual that’s available with the device. If you don’t find part number, try to search the model number of the device. Most manufacturers offer a way to find a part or model number so as to find the right toner cartridge.

2. Quality

The device manufacturer will sell particular kind of toner that each device needs. The toner cartridges the manufacturers sell are high-quality e.g. Dell toner cartridges and often expensive. You can get less expensive cartridges from several other third-party companies that are compatible to the device. However, you should check the quality of these less expensive toners. You can also consider remanufactured cartridges which are reconditioned cartridges refilled, usually by the original manufacturer. If you want to use the cartridge for your business look for original manufacturer’s cartridge to ensure high-quality prints. For personal and informal prints, cheaper cartridges may be fine but they cannot produce fine details.

3. Color Toner Cartridges

For printing flyers, banners, menus or postcards, you may need color toner cartridges. Usually each color toner needs a different cartridge. Magenta, yellow and cyan are the three colors used in color cartridges. If the print has a green tint, it means that the magenta cartridge has become empty. If there is a purple tint, it means the yellow cartridge should be replaced and if there is an orange tint, the cyan color cartridge needs to be replaced. Color laser printers may be an expensive purchase as users may have to spend on various color cartridges instead of buying just a black cartridge.

Consider these different points while buying the right toner cartridge for you and you’ll get your hands on the right product.