Post Date
August,
25
2022
Suppose you are looking for a robust printer with toner cartridges that can handle a heavy workload for a busy office or another outlet heavily dependent on printing copy. In that case, a laser printer is what you need.
Inkjet printers are excellent machines, but they were not designed for heavy-duty printing. Their forte is refined photo quality prints requiring more ink and Yielding approximately 16 pages per minute.
Printer Toner: How Does it Work?
Toner is the main component of a laser printer. The removable cartridge contains the powder that the drum burns onto the paper, transferring the powder through electrical charges.
The powder in toner consists of two different elements.
- Pigment
- Plastic Powder
The pigments help colour the print surface, and the plastic is mixed and helps solidify the pigments onto the paper.
Toner Advantages and Disadvantages
Suppose you are not familiar with printers and ink. In that case, you can easily be confused about what you need when considering your first purchase.
But it is the same as all products on the market; there are positives and negatives. But with toner cartridges, there are plenty more positives.
Advantages
- Produce considerably higher Yield than inkjet printers
- No spots on the printing
- Superior durability
- Faster printing speeds
- Toner lasts much longer than ink
Disadvantages
- Toner cartridges cost more than inkjet cartridges
- Performs best with heavy print-jobs
Printer Toner Shopping
Printing habits significantly determine the toner required for your print jobs, as not all toner is made equal. Here are some things that should be considered during the purchasing process:
- Your Budget
- Original vs Compatible Toner
- Capacity
- Compatibility
Your Budget
Your monthly and yearly print budget is of the most important factors when choosing a printer unit and toners.
Not every business or individual has the same budget. If yours is tight, you may have to consider changing from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and look at the compatible toners on the market.
The compatible cartridges are of considerably higher standards than years ago. Many reputable printing outlets and stockists now store compatible cartridges, and they come tested and approved. However, your OEM's main advantage over its counterparts is the Yield.
Typically a compatible cartridge will print about 80% of what your OEM can produce.
So this is where you have to weigh up the budget against productivity.
Original vs Compatible Toner
As I just mentioned, there are differences between original and compatible toners. The print quality is now almost the same as an OEM cartridge. So with that said, it can make sense to purchase. But optimal Yield belongs to the original cartridges. All the major brands spend hundreds of millions of dollars on their research and development to try and continually raise the bar of print quality, Yields and printing time.
The cost trickles down into the price of an OEM, but there is more to it than just cost. Each range has a unique drum or printer nozzle for which its ink is specifically designed. Therefore, you risk long-term damage to your drum or nozzle by not using the OEM toner.
Capacity
If your print load is substantial, but photo quality prints are unnecessary, look at the compatible option. It is more common in printing shops and online to find multipacks for sale that come at a discount. Therefore you don't need to worry about reordering for quite some time.
Some OEM cartridges can print up to 3000 pages before they need replacement, and the compatibles range anywhere from 1000 to 5000 pages, respectively.
Compatibility
So if you decide against the OEM and look at the compatible cartridge, you'll need to know it is compatible! Even the compatibles are made for specific brands and models, so they have differing degrees of compatibility. Here is where going to a reputable stockist is your best bet.
Helpful staff can ensure you don't buy the wrong printer if this is the start or the wrong cartridge and, as mentioned above, risk damaging your drum or print nozzle if you get it wrong.
TIP: If you are new to printing, get advice from a local stockist rather than buying online, as often a chatbot won't be able to answer your concerns, and an eCommerce website can have sparse information on its web pages.
Toner Cartridge Tips for 2022/23
After carefully considering many factors, including Yield, quality and price, these are the three laser toners at the top of the market coming to the close of 2022.
- Brother TN660
- LD Compatible with Samsung M2020W and M2070FW Series
- HP 116A (W2060A)
Brother TN660 Breakdown
- Delivers Rich Blacks
- Works Perfectly With the Brother Unit
- High-Quality Mono Prints
- Reasonably Priced
- 2600 Page Yield
LD Compatible with Samsung M2020W and M2070FW Series Breakdown
- Lifetime Guarantee
- Suitable for Offices and Factories
- Low Cost
- Large Yield - 5000 pages
HP 116A (W2060A) Breakdown
- High-Quality Print
- Compact Size, Easy to Move
- Delivers 71% More Pages
- HP Helps Recycle Cartridges
SUMMARY
The printing market is vast and competitive. There are numerous options, and all are designed for specific uses. If this is new to you, look to speak to a reputable stockist and make sure you buy the right printer. The manufacturers lose money on the printing machines and make their profit on the ink and toner. So getting the right solution for your printing needs at the start is vital. Good luck.
