Compatible Toner Cartridges in the UK: What You Need to Know
By Tripod on Mar 10, 2010 | In Camera Bags | No Comments »
If you operate a printer that requires toner cartridges, you’re probably aware of the high cost of OEM replacement cartridges. OEM stands for “original equipment manufacturer.” This means that if you operate an HP or Epson printer, for instance, you’re using HP or Epson ink toner cartridges. To help answer issues with expensive OEM toner ink cartridges, many after market compatible toner cartridges are obtainable in the UK. These offer brands other than the OEM.
Not all laser printers are created equal. The same applies to toner cartridges. In order to require customers to buy their cartridges, each manufacturer uses a different design so that only their replacement cartridge will fit inside their printer. While this is good news for them in terms of profits, it can potentially create a complex problem for customers to solve. Because there are so many companies who make them, finding compatible toner cartridges means knowing exactly who made it. What’s more, most companies have several models, so you must also know the exact make and model of the printer. The good news is that there are three reliable methods for determining the right cartridge.
A Comparison of Compatible Cartridges and OEM Cartridges
There’s been a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the use of compatible ink cartridges. When these products initially were conceived, OEMs tried to deter their use by alleging that if used, compatible ink toner cartridges would void the printer’s warranty. But, legislation has since been passed in the UK that preclude printer OEMs from imposing this restrictive policy. Printer owners are free to select any type of printer toner cartridges, whether OEM or compatible. However, you should be aware that the performance of compatible cartridges can be highly uneven. In 2008, a quality assurance organization named QualityLogic did a study that compared HP branded LaserJet toner cartridges to five forms of compatibles. The results showed that “the quality and usability of pages printed with Original HP LaserJet colour toner cartridges was consistently more reliable than output from the re-manufactured colour toner cartridges.”
Cartridge Fuses and Chips
Another strategy used by OEMs to thwart the use of third-party laser toner cartridges in their products is the implementation of chips and fuses. The chip communicates with the printer to prove that the cartridge is an OEM. It’s implied that the chip supervises toner usage and classifies the cartridge as empty. So even should the cartridge is refilled, the printer will assume it’s empty. In addition, a built-in fuse “blows” (shorts the electrical circuit) if the toner cartridge is empty. It isn’t easy to replace a blown fuse in a cartridge. Both the chip and the fuse have to be changed for a compatible toner cartridge to work properly. Does this seem to be getting a bit intricate? Well, that’s what the OEMs want you to assume. The truth is that both chips and fuses are accessible and replaceable, so most compatible cartridges are as skilled in linking to the printer as OEM cartridges.
The preference between OEM and compatible toner cartridges is entirely up to the printer’s operator. In the UK, compatibles allow for major cost savings.
