Toner Costs: Everything You Need to Know

When you think of an “office printer,” you probably picture a real workhorse.

However, many people are frustrated with toner costs. Today, we’ll look at everything you need to know about the ongoing running costs of your laser printer.

What is Toner?
If you have a laser printer, you know that warm, freshly printed paper feeling. It comes out warm because your printer melts and seals toner onto the plate. Inside the cartridge, before it’s used for printing, toner is a bunch of dry, powdered particles.

Typically, toner is made from granulated polyester. It can contain carbon powder, polypropylene, silicon, iron, zinc, and alternative materials like plant-based plastic.

In general, there is no single formula for toner. Toners from different factories can have different particle sizes, chemical formulas, and physical properties like melting points. Manufacturers around the world are working to develop safer, more efficient, and more accurate types of toner every day.

Are OEM toners worth the money?

Yes! Original toner is made to print flawlessly and meet the quality control standards your printer needs for a long life. You can find a good refill or compatible toner - but it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

If you're lucky, you won't have any problems with a refill or compatible toner. The toner pigment comes in tiny particles inside the cartridge. The particle size and chemical composition vary between manufacturers. This makes it almost impossible to recreate OEM toners that are perfect for your printer.

All laser printer cartridges are equipped with a printer drum, a light-sensitive unit that transfers toner to the paper. The drum wears down with use, but not all remanufacturers replace them with new ones when refilling cartridges.

What is toner yield?

Every cartridge on the market is labeled with an approximate yield to give you an idea of ​​what to expect. Yield tells you how many pages you can print with that particular ink or toner cartridge.

An average ink cartridge yields just over 200 pages of text.
A toner cartridge will produce an average of 2500 pages of text.

When calculating yield, most manufacturers assume that about 5% of an A4 or Letter-sized sheet of paper will be covered in printing.

At more than 10 times the yield, toner is more expensive up front, but it pays off over time.

If you rarely use your printer, a laser printer will likely save you time and money.

Of course, choosing the right printer for your needs isn’t as simple as having the cheapest possible cost per page. Inkjets far outperform laser printers at printing images, while lasers churn out page after page of crisp text faster. The printing technology you choose will ultimately depend on the type of printing you do most.

How often do you need to replace toner cartridges?

To find out how much you can print with a particular cartridge, check its page yield. This number should give you an idea of ​​the amount of pigment that’s inside. You may find that the ink or toner for your printer is sold in two cartridge sizes: regular and high-yield.

But if you only need a printer occasionally, there’s a chance you won’t use up all your ink in a timely manner.

Ink expires in two to three years
Toner doesn’t expire
This means that if you don’t use your inkjet printer for a while, you may not be able to print when you turn it back on. The ink will expire, dry out, or clog if you don’t use it regularly.