Third Party Toner (Or Ink Cartridges)
Teresa Pfeiff-Naughton

We received an e-mail from one of our clients asking if they should consider purchasing third-party toner cartridges for their laser printers. There are pros and cons to the issue of using third-party toners and ink cartridges, however we feel the cons far outweigh the pros and thus you should stick to using the name brand toner or cartridges that your printer manufacturer recommends.

Another client called and reported an HP LaserJet printer was leaving "tracks" on everything she printed. She had replaced the toner twice in just a few days with new third party cartridges. After performing several diagnostic procedures it was determined that the toner was responsible for leaving the "tracks." The next day I was called back because another printer, same make and model was having a similar problem, this time it was leaving lines on every printed page. The cartridge was relatively new and had not reached the end of its life cycle. After replacing the toner the issue was resolved.

Reasons not to use 3rd party toner (or ink cartridges):

• yields may not be as high as the branded toner or ink.
• fade resistance - need to ask if a 3rd party has tested the fade resistance of the toner/ink.
• on really high yielding toner cartridges there have been times the cartridge wears out before the toner is exhausted.
• 70% of the printed image is due to the toner, so if you don't buy the branded toner then you aren't really getting the full printing experience as promised by the manufacturer. -3rd party ink on inkjets has been known to clog the print nozzles.
• refurbished cartridges can leak toner because the cartridge either wasn't cleaned or has worn parts which weren't replaced by the 3rd party vendor.
• 3rd party toner and ink can be filled with toner or ink that isn't compatible with the printer, thus this may not fuse to the paper properly or cause plugged nozzles in inkjets.
• if you do get 3rd party toner cartridges make sure they come with a warranty, one that will pay to have the printer fixed or replaced if their toner or ink causes terminal damage to the printer.
• most printer warranties will be voided if third-party toners or cartridges cause the printer to malfunction.
• as with any consumable in a printer, those parts that are not engineered to work with the specifications of the printer can cause irreversible damage to the printer.

As mentioned, there are pros to purchasing the third party toner and ink cartridges. One obvious pro is the price. They are cheaper, but again, at lower costs quality is sacrificed. Also, some third party vendors offer higher yields than the OEM, but as mentioned, the life of the cartridge will expire before the toner or ink is depleted.

Cartridges are one of the main money makers for manufacturers. If you purchase a $150.00 printer and end up buying $25.00 ink cartridges for it every month then soon you have spent more money in ink than what the printer was worth! If you use a lot of cartridges and know of a reputable 3rd party vendor then you may want to give it a shot! If the cartridges turn out to be good, you could save quite a bit of money.

In all, I still think using the manufacturer's toner or ink is best. Before purchasing a printer check into how much the toner or ink costs and the yields associated to it. Have an idea of what your monthly printing volume is and purchase a printer right for your printing needs.