A question that is often asked, can you refill laser printer cartridges.  Now you’ll get different answers from whoever you ask, ask a printer company or someone who sells laser cartridges and you’ll get lots of answers.  There will be talk of voiding warranties, damage to printers and poor quality – all of which are simply not true.

To start on the warranty void, In Europe and in US you are not allowed to make the condition of warranty dependent on purchasing specific (i.e. their) toner cartridges.  Mind you when you start looking at the exorbitant cost of some branded laser cartidges it becomes fairly irrelevant – it is not uncommon for the cost of a replacement set of toner cartridges to be well in excess of the cost of the printer.

But is damage to the printer possible, if you have a look at any printer cartridge for a laser printer you’ll notice that it is fairly self contained.  The unit contains all its own internal mechanisms, think logically how could that actually damage the inside of your printer.  The main risk is inserting the cartridge in incorrectly, a danger that could happen with a brand new cartridge

Most laser printer cartridges refill kits don’t touch any of the working mechanisms, they simply refill the ink in the cartridge.  Of course the printer companies have made this more difficult on purpose – by removing the refiller tab, and appallingly placing a chip on the cartridge so you can’t reuse it.  But fortunately most laser printer cartridges can still be refilled relatively easily.

So can you Refill Laser Printer Toner Cartridges

The simple answer is yes,occasionally there are technical issue with a few cartridges so it’s always best to ask and expert and get a specific guide to refilling your particular toner cartridge.  But in general it’s fairly simple,

1. make hole in cartridge
2. refill toner through hole
3. put stopper in to seal cartridge
4. replace computer chip if required
5. carry on printing

It sounds simplistic but for most cartridges, that’s all there is to it.  You are stopping the totally unnecessary production of a new cartridge – and the associated carbon cost, saving the landfill of the old cartridge.  Plus you also will generally save between 40 and 85% of the cost of buying new cartridges – savings that are potentially hundred of dollars.

It takes a little effort, sure but if you buy a kit, it’s very simple to do and only takes a few minutes.  Of course I’ve missed out one element in the question of refilling laser cartidges.  Is the print quality as good, as long as you buy the correct compatible toner – there will be no difference.   When the other components in your laser cartridge start to fail then you will begin to see an affect on the quality but then it’s time to buy a new cartridge hopefully by then you’ll have refilled that cartridge several times and saved yourself a small fortune.

Here’s the company I recommend for Europe and UK (they do USA but you have to watch the shipping costs obviously)   – Toner Topup

They have a product selector which you can check to see what is involved with refilling your laser printer cartridge.

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