Even at the beginning of the decade when the sales of new laser printers were fairly static, sales of new printer cartridges have continued to rise sharply. It may have something to do with increased print volumes (whatever happened to the paperless office huh !) but probably also due to what we actually print.

More pages with graphics, more printing of photographs and similar pictures that use much more toner will obviously increase the amount of cartridges we use. We are also printing much more often in colour which also needs much more toner. This all leads to a huge rise in the amount of toner we use, and the amount of toner cartridges that we consume.

Any reuse, remanufacture or refilling of toner cartridges is significantly better for the environment that producing a brand new cartridge with the old one ending up in landfill. Unfortunately the obvious environmental benefits are sometimes overlooked in the pursuit of profit.

The printer companies aggressively price their printers, simply because they make the vast majority of their profits in the toner cartridges. Environmentally without doubt the best option is to refill the existing toner cartridge until it’s worn out, when the unit can be recycled. Unfortunately this is not the best profit option for the companies involved.

The big printer companies hate this and are increasingly seeking to reinforce their lucrative toner markets by various schemes and technologies. Many toner cartridges have computer chips on them now so that they cease to function after so many prints. It’s the equivilant to putting a chip on a car to stop it working after 50,000 miles !!

It’s scandalous in my opinion, fortunately the chips have been copied and can be easily replaced but it’s producing extra manufacturing and the chips are actively designed to prevent the environmentally friendly option.

If you can recyle or better still refill your cartridges, save some completely unecessary production and save yourself some serious cash.