Printer Toner (Amount Remaining)

  • Thread starter Thread starter george41407
  • Start date Start date
G

george41407

This is probably a bit off topic.
I just bought an older used Canon Laser printer.
Getting the drivers was a pain, but once I got them, the printer
seems to work quite well. I have the original owners manual, and
after going thru the entire 170 pages, they do not say how to
determine the amount of remaining toner. The cartridges are sealed,
so I can not see how to tell......

The seller said he had used the printer quite a bit and could not say
how much remained. Obviously there is some left because it prints,
but is there any way to determine the actual amount?

By the way, I see these home refill kits online and they are much
cheaper than a new cartridge. Do they really work?
(This is a black and white only, model).

Thanks
George
 
This is probably a bit off topic.
I just bought an older used Canon Laser printer.
Getting the drivers was a pain, but once I got them, the printer
seems to work quite well. I have the original owners manual, and
after going thru the entire 170 pages, they do not say how to
determine the amount of remaining toner. The cartridges are sealed,
so I can not see how to tell......

The seller said he had used the printer quite a bit and could not say
how much remained. Obviously there is some left because it prints,
but is there any way to determine the actual amount?
Click to expand...
I've never seen any way of telling - short of making a hole and pouring out
the toner! (Destructive testing).
By the way, I see these home refill kits online and they are much
cheaper than a new cartridge. Do they really work?
(This is a black and white only, model).
Click to expand...
I've used these for years, on 2 different models of HP, even refilling
cartridges for colleagues.
Have a look at:
http://www.refilltoner.com/

There's a lot of information on how to do it.
 
I've never seen any way of telling - short of making a hole and pouring out
the toner! (Destructive testing).

I've used these for years, on 2 different models of HP, even refilling
cartridges for colleagues.
Have a look at:
http://www.refilltoner.com/

There's a lot of information on how to do it.
Click to expand...

I see how they do it now. I'll have to find a US company to get the
stuff though, since foreign shipping is too costly, not to mention the
currency conversion. That tool looks like a piece of 1/2" copper pipe
on the end of a soldering iron. I can make that myself. All I really
need is the toner and I'll have to find some sort of hole plug, which
I can likely get at the local hardware store, or just use duct tape.
 
I see how they do it now. I'll have to find a US company to get the
stuff though, since foreign shipping is too costly, not to mention the
currency conversion. That tool looks like a piece of 1/2" copper pipe
on the end of a soldering iron. I can make that myself. All I really
need is the toner and I'll have to find some sort of hole plug, which
I can likely get at the local hardware store, or just use duct tape.
Click to expand...

Why bother?Manually re-filling laser cartidges is not easy like other
printers.They use a type of Graphite powder(black) or something.No idea what
color lasers use. And they last a hell of a lot longer that Deskjet
cartridges.I yhink my old laserjet 4l is rated at 5000 pages.$35 a cartridge
too.
 
Why bother?Manually re-filling laser cartidges is not easy like other
printers.They use a type of Graphite powder(black) or something.No idea
what color lasers use. And they last a hell of a lot longer that Deskjet
cartridges.I yhink my old laserjet 4l is rated at 5000 pages.$35 a
cartridge too.
Click to expand...

Filling the things is trivially easy and they don't use graphite fer
****'s sake. It is a plastic powder which is melted onto the paper after
being held there by electrostatic attraction (the rasterizer creates an
electrostatic charge pattern).

As for determining how much toner is left in a cartridge that is simple.
Take the cartridge out of the machine and gently tip it left and right.
You will feel the mass of toner shifting if there is a substantial amount
remaining in it.
 
In alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt "Bhagat Gurtu"
Filling the things is trivially easy and they don't use graphite fer
****'s sake. It is a plastic powder which is melted onto the paper after
being held there by electrostatic attraction (the rasterizer creates an
electrostatic charge pattern).

As for determining how much toner is left in a cartridge that is simple.
Take the cartridge out of the machine and gently tip it left and right.
You will feel the mass of toner shifting if there is a substantial amount
remaining in it.
Click to expand...
Most cartridges *also* collect unused toner from the page. There's
always a certain amount. This gradually fills up a container that has
to be emptied out when a cartridge is "refilled" unless the laser
printer has a separate part for that. (My Brother, color-laser has a
neat little plastic box you just empty out when the printer says it's
full. I love it.)
 
Back
Top