Toner is a powder form material in the cartridge of a printer used for printing documents. When the user gives the print command, toner heats and prints the text or images on the paper. Most of us who have printers at home would have shopped for these cartridges. But, how much do we actually know about them? Let’s look at five things about the toner cartridges:

Colour types

The black and white printer uses black colour. The reason being the white base of the paper makes up for the other colour. The coloured laser printers have four colour formats – CMYK.

C – Cyan

M – Magenta

Y – Yellow

K – Black

All these four colour combinations result in beautiful pictures.

Formation of toner

Four components make a toner. These include synthetic resin, colour pigments, magnetisable metal oxides and small agents. The ratio of mixing of these components depends on the purpose for which the cartridge will be used.

Toner replacement

A toner should be immediately replaced on getting over. If the system has all the updated drivers installed, you will see information about the levels of toner. However, the parameters for filling could be different for every printer, you might not have to replace the toner if black pages start coming out from the printer.

A most common problem with the toner

Smudging is a common problem. In this, the prints come out with dirt. This is the result of the waste container in the toner getting full. Also, if the drum is not cleaned automatically post-printing, it can cause the problem of smudging. If the drum wiper blades are worn out or faulty, it can also lead to the problem.

Buying the right toner cartridge

Not many buyers give much thought to buying the right toner cartridge. Some of the points to consider include:

Two cartridges might look similar, but they might not work on your printer. Although printer manufacturers use the same cartridge design for many printers, some models may have a different contact chip. Pay attention!

Apart from CMYK, some printers use three types of colours – cyan, magenta, and yellow. Do check the number of inks your printer uses.

Final Words

Finding a toner cartridge compatible with the particular model of the printer you own isn’t difficult. Many stores offer IT products online, so you don’t have to go to a physical store. Moreover, these stores deliver the best online shopping in the UAE experience, as you will find compatible toner cartridges for many old and new printer models.