I'm wondering what folks do with their Laser Printers when they run out of toner. Toner is a different beast than ink, so I'd like it if you keep your responses to laser printers and toner instead of inkjets. And I didn't want to, but I think I have to add the final option there, because I certainly have been guilty of purchasing a new printer instead of getting new toner.

Also, if you do purchase generics or refill kits, where do you get them from? How is the quality of those replacements?

Oh, and for full disclosure, my HP2605dn just ran out of black toner, and I'm not certain that I want to pay $80 retail for replacement. So I'm seeing what others are doing, but hoping that this can help others in the same situation.

I used to buy toner off ebay and refill them myself until I had too many issues with cartridges leaking and spreading all over my printed pages. With the printer I have now I have purchased aftermarket toner cartridges and have had very good results. Checking though the company I purchased from last appears to be no longer so no more from them however I am just on #2 of the 4 I bought at the time.

IMO, refill toner quality can vary. I would also imagine some laser printers are more tolerant of refill kits than others in terms of print quality. Might be worth some google searching to see how it's working out on your particular printer.

My old Brother laser printer didn't seem to print with the same quality via the refill kit. It didn't hurt my printer in any way though. Once i started using manufacturer toner again, the print quality was much improved. i.e. I don't think there's any harm in trying a refill kit out.

Haven't tried generic toner carts as I could usually get OEM carts for the same price after coupon.

I used to use refill kits for my various Samsung ML-xxxx laser printers. They worked well for maybe one refill at the most, before I started getting severe print quality issues.

Ever since then, I've purchased third-party cartridges and haven't had a problem yet (2 for 2). That being said, I'd still be hard pressed to pass up a ~ $10-20 AR/AC printer deal, even if it only comes with a starter cartridge.

samsung was the same make I was having those same issue with..ml2010 to be exact for me. I have a large hp printer now that I use the aftermarket cartridges on with excellent results

I found a clearance deal on name-brand toner. Got a bunch of cartridges real cheap. Then I went out and bought a printer that would work with the toner.

lol. I have been thinking about doing that with color ink carts I have a bunch of for a lexmark photo printer

I only use manufacturer inks & toners, here's why.....

I used to work for a small computer consulting company that sold refilled/remanufactured ink & toner. They sold alot of it. About a third would come back due to poor print quality, quantity &/or leaking. Ever clean toner out of a laser printer where the toner cartridge burst? Not fun. The biggest problem is that you don't know how many times the cartridge has been used, how it's been abused and the quality/quantity of the refill ink & toner. Also, my own experience with purchasing aftermarket ink & toner has been dismal.

If you've found a good aftermarket reseller, great, I'm not trying to talk anyone out of purchasing this type of product. Just be aware of possible drawbacks.

HP has a deal going on right now where if you purchase 2 of their toners, you get a $30 gas card.

http://images10.newegg.com/uploadfilesforn...Dec3109ll97.pdf

Newegg has my toner for $69 too, which was the cheapest I found for genuine HP toner. I think I am going to go for it.

I've used mostly OEM but also some aftermarket (bought on Amazon from what I perceive to be a reliable aftermarket seller - sold by Amazon). That worked fine for me, with 2 recent cartridge purchases. I think I'll keep using the "reliable aftermarket" stuff (meaning not bargain basement priced stuff) for now, since my printers aren't that expensive and if the cartridge damaged them it wouldn't be a terrible thing.

So here's something that I had forgotten about - Chip Resetting on the cartridge. Each cartridge is counting the printed material and is potentially indicating that the toner is out, even if it is not. Some carts can be reset with a 'chip resetter', but apparently I am lucky with the 2600dn because I can set the printer to ignore the cartridge count.



I haven't yet tried it, but my printer will not print at all right now because it is indicating that I need to replace the Black toner. But I was not seeing any bad quality from it at all, so I am sure there is more in there. Hopefully this will give me the full life of the toner.

Oh, they do that because they want to ensure a consistent user experience. Wouldn't want you to get bad printouts. Oh and you have to buy more expensive toner sooner? No, that's not even part of their consideration! I'm ashamed that you even thought such a thing. Really, the nerve!

a trick i use: shake the toner and put it back in.

I usually buy toner from stapes/office depot with a coupon or buy one from ebay.

here's one. not sure if it is what you need.
http://cgi.ebay.com/GENUINE-HP-Q6000A-BLAC...=item4a9bb691d2

I tried a couple differant refills but would start to get light streaks on the side.
now I just buy new HP

I replace my toner so infrequently that it isn't worth my time/hassle to try to refill. If I was spending a lot on new toner each year, I'd likely spend the time to figure out the best way.

I used to buy refills that came with a replacement chip so the printer will work properly.

Lately it's been my inkjet running out so I just buy generic toner off ebay cheap. With the lasers it just comes down to whether it's cheaper/easier to buy a refill kit or a new printer.. used to go the new printer route back when the Minoltas were regularly $20AR. Now I've got a $400 laser printer so I don't think I'll just throw it out :-)

Heh, we're still using one of the Minolta color lasers that Staples paid us to get almost 6 years ago. Have another one new in the box. This thing is a beast, we've run probably 50k pages through it with all kinds of OEM carts and refills and it just doesn't care, keeps on printing. I may never have to get another printer.

I just buy refill kit from eBay and refill myself.

Cheap and easy