How to change the toner cartridge in a laser printer

From ArticleWorld


Toner cartridges used by laser printers are quite long-living. They will stand out to several thousands of pages before running out. Nevertheless, they still require changing in time. You should consider changing your toner cartridge if your documents are not printed completely ("white spots" instead of text or image parts), or if the contrast makes reading pages difficult.

Here is how to change your laser cartridge.

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Procedure

  1. The first obvious step is to get a new cartridge. Make sure you are getting one for your exact printer type. Some printer models may share the same kind of cartridge if they do not differ fundamentally in terms of construction, but do not rely on this. If you buy a cartridge labeled for another printer, make sure it is compatible with yours. In the best case, it will just fail to work. In the worst, it will damage your printer.
  2. Turn off the printer and disconnect it from any power source. Remove paper trays and open the cover. The way to open it is usually straightforward, but some manufacturers choose less obvious ways. Consult the manual if you have problems with this.
  3. Resting one hand on the printer, pull the old cartridge out. You may need to unlock the cartridge if your printer has cartridge locks. This is usually done by pressing the clamps of the locks. The cartridge itself is held quite strongly, so you may need to be a little bit rough.
  4. Unpack the new cartridge (it should be in a black bag). It may be a good idea to gently rock the cartridge left and right. Install it instead of the old one and put the old cartridge in the black bag of the new cartridge (or its own, if you still have it). Toner cartridges can usually be recycled (in fact, some manufacturers recommend sending it to them and pay the shipping taxes involved).
  5. Before printing anything serious, you may want to print two or three solid black pages to avoid complications with toner cartridges you have just bought.
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Notes

If you cannot wait to get a new cartridge, you may force a few more pages out of the old one by taking it out, gently rocking it left and right a few times and then putting it back in. It is not too reliable and will not magically add toner, but it will re-distribute the toner inside the cartridge, ensuring that your page gets evenly printed at least.

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