HP Technology at Work

3 more toner myths debunked

For small businesses on a budget, buying refilled or remanufactured toner cartridges over Original HP toner can seem like an easy way to cut printing costs.

But, as we started to learn last fall, the initial sticker price might not tell the whole story. Here are three more debunked toner myths that may save you money and frustration in the long run.

Myth #1: Remanufactured cartridges are just as safe to use with your printer.

Fact: Aftermarket cartridges are less reliable than original cartridges—and may even damage your printer. That’s according to a Millward Brown survey of business customers who were asked about their experience with non-HP cartridges.

• More than 1/3 of respondents said that using non-HP cartridges caused printer damage related to cartridge leaks and printer jams [1]
• Of those who reported damage, the majority of issues were significant enough to require professional repair or replacement [1]
• The average cost to diagnose and repair a business printer is $106—significantly negating any savings from buying cheaper cartridges in the first place [2]

Myth #2: Page yields for Original HP and remanufactured cartridges are the same.

Fact: HP adheres to strict ISO standards for measuring page yields, so you can more accurately estimate the number of pages that you could expect from your Original HP toner cartridge. The same is not necessarily true for remanufactured cartridges.

• Most manufacturers don’t use objective ISO toner standards for measuring page yield, which makes it difficult to make a true comparison
• For many remanufacturers, the small print says you must turn down the density dial setting to achieve advertised yields, which can seriously affect the quality of your prints
• Remanufacturers might also overfill cartridges in order to artificially increase page yields—which may lead to toner leakage that can seriously damage printers

Myth #3: Remanufacturers can easily replicate HP technology.

Fact: Not true; HP technology and specifications are proprietary and not published publicly, making it impossible for remanufacturers to replicate them precisely. HP invests more than $1 billion a year into printing research & development—leading to the most advanced technology and cartridges designed to work specifically with HP printers, toner and paper.

• Every Original HP toner mix is formulated to provide the highest print quality and performance
• Unlike Original HP toner, aftermarket toners lack uniformity in toner particle size, which leads to imprecise print quality and may cause smearing

Cut the myths and the waste

Don’t let cheaper remanufactured toner brands fool you: During QualityLogic testing, more than 40% of the remanufactured and other non-HP cartridges exhibited some kind of reliability problem. Only the Original HP LaserJet toner cartridges worked every time. [3]

Remember, you can help reduce your company’s impact on the environment by recycling your old HP cartridges. HP is a leader in imaging and printing recycling and offers free and easy programs for recycling used HP cartridges and outdated printing technology.

For more information
HP Print Center
Original HP Toner
HP Cartridge recycling
4 myths about remanufactured toner

[1] Based on a 2010 U.S. micro, small, and medium-size business customer opinion survey conducted by Millward Brown, commissioned by HP. Results represent two questions: HP LaserJet printer owners were asked whether use of non-HP toner cartridges in their printers caused (1) minor damage or (2) significant damage to their printer, requiring repair or replacement. Click here for details.
[2] OnForce, U.S. national marketplace pricing, January 2011.
[3] A QualityLogic 2010 study compared Original HP LaserJet toner cartridges with seven brands of non-HP toner cartridges sold in North America for the HP LaserJet P1505 and P4015 printers, HP 36A and 64A.