Compatible Supplies

Toner and imaging supply costs can add up very fast. There are many compatible products available at a lower price. Listed below are a few common questions and answers.

What are they?
Re-built (or remanufactured) toner cartridges can offer significant cost savings to the savvy consumer. These products are sometimes referred to as "aftermarket" or "3rd party" supplies.

What are the potential savings?
Product savings can vary from 10% - 60%.

Will my warranty be voided?
No, the use of aftermarket toner or supplies cannot void your equipment's warranty (unless your machine is under a service contract)--this is against Federal anti-trust laws.

Are all aftermarket products the same?
No, many companies have strict quality control in their manufacturing process to insure a high level of quality while others do not. The larger, more reputable companies have defect rates of approximately 6% or less.

Paper Jams Paper jams can occur once in awhile when printing; however, frequent problems may need further investigation. Listed below are a few things to consider before placing a service call. Never “yank” the paper out of the printer when it jams!

Have you used labels recently in your machine?
Labels can cause many problems if one peels off inside the machine. When using labels, always make sure there are no label edges that have "turned up" slightly and exposed the adhesive surface.

Have you looked for small pieces of paper that may have torn off inside your machine?
Sometimes when removing a paper jam, a small piece is left behind. Make sure the entire page is there when you remove it.

When you get a paper jam, is the page still partly in the paper tray?
Worn or dirty paper feed rollers can sometimes "slip" and cause a paper jam. If you believe this is your problem, TURN OFF THE MACHINE AND REMOVE THE POWER CORD. Remove the paper tray (if it is not attached) so you can easily access the feed roller(s). Lightly dampen a small cloth or Kleenex with water, then scrub the roller and let it air dry. If this does not help, you may need to have the feed roller replaced.

Were there any abnormal noises prior to the paper jam?
Odd noises prior to a paper jam may indicate a broken gear somewhere inside the machine. If your machine has another paper tray, try printing from it to better isolate the problem.

What type of paper (or media) are you using?
Heavy cardstock and certain types of slick or coated paper can cause frequent paper jams. To better isolate the cause of your problem (machine or paper), try a new ream of regular 20 lb copy or laser paper.

Image Quality

The appearance of your documents can convey a good or bad image of you or your company. Understanding the possible causes of poor print or copy quality is the key to saving money and time! Listed below are some helpful tips for you to look at and possibly consider before returning any products to us. If these tips are not helpful, you can e-mail our service department at techs@tonsoftoner.com for a possible solution!

LASER PRINTERS - MOST COMMON PROBLEMS

When you have an image quality problem with a laser printer, we always recommend installing an empty toner cartridge in the machine first - you can usually get enough good test pages to see if the problem is from the new toner you just installed or if it's the printer that's at fault. Below are helpful tips.

1. Black Streaks, Shadows, And Ghosting
   
   • Adjust the printer's lightness/darkness setting to 2-3 different variables and see if problem disappears.
   • Look at the fusing assembly - is the roller torn (careful! it gets hot!) or does it have any black buildup?
   • If you are having trouble with envelopes, turn the density to a darker setting.
   • Low humidity levels can cause print quality problems - humidifiers work great.

2. White Streaks Or Voids (Vertical)
   
   • Dirty printer -mirror or transfer wire needs cleaned - especially any printer that uses an HP 92295A toner
   • Did you forget to pull out the sealing tape in your new toner?

3. Skipping
   Are there any "clicking" noises when you print? You could have a broken gear.

LASER FAX MACHINES - MOST COMMON PROBLEMS

Laser fax machines are similar to laser printers with one exception they are also a scanner. As with any print quality problem, change the supply first, this way we can eliminate either the fax or the toner cartridge.

1. When Sending A Fax, Your Recipient Gets A Big Vertical Black Line
   Your scanning glass is dirty or has something on it like a piece of tape, white-out, etc…Many laser fax machines can also make copies. After cleaning the glass, make a copy and see if the problem went away.

2. Black Streaks, Shadows, And Ghosting
   Adjust the fax machine's lightness/darkness setting to 2-3 different variables and see if problem disappears.

   Look at the fusing assembly - is the roller torn (careful! it gets hot!) or does it have any black buildup? Low humidity levels can cause image quality problems - many types of office equipment use static electricity to form the images you see on paper - if you regularly shock yourself on metal objects, you may need a humidifier.

3. White Streaks Or Voids (Vertical)
   Did you forget to pull out the sealing tape in your new toner?

4. Skipping
   Are there any "clicking" noises when you print? You could have a broken gear.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL MACHINES (INK CARTRIDGE BASED)- MOST COMMON PROBLEMS

The nice thing about machines using those small ink cartridges is that they are relatively simple to clean and fix. Below are a few tips on how to get your machine up and running again.

1. Horizontal Streaks Through Text And Images
   Two things to look at here. First, pull out the ink cartridge and hold it up to the light. Do you see any fuzz or debris on the bottom of the cartridge - if so clean it off - it's possibly dragging across the ink while it's still wet. Next, get a flashlight and look at the bottom of the carriage, which holds your ink cartridge(s). It is very common for fuzz and lint to stick on the bottom of the carriage and drag across the page while the ink is still wet - look very closely!!

2. White Streaks Or Voids
   Remove the ink cartridge(s), and apply a small amount of water or alcohol to a tissue (preferably lint free), and clean the bottom of the cartridge, then run several test pages and see if the problem clears up.

Product Yields

The average life cycle of any given imaging product (toner cartridge, ink cartridge, drum unit, etc.) is usually noted by the manufacturer in their product literature or in the machine's user manual. There are, however, a few factors, which can dramatically affect this yield and give the customer the false impression of a defective product. Below are some notes for our customers so they will better understand what and what not to expect in terms of product yields and life cycles.

HOW YIELDS ARE DETERMINED

1. A) Toner and ink cartridge yields are usually determined by a percentage of coverage - usually 5%. A page with a 5% coverage area is the equivalent to a short business letter.
2. B) You should expect your yield to drop significantly as you add more solid black areas to your page.
3. C) Supplies such as developer and drum units usually are rated just by the number of pages printed. These supplies should not need to be changed very often (if your machine uses them).

HOW TO DETERMINE PRODUCT YIELDS

1. A) One easy way is to put a case of paper (5000 sheets) next to the machine - If you use only half of the case then you will know the yield for that cartridge was around 2500 pages.
2. B) Depending on what type of machine you have - you can run a self-test and get the exact page count before you install the new supply. When it's time to change it again, run the self-test once more and subtract the numbers for the yield.
3. C) Some machines give the page counts right on the screen.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR PRODUCT YIELDS (OR SAVE MONEY)

1. A) Many times we have noticed customers changing their toner cartridge when the machine says toner low. This message can sometimes be false - pull the toner or supply out of the machine and rock it back and forth. Usually this is all that needs to be done to make the message go away.
2. B) Some machines have what is called an "economode". This is a great way to stretch your dollars - the machine merely puts less toner on the page. Look in your user manual to see if you can do this.
3. C) If your machine does not have an "economode" you can simply turn down the density to a lighter setting.