Laser Toner

Laser toner is one of the printer supplies & accessories in which it's most beneficial to shop for price. Laser toner is a powder that is fixed to the paper in your laser printer to produce high-quality text and graphics. Laser toner looks good on any type of paper, as opposed to the ink in inkjet printers, which need a paper with some absorption to prevent bleeding. You can buy laser toner refills from the printer manufacturer, or shop for a brand that offers remanufactured printer toner cartridges.

You shouldn't have to worry about compatible cartridges voiding your printing warranty. There is a law (the Antitrust Act) that makes it illegal for manufacturers to force you to buy only their products, and this law means your warranty is safe. This means you have a number of affordable options when your laser cartridge needs replacing.

Some laser printers, especially those that print checks and other financial items, use what's called MICR toner. This is a special toner that has an elevated level of iron oxide. If you are printing specialty financial items, check to see what kind of toner your printer requires.

If your printer begins to print light, "faded" text, chances are that your toner cartridge is running low in toner. If you get horizontal lines, the cartridge may not be installed correctly. Black pages also tell you that the cartridge is not properly installed. If you are going through cartridges quickly, you may want to lower the quality of text and graphics you are producing, for instance, by going from "professional" quality to "draft" quality.