how long will color laser cartridge last (years)

[tom LA Reader]

I want a printer for low usage--about 10 pages a month.

Inkjet cartridges dry out in a month or two.

If I get a cheap color laser ($400) will the cartridge last 1.5 or 2
years or more? It would have to to save money over an inkjet.

t

 

[Airman Thunderbird]

Bought an HP Color Laserjet 2600n, first print was on 3 August,2006.
Just checked and there have been 1215 pages printed since then, the
latest one today. The ink supply stands at 50%, and they're still going
fine.

 

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

If I get a cheap color laser ($400) will the cartridge last 1.5 or 2
years or more? It would have to to save money over an inkjet.

The laser toner should last as long as you care to keep it. It doesn't dry
out--about the only thing I can think of that might get it is humidity...

William

 

[dkelvey]

Hi!


The laser toner should last as long as you care to keep it. It doesn't dry
out--about the only thing I can think of that might get it is humidity...

Hi
The only thing that I've seen causing problems with low usage is what
is
called the PCR ( primary charge roller ). This is in the cartridge and
has
problems over time. The roller is made with a conductive rubber like
material.
It oxidizes over time and becomes sticky. Once this occures, toner
will
stick to its surface. Toner is an insulator and doesn't transfer the
charge.
The failure tends to show up as ghosting or just general streaking
and greying.
If one knows how to disassemble the cartridge, on can buy
replacements
for under $10 each from refiller supply shops.
One can try cleaning. Some refiller suppliers sell cleaners for these
as
well but I figure the time invested to remove it, one could replace it
with a new one.
Many of the refillers have instructions on how to disassemble
cartridges.
I've not see problems with the toner itself but I don't live in a
humid
area.
Dwight

 

[Tony]

I want a printer for low usage--about 10 pages a month.

Inkjet cartridges dry out in a month or two.

If I get a cheap color laser ($400) will the cartridge last 1.5 or 2
years or more? It would have to to save money over an inkjet.

t

The part that more often fails than anything else over time is the wiper blade.
This cleans waste toner from the imaging drum and in most cartridges is a strip
of semi hard plastic like material bonded to a steel plate. Not all cartridges
use this method however. Most Brother cartridges clean the drum in a different
way. The problem with wiper blades is that they become distorted in some way
over time and when that happens they cause image defects on the printed page.
Regular use seems to extend the life of wiper blades. My rule of thumb is that
a cartridge of this type should last at least 18 months and I have seen some
last much longer.
This may not help but some of the newer HP inkjets are claimed to be cheaper to
run than most laser printers and are very fast, see http://tinyurl.com/ytsmgy
for an example.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[dkelvey]

The part that more often fails than anything else over time is the wiper blade.
This cleans waste toner from the imaging drum and in most cartridges is a strip
of semi hard plastic like material bonded to a steel plate. Not all cartridges
use this method however. Most Brother cartridges clean the drum in a different
way. The problem with wiper blades is that they become distorted in some way
over time and when that happens they cause image defects on the printed page.
Regular use seems to extend the life of wiper blades. My rule of thumb is that
a cartridge of this type should last at least 18 months and I have seen some
last much longer.
This may not help but some of the newer HP inkjets are claimed to be cheaper to
run than most laser printers and are very fast, seehttp://tinyurl.com/ytsmgy
for an example.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Hi
Like the PCR, wiper blades can also be replaces. One does need to get
some padding power to keep from damaging the optical drum.
I still wonder how many times the wiper has been blamed for a PCR
failure.
The simptoms are similar. As I stated, there is normally a thin layer
of toner on the drum. Many think this is a wiper failure when this is
actually normal and helps to lubricate the wiper when the padding
powder is gone.
Of course, the wiper could warp or get bent and then fail.
Still, Like I said, these can be replaced and are even cheaper
than the PCR is.
As for inkjets, I prefer them for photo work but these are worse
for low usage than lasers are.
Dwight

 

[Tony]

Hi
Like the PCR, wiper blades can also be replaces. One does need to get
some padding power to keep from damaging the optical drum.
I still wonder how many times the wiper has been blamed for a PCR
failure.
The simptoms are similar. As I stated, there is normally a thin layer
of toner on the drum. Many think this is a wiper failure when this is
actually normal and helps to lubricate the wiper when the padding
powder is gone.
Of course, the wiper could warp or get bent and then fail.
Still, Like I said, these can be replaced and are even cheaper
than the PCR is.
As for inkjets, I prefer them for photo work but these are worse
for low usage than lasers are.
Dwight

Dwight
I seriously doubt that a wiper blade and PCR failure can be easily mistaken for
each other. In my experience a PCR failure nearly always shows repetitive
defects which are separated by a distance equal to the PCR circumference, on
rare occasions they may be scored by a foreign object. Wiper blade failures are
normally characterised by vertical defects that usually affect a portion of the
page from top to bottom. Most PCR failures are damage by something that got
into the cartridge (a speck of plastic or whatever) or a slight swelling of a
portion of the PCR (when they get old, you can usually see these when you hold
the PCR up to a strong light). I have also seen PCR's fail due to the overuse
of padding powder, this can usually be cleaned off but not always and the
average user would be unable to get at the PCR to clean it.
As you say, it is normal for a drum to have a line of toner along its length,
this is left by the wiper blade during the cleaning process and will be removed
as soon as the drum rotates.
Inkjets are, as you also say, traditionally more expensive to run than a laser
printer. That model is changing; some entry level lasers are just as expensive
as inkjets on a per page basis and some newer inkjets are competing well with
lasers for per page costs (the example I posted is one of those). So if you
choose the inkjet printer carefully, having regard to whether the printheads
are replaceable and whether they have a good warranty cover (like some HP
separate printhead inkjets), you may well find you have the best of both
worlds. In other words photo printing as well as a fast and cheap to run
monochrome printer - some manufacturers are going that way for very good
reason, the cheapness of modern lasers and the improvement in their image
reproduction is tempting many away from inkjets, so the inkjet manufacturers
are fighting back. Just my opinion.
Tony

 

[dkelvey]

Dwight
I seriously doubt that a wiper blade and PCR failure can be easily mistaken for
each other. In my experience a PCR failure nearly always shows repetitive
defects which are separated by a distance equal to the PCR circumference, on
rare occasions they may be scored by a foreign object. Wiper blade failures are
normally characterised by vertical defects that usually affect a portion of the
page from top to bottom. Most PCR failures are damage by something that got
into the cartridge (a speck of plastic or whatever) or a slight swelling of a
portion of the PCR (when they get old, you can usually see these when you hold
the PCR up to a strong light). I have also seen PCR's fail due to the overuse
of padding powder, this can usually be cleaned off but not always and the
average user would be unable to get at the PCR to clean it.

I've seen it where the PCR was so coated with toner in one place that
it
looked like a wiper problem. It is true that one should always look to
see if
there is a repeat distance. If this matches any rolling surface, it
will
tell one what is failing.
It's a shame that tone cartradges are not made to be more easily
repaired by the average user. Both wippers and PCRs should be
easily replaced.
Dwight

 

[tom LA Reader]

Thank you very much for your replies.