5 tips for buying printer toner cartridges

You probably never realized how much you rely on your printer – except when it stops working properly. You cross your fingers, hoping there’s a quick fix. One of the most frequent printer problems is an empty toner cartridge. Luckily, the solution is simple. Just replace the toner in the printer. Purchasing toner cartridges should be just as easy. The team at Laser Works Printer and Onsite Maintenance Solutions have these recommendations.

Five tips for buying toner and other printer supplies:

1. Order from a reputable print provider

Questionable websites will try to sell you printing supplies at extremely low prices. Buyer, beware! Shipping costs may be high, products may not arrive as promised, and the toner may not fit your printer or perform well overall. Ordering from a print provider with a solid reputation and years in the business is the wiser choice.

2. Save money by purchasing premium compatible toner

Shoppers can typically save 35-40% by purchasing premium quality compatible toner, instead of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). What’s the difference between the two? OEM toner is developed by a printer manufacturer, for example HP, Brother, or Epson. OEM toner is precise, high quality, and specifically suited to a particular printer. Virtually identical to OEM toner, a premium compatible toner is a generic alternative. Premium compatible toner, when purchased from a reputable dealer, will perform as well as OEM. If you can’t tell the difference, why pay the difference?

3. Ask for a 100% guarantee

A print supply company with high standards for quality control will receive few complaints about its products. However, toner may occasionally fail to produce high-quality print-outs. When this occurs, you want the assurance of a 100% guarantee. The vendor should be willing to replace the flawed toner cartridge or offer you money back. You can be confident in your purchase knowing it’s backed by warranty.

4. Find a vendor who offers free shipping & delivery

Shipping costs add up over time, so it’s smart to purchase from a print supplier that offers free shipping and delivery. These services are so convenient. Plus, they save you money, time, and labor.

5. Buy from someone you can trust

Purchasing toner cartridge from a vendor who knows you and your business makes perfect sense. It is smart to partner with a local vendor who can offer in-personal consultations. Unlike the impersonal online or Big Box retailers, a local company can troubleshoot, advise, and provide solutions customized specifically to your needs. Buy local is more than just a slogan when you consider the value of personal service and technical support from a dedicated, local representative.

Bonus Tip: Purchase toner from us

Onsite Maintenance Solutions, AKA Laser Works Printer, Green Bay, is your local source for print supplies. Onsite Maintenance Solutions & Laser Works Printer offer:

  • Free shipping nationwide
  • Free delivery in the Green Bay area
  • 100% guarantee that our premium compatible toner will achieve the same result as OEM toner
  • Responsive customer service; a dedicated OMS representative is assigned to your business

Onsite Maintenance Solutions and Laser Works Printer, Green Bay, are reputable ink cartridge and toner providers you can count on. To purchase print supplies or to request a complimentary consultation, call 920-569-1514 or email tlaundre@44.203.176.210.

Toner Error Messages

One straightforward, two tricky

There are three kinds of toner-related errors in HP LaserJets. The toner low message is fairly straightforward while the other two are often misunderstood.

Toner Low

The printers have several ways of alerting the user when the toner is running low. The toner gauge, described in the previous article, is one of these. More useful and reliable are alerts via the display, which may be just lights on some models. The printer will display “toner low” message/indication when about 15 percent of capacity remains. At this point you should order a new toner cartridge, so that you have one when the next stage is reached – a “toner out” message, after which many printers will not allow you to print until a new cartridge is installed.

Since this message can be triggered either by toner levels or by page counts or rotation counts, you may or may not notice a degradation of print quality.

Install Toner Cartridge/No Toner Cartridge

When these alerts occur with a cartridge installed, it means the printer is unable to detect it; it has nothing to do with toner levels or memory tags, as some believe.

The troubleshooting steps are as follows:

  1. the high voltage contacts should be checked first, as the presence of the cartridge is usually detected through them.
  2. the cartridge — swap it with one that is known to work.
  3. the high voltage power supply — replace it.

Supply Memory Error (10.10)

The supply memory error occurs when the printer finds the E-label/memory tag on the cartridge unreadable or unacceptable. It may or may not have a numerical error code before it – the most common numerical code is 10.10.

In most cases, you can bypass this error and still print by pressing the “Go” or “Continue” or “OK” button. On many printers, this is a green key with a “check mark” symbol.

Possible causes include:

  • a defective chip, a common cause
  • a non-HP toner cartridge, also a common cause
  • a bad connection to the chip
  • a bad dc controller board, in rare instances

People often assume this has to do with the formatter board, or a bad memory chip installed in the formatter. But it actually has nothing to do with that kind of memory.

Premium toner vs. name brand OEM

Woman with premium toner cartridge

Businesses of all sizes are on the lookout for ways to stretch a dollar. The costs associated with printing add up quickly. One way to corral these costs is to choose premium compatible toner supplies versus the name brand OEM toner supplies.

OEM is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEM toner cartridges are made by printer manufacturers to match their equipment.

Name brand vs. store brand

Anyone who’s compared the price of name brand versus the store brand at the grocery store knows they will pay more for the name brand product. The store brand may be just as good, if not better. The store brand at the grocery store will have a similar appearance and taste, but it’s produced, packaged, and sold by a different manufacturer. Store brands give consumers a high quality, affordable alternative to name brand foods. The same is true of premium compatible toner.

Premium compatible toner

  • The toner cartridge is referred to as “premium” because it meets the same high standards of performance and quality associated with name brand toner.
  • The toner cartridge is referred to as “compatible” because it fits the name brand printer to a T. The quick and easy insertion of the cartridges saves businesses time and labor.

Although manufactured by a third party, the premium compatible toner will provide the same print quality as OEM. The text is crisp, and the colors are vibrant. Pages are free of streaks and ink blots. Users can expect the same page yield and shelf life from a premium compatible toner, compared with an OEM toner.

Great savings

The premium compatible toner used in today’s laser printers lives up to the expectations of OEM cartridges, but at a fraction of the cost. Onsite Maintenance Solutions has been selling premium compatible toner cartridges for years, and customers are fully satisfied with the quality, performance, and great savings they experience with every order.

Call 1-888-246-3808 to request a free quote for your next purchase of premium compatible toner or order online at OnsiteMaintenanceSolutions.com.

New Headquarters

Onsite Maintenance Solutions, a server and printer maintenance professional, has moved its Green Bay headquarters to the East Side. On Sept. 1, Onsite Maintenance Solutions relocated from Green Bay’s West Side to Suite 101 at 1524 University Avenue, Green Bay. From its new Green Bay office located in a vibrant business community, the company provides 24/7 printer and server maintenance and repair to clients locally and nationally.

Headquarters in Green Bay

“We moved here so we could better serve the customer and continue to provide a full range of printer supplies, plus onsite maintenance of printers and computer servers,” said Tammy Laundre, operations manager. “From our office in Green Bay we dispatch technicians nationwide to diagnose your printer or server issues and get you up and running again quickly.” OMS helps companies reduce lost productivity and lost income due to printer and server break-downs. OMS keeps equipment running smoothly, so companies can focus on running their business.

National database of technicians

Onsite Maintenance Solutions has a vast database of technicians nationwide, some who have been with the company for over 25 years. These technicians travel to the customer’s facility to fix problems and get equipment back online. The skilled technicians and friendly staff are always willing to answer questions and find solutions to printer and computer server problems.

Responsive to customers

Serving clients of all sizes, from small businesses to national corporations, OMS keeps servers and printers operating smoothly. Corporations appreciate the convenience of one reliable source to serve their corporate headquarters and their satellite offices scattered throughout the country. Responsive to its customers, Onsite Maintenance Solutions offers custom maintenance contracts based on customers’ needs and budget.

Full line of printer supplies

In addition to printer and server maintenance, Onsite Maintenance Solutions offers a full line of premium compatible laser toner cartridges, ink, and other printer supplies at competitive prices. In partnership with Laser Works, OMS offers customers great savings on ink cartridges and toner.

Contact Us

Call 1-888-246-3808 for a free quote for printer or server maintenance and service or great savings on ink cartridges and toner.