Geek Dad posts “incredibly simple” instructions with toner prices remaining steady.
Roy Wood, Geek Dad blogger for technology website Wired, has published a guide to refilling your own toner cartridge, on reception of receiving a “Low Toner” warning light. Although he states his “initial hesitation”, Wood remarks that “it turns out to be incredibly simple.
The first step is to remove the toner cartridge from the printer (photo by Roy Wood)
“There is a huge business in toner cartridge refilling – both as a service and in the form of do-it-yourself kits.”
The instructions come in several captioned images, detailing the minutiae including the face-plate, refill hole and stating that care is required when handling the toner powder: “Toner powder is messy stuff, and if you happen to dump it all over the floor, I can guarantee that your significant other will never let you hear the end of it”.
Wood also commented on the issue of chips, remarking that “the toner cartridges for my printer include a small chip to track page counts and toner conditions. Unfortunately, this means that even when I refill the cartridge, the printer still displays a “Low Toner” warning.
The top side of the replacement chip (photo by Roy Wood)
“I can continue to print anyway, but eventually the printer is going to dig in its laser-sharp heels and refuse to cooperate. Thankfully, it’s possible to reset the page count of most toner cartridges, either by resetting the embedded chip or replacing it completely”.
However, the comments section of the blog post reveal that other users have experienced other problems. One commentator posted “we have a Samsung as well, and the cartridge that came with our printer had plastic rivets I had to scrape off and replace with screws”. Another responded to the article stating that the instructions were compatible with all toner cartridges: “I bought a refill kit that advised that I had to drill a hole in the cartridge to replace the toner and seal it with a piece of aluminium tape. Yes, it worked, but sometimes it’s not always simple to do with a screwdriver or two”.