Your laser printer depends heavily on toner to enable printing. It has a set lifespan and must be changed when it expires, just like any other electronic component in a printer.
Therefore, if you’re wondering how long it will actually last, there are a number of elements that affect this. It largely relies on the printer’s printing preferences and the environment in which you use the printer.
I’ll first go through the general lifespan of toner in this article. After that, I’ll go over how to extend the life of toner and when it should be changed.
How Long Does a Printer Toner Last?
The producer of the toner gives a rough estimate of how many pages the toner can print over the course of its lifetime. To learn more, you can read the toner’s specifications.
Most manufacturers state that the toner has a page yield of up to 2,000 or 3,000. It only achieves the stated amount of pages, though, when used in the ideal working environment with the ideal print settings.
For instance, you might be able to print 2,000 copies of Word or PDF documents without any problems. The figures should, however, somewhat decline if you print high-density text documents or graphics that use more toner than usual.
How to Make Toners Last Longer?
The longevity of your toner can be shortened by a number of variables, including the operating temperature, climate, and printing choices of your printer.
Here are some factors to think about so that your toner lasts as long as it should.
Operate in Room Temperature
Despite the toners’ ability to print at temperatures of up to 230 F, you cannot keep toner outside of your printer at such high temperatures. The toner should be kept anyplace in the room between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The toner’s shelf life may be gradually shortened if it is stored at or below this temperature.
The toner shouldn’t be kept in a damp or muggy atmosphere. Inside the toner cartridge, the moisture may cause a clump of toner powder to form. Therefore, you might need to refill the toner more quickly.
Similar to how shifting your toner frequently might cause condensation because of the room’s temperature differences, which ultimately harms the toner.
In order to prevent these issues, it is usually advised to maintain a proper room temperature.
Use Original Toner
Never remove the toner cartridge from its packing before you need to. When buying toner, always keep it inside the cover that is included with it. In a similar vein, store the toner horizontally on a level surface rather than upside down.
Additionally, stay away from buying refilled and fake toners. The toner’s lifespan is significantly shortened. In fact, buying authentic toner directly from your manufacturer is always advised.
Avoid Dust and Debris
Always use the printer in a quiet, dust-free area. If it isn’t possible, you should develop the practice of routinely cleaning your printer.
To clean the internals and the externals, use Q-tips that have been gently dampened. When not in use, I advise you to cover the printer with a piece of cloth. Dust and other foreign objects won’t be able to enter the printer and harm the toner because of this.
Change Printing Preferences
You always have the option to select the print quality you like from your printer. The printer uses more toner when printing at the highest quality setting than when printing at a lower setting.
Similarly to this, your document’s paper size and font density have a big impact. Your printer will run out of toner more rapidly if you routinely print photos or text documents with dense text.
Unless high-quality printing is required, you can print at normal or draft quality to conserve toner. You can activate the toner-saver mode if it is accessible.
Additionally, printing every page of your document at once will extend the life of your toner. Splitting the print jobs will just increase the printer’s temperature and reduce the toner’s effectiveness.
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Consider Replacing the Old Printer
Never assume that using an outdated printer will extend the life of your toner. The printer could waste a lot of toner powder unnecessarily, shortening the lifespan of your toner.
Perhaps it’s time to acquire a new printer and dispose of the old one if the toner powder in your printer runs out too rapidly.
Do Toners Expire?
Toners do not, in essence, expire. Toners typically have a two-year shelf life marked on them by the printer manufacturers. It implies that within these two years, the toner will offer the greatest results.
The toner may still be useful after its shelf life has passed, though. Everything is dependent on how you manage and preserve the toner.
For printing, laser printers employ toner powder made of granulated plastic particles including synthetic resins, as opposed to inkjet printers that use liquid ink. Therefore, whereas the ink in your inkjet printer’s cartridge has a tendency to clog after a while, this is not the case with the toner in your laser printer.
The page yield and print quality of a counterfeit or non-genuine cartridge are also inferior to those of real toner. Additionally, when the toner is being renovated, the rubber seals are not touched; just the old toner is filled with toner powder. It can quickly wear down the rubber seals and result in problems. In conclusion, a genuine toner can last a lifetime if used properly and in a conducive setting.
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When to Replace the Toner?
You will receive error messages like “Toner is very low” and “Replace the Toner from your printer” if your printer runs out of toner.
Your printer may occasionally begin producing prints of unsatisfactory quality without informing you of the toner level. As a result, you should be aware that the toner needs to be changed right away.
