Ten Major Myths And Misrepresentations About Laser Printers And Toner Cartridges

Myth #1 Use of a Remanufactured Cartridges Will Void Your Printer Warranty. Fair trade laws absolutely forbid making use of a specific product a condition of a warranty unless the product is provided at no cost to the user! In that HP, Canon, Lexmark and others derive their profits from cartridge (not printer) sales, they will never provide free cartridges! United States: Sherman Anti-Trust Act and Magnusson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act United Kingdom: WEEE and RoHS Directives Australia: Federal Practices Act 1974

Myth #2 Remanufactured Cartridges Are Inferior To New Ones. Government, major corporations, and independent testing laboratories certify that properly remanufactured toner cartridges perform as well or better than cartridges made and sold as new by major printer and cartridge makers. Try using remanufactured toner cartridges which now have the same quality of new ones at much lower cost. - M.I.T. News Remanufactured toner and ink cartridges will perform as well as or better than new ones. Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board - MN Remanufactured toner cartridges compare favorably to new ones in terms of print quality and product life – but cost less money. - NYC Wastele$$

Myth #3 Hewlett-Packard Is the Worlds Largest Printer and Cartridge Maker. All of Hewlett-Packards printers and cartridges are made by either Canon or Konica. Canon makes HP products in communist China and Japan. Konica makes HP and Dell products in Japan. Ps: Dell does not make any printers or cartridges either. Has never made a laser printer or toner cartridge! Makes 60% of laser printers and cartridges worldwide in Japan and communist China!

Myth #4 Lexmark Makes Its Products In the US. More and more Lexmark, Dell and IBM brand printers and supplies are made in China. New Dell color laser printers will be made by Konica. PS: Konica makes HPs high speed laser printers too! October 2004: US Consumer Products Safety Council requires recall of nearly 40,000 printers because of shock hazard. They were made in communist China for Lexmark and sold as Lexmark, Dell and IBM laser printers.

Myth #5 Lexmark Cartridges For Use In HP Printers Are Bargains. Lexmark Linea cartridges for use in HP printers may contain as many as 70% reused parts and cost more than any other cartridges made for use in HP printers.

Myth #6 Dell and Lexmark Printers Are So Inexpensive That They Cost Less to Use Than Other Brands. Consumer Reports Magazine warned readers that Dell products cost more to use per page than all others and that Lexmark products are close behind them.

Myth #7 Empty Cartridges You Return to HP, Lexmark and Others Are Reused. Only 20% of empty cartridges are recovered by anyone. Independent cartridge remanufacturers recover more empty cartridges than all of their original makers combined. Millions of empty cartridges fill landfills here and litter rural third world villages. HP/Canon grinds them into powders that are then made into pellets for use in making low grade plastic products such as CD cases and cups.

Myth #8 Defective Toner Cartridges Damage Printers, Causing Expensive Repairs. Toner cartridges are largely self- contained and make limited contact with the parts of printers. All cartridges deposit some toner inside of their printers. The worst that happens is that toner from a failed cartridge must be removed from the printer. Properly remanufactured cartridges do not damage printers or create more wear than cartridges that are properly assembled by or for printer makers. Removing toner deposits is part of routine maintenance required to maintain printer warranties.

Myth #9 Remanufacturers Reuse Toner In Their Cartridges. If they did, none of the cartridges would work! Toner becomes contaminated during the printing process by paper dust and electrical charges rendering it unusable. Every cartridge model requires a different toner formulation. Combining contaminated toners would compound problems. Only in rural China will you find anyone recovering toner from empty cartridges, as this boy is doing with a stick and a bucket!

Myth #10 Remanufacturers Just Replace the Toner In Cartridges. Professional remanufacturers replace every worn or damaged component in their cartridges. Many parts are failing at the end of their initial use as a result of engineering decisions made in Japan and China. As a general rule, the lower the price, the fewer parts have been replaced. If the seller does not want you to return your remanufactured empty, most of the parts are beyond reuse because they didnt replace any before they sold it to you. Single reuse remanufacturers are cheating you and the environment. Expensive imaging drums must be cleaned, tested and usually replaced. Charge rollers and other major parts are similarly treated. Microchips must be replaced to restore full functioning. Every part must be cleaned, examined and eventually replaced.

Photo Courtesy of BAN and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Carolina Cartridge Systems, Inc. 516 E. Hebron Street, Charlotte, NC Tel: Fax: Toll-Free: Together We Can Do Better! Our special thanks to: