Can any laser printer/copier get a cost per page as low as inkjets?

[aab1]

Was this supposed to be a reply to my color VS black print speed thread? This thread was asking about color printing cost but anyway.

I'm new to laser printing but I assume mine is a tandem engine, the printer has 4 cartridges, each of which have an imaging drum, corona wires, etc. and the printer prints as fast in either color or black.

I noticed my laser printer "takes a break" every so many pages, is it stopping to clean itself? My inkjet does the same, every so many pages it stops and passes squeegees over the printheads and resumes printing.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

Go blackcat!

Kind of makes your head hurt when you think about all the theory that goes on just from printing a document...woosh.

[KenB]

You said that your are refilling toner cartridges.

That immediately halts any comparison with what industry standards are, and numbers that dealers strive to maintain. Once refills are introduced into the equation, you are no longer comparing apples to apples.

No manufacturer will condone let alone recommend doing so. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent it.

Refilled careidges are a compromise, no matter how you slice it. Admittedly, some work way better than others, but they are are still a compromise.

[aab1]

You said that your are refilling toner cartridges.

That immediately halts any comparison with what industry standards are, and numbers that dealers strive to maintain. Once refills are introduced into the equation, you are no longer comparing apples to apples.

No manufacturer will condone let alone recommend doing so. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent it.

Refilled careidges are a compromise, no matter how you slice it. Admittedly, some work way better than others, but they are are still a compromise.

Actually I am comparing apples to apples, in either case inkjet costs much less:
Using genuine cartridges in both cases: Inkjet is half the cost per page
Using refilled/compatible cartridges in both cases: Inkjet is 7 times cheaper per page

On my inkjet I did 250 000 prints and never bought a single print cartridge and the printheads last about 50% longer than HP claims (they claim about a 42 000 page life, I get about 60 000 prints out of them).

[KenB]

No manufacturer recommends refilled cartridges for laser or inkjet, period.

Admittedly, some are positively excellent and are almost identical to the originals with various parts being replaced, not just adding toner or ink.

Some, on the other hand, are absolute abortions. Years ago, I had a customer who bought refilled laser cartridges for their fax, and the prints came out negative, as the toner had a reverse charge.

I have also heard of so-called "salesmen", who carry a cordless drill, drill a hole, shake out the waste, plug it, drill a hole in the other end, refill with his bogus junk, and then hand the cartridge back to the customer.

Because of these extreme variations, it's virtually impossible to tell what you're getting.

[aab1]

You don't need to be a genius to understand why manufacturers don't want you to refill. The 250 000 pages I printed without paying a single penny to HP would have made them about $25 000 if I bought HP cartridges, instead I paid $1000 to a refill company that provided me the same print quality I would have gotten from HP for at least 25 times cheaper. Plus the printheads which HP claim have a 42 000 page life last 60 000 pages with the refill ink.

I also only bought remanufactured cartridges for my Canon and did 22 000 prints in 2 weeks and the print quality is identical to the genuine cartridges. I've also just refilled the black remanufactured cartridge yesterday and did a few thousand more prints on it with still the same quality as originals. The original Canon cartridges are an absurd $700, I get HP (it uses the same cartridges as an HP printer) remanufactured cartridges for $150 where they replace the drum and every part of the cartridge other than the physical case. Plus the remanufactured ones are garanteed, I bought 8 so far with perfect results, and if any was bad they replace it for free.

I will NEVER buy the overpriced $700 Canon cartridges, ever, when I get the exact same result with $150 cartridges which I can refill for $50.

No manufacturer recommends refilled cartridges for laser or inkjet, period.

Admittedly, some are positively excellent and are almost identical to the originals with various parts being replaced, not just adding toner or ink.

Some, on the other hand, are absolute abortions. Years ago, I had a customer who bought refilled laser cartridges for their fax, and the prints came out negative, as the toner had a reverse charge.

I have also heard of so-called "salesmen", who carry a cordless drill, drill a hole, shake out the waste, plug it, drill a hole in the other end, refill with his bogus junk, and then hand the cartridge back to the customer.

Because of these extreme variations, it's virtually impossible to tell what you're getting.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

No manufacturer recommends refilled cartridges for laser or inkjet, period.

Admittedly, some are positively excellent and are almost identical to the originals with various parts being replaced, not just adding toner or ink.

Some, on the other hand, are absolute abortions. Years ago, I had a customer who bought refilled laser cartridges for their fax, and the prints came out negative, as the toner had a reverse charge.

I have also heard of so-called "salesmen", who carry a cordless drill, drill a hole, shake out the waste, plug it, drill a hole in the other end, refill with his bogus junk, and then hand the cartridge back to the customer.

Because of these extreme variations, it's virtually impossible to tell what you're getting.

There is a LOT of junk out there. I sell remanufactured (not the same as refilling at all) cartridges to customers. But I only do it with all in one cartridge systems and there's only two vendors in the world that I like and trust.

I think using a generic in general should void a warranty. If anything there should have to be a qualified generic standard certification.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

You don't need to be a genius to understand why manufacturers don't want you to refill. The 250 000 pages I printed without paying a single penny to HP would have made them about $25 000 if I bought HP cartridges, instead I paid $1000 to a refill company that provided me the same print quality I would have gotten from HP for at least 25 times cheaper. Plus the printheads which HP claim have a 42 000 page life last 60 000 pages with the refill ink.

I also only bought remanufactured cartridges for my Canon and did 22 000 prints in 2 weeks and the print quality is identical to the genuine cartridges. I've also just refilled the black remanufactured cartridge yesterday and did a few thousand more prints on it with still the same quality as originals. The original Canon cartridges are an absurd $700, I get HP (it uses the same cartridges as an HP printer) remanufactured cartridges for $150 where they replace the drum and every part of the cartridge other than the physical case. Plus the remanufactured ones are garanteed, I bought 8 so far with perfect results, and if any was bad they replace it for free.

I will NEVER buy the overpriced $700 Canon cartridges, ever, when I get the exact same result with $150 cartridges which I can refill for $50.

See you lucked out and got an apparently good vendor. That's the risk, is it a good vendor or not. When it isn't things can go really bad and get costly...not necessarily a bad thing for a technician...

[KenB]

There is a LOT of junk out there. I sell remanufactured (not the same as refilling at all) cartridges to customers. But I only do it with all in one cartridge systems and there's only two vendors in the world that I like and trust.

I think using a generic in general should void a warranty. If anything there should have to be a qualified generic standard certification.

The manufacturers tried to do that a few years ago ( I know that Canon was one of them), but failed.

From what I understand, they can only not cover what is damaged by the competitive supplies, and not the entire machine, as was their original intent.

Aab1, if your method works for you, good for you, you're one of the lucky ones. We all understand dollars and cents.

However, I'm sure that any tech on this site who has been doing this for any length of time can tell you horror stories of bogus supplies that have done thousands of dollars worth of damage to machines (blown boards, power supplies, potential sensors, etc...), and have either charged the customer, or have far more likely, eaten the cost of the repair.

Unauthorized, unapproved supplies are the nemesis of any of us in the repair industry.

[tmaze01]

hhmmm..""WAIT A MINUTE, IS THIS THE GUY THAT aodtech WAS TALKING ABOUT?"" oh..ok....BTW THE FEEDBACK YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM rickflair,rrodgers,kingpd@businessprint and mrspock (WHICH I HAVE READ ) IS GOOD INFO,/DETAILED..ITS GOOD STUFF!!! how ever you may find the ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION(S)(SS)(SSS)(SSSS) ...oohh .. lets say """""WITH IN YOUR COMMENTS""""/ QUESTIONS..

hey kingpd, YEAH, ..WELL THEN ...HOW COME 91 octane gas costs more per gallon then regular 89 octane?? if i am paying the same amount.. (it just doesnt make sense ,,, i mean it is going in the same gas tank) ,,