Question about drum life

[aab1]

I have a Canon MF8350 I got as an introduction to laser printing and would like to know how many cartridge refills I can expect the drums to last, most sources say about 3 refills, but I've heard 25 refills from another source (since most say 3 I assume this is closer to the truth).

As I'm brand new to laser printers I have no idea which is true. I'm only on my first toner refill now which is working great so I don't know how much I can expect. BTW I do empty the waste toner compartment when refilling so the waste overflowing will not be a problem (and as said in another thread I will dispose of the waste).

Another question, my cartridges are rated for 3500 prints, and most say I can get 3 refills out of them. If I find I can still make money with the much higher cost per page of laser printing compared to inkjet, I will buy a much bigger machine with cartridges that hold enough toner for 10 000+ prints.

In these larger cartridges, could I also expect 3 refills before the drums wear out, or would they simply wear out faster due to the the larger quantity of toner they hold meaning they wouldn't last for 3 refills like smaller cartridges? Or are the drums made to last longer in these larger cartridges so I could still get 3 refills out of them?

It's important for my business that I get as low a cost per page as possible, which is why I stuck with inkjet printers (and still use my inkjet for low cost high volume printing).

Thanks

[mrwho]

The trick for the drums to last longer is to smear a light (and I mean light) coating of silicon oil on the drum and then making a full-coverage A4/Letter print (a copy with the original cover open will do the trick). That will create a protective layer of solidified toner over the drum that will protect it from scratches.

You only need to do it once since the layer will regenerate itself using regular toner from the copies from that point forward. The reason techs normally don't do this is that it will slightly increase the toner consumption (although it's barely noticeable) and - you guessed it! - if drums last longer the brands won't sell as many.

I usually don't tell anyone to do this because, if not done with the proper guidance, it can ruin your drum. Anyone else reading this get advise from your friendly tech - they will explain it to you better. But since aab1 is clearly a knowledgeable lad, I'm sharing this piece of information with you.

Peace!

[Stirton.M]

[aab1]

At first I thought this was a joke, but then searched google for printer drum silicon oil and read that some printers actually do themselves coat the drum in silicone oil. I'm still not sure I know if your response is a joke or not so I'll assume it is and not risk ruining an $800 machine. Anyway my question was how long I can expect the drum to last without any mods.

The trick for the drums to last longer is to smear a light (and I mean light) coating of silicon oil on the drum and then making a full-coverage A4/Letter print (a copy with the original cover open will do the trick). That will create a protective layer of solidified toner over the drum that will protect it from scratches.

You only need to do it once since the layer will regenerate itself using regular toner from the copies from that point forward. The reason techs normally don't do this is that it will slightly increase the toner consumption (although it's barely noticeable) and - you guessed it! - if drums last longer the brands won't sell as many.

I usually don't tell anyone to do this because, if not done with the proper guidance, it can ruin your drum. Anyone else reading this get advise from your friendly tech - they will explain it to you better. But since aab1 is clearly a knowledgeable lad, I'm sharing this piece of information with you.

Peace!

[Fer]

Like in bigger copiers. If u are a cheapskate run em till u get errors from PO control or ATR. Or untill text isn't readable anymore.

[aab1]

Like in bigger copiers. If u are a cheapskate run em till u get errors from PO control or ATR. Or untill text isn't readable anymore.

I run a printing service so at the first sign of any quality loss I replace the part. My question is how many refills can I expect the drums to last before any noticeable loss of quality?

[iRC]

So you are running an printing service business, and you are working with MF -class device? The salesman who sold the MF to you must have been drunk or something (I assume that you told him/her what kind of use you have for the device)...

It would come cheaper to you if you lease or buy a larger machine and put it on a contract.

And for the original question: I wouldn't refill toner cartridges at all. If you really want to work with the MF, why don't you then look for compatible new cartridges from other manufacturers? They are a bit cheaper. But I don't know if the printing quality decreases then.

If you would have a machine with contract on it, you wouldn't have to worry about toners and other consumables!

[aab1]

I've been running the printing service on $600 inkjet copiers for the past 5 years, I do this only as a side business and don't advertise, in the last 3 years I've done 250 000 prints so it's not incredibly high volumes. I got the MF class printer as a small machine to introduce me to laser printing, I chose the model. I want to see if I can still make money selling laser prints considering the much higher cost per page and the fact I need to at least double my printing prices for laser prints (my customers can now choose from the same inkjet prints they loved for years for their incredibly low cost, or pay at least double the price per page for laser prints).

About refilling, firstly I do get compatible cartridges for about 1/4 the cost of canon cartridges, and I've also refilled the compatible cartridges with great results.

How exactly do machines with a contract work? Could I not refill them? If not then I'm afraid the cost per page would be prohibitive for my business.

So you are running an printing service business, and you are working with MF -class device? The salesman who sold the MF to you must have been drunk or something (I assume that you told him/her what kind of use you have for the device)...

It would come cheaper to you if you lease or buy a larger machine and put it on a contract.

And for the original question: I wouldn't refill toner cartridges at all. If you really want to work with the MF, why don't you then look for compatible new cartridges from other manufacturers? They are a bit cheaper. But I don't know if the printing quality decreases then.

If you would have a machine with contract on it, you wouldn't have to worry about toners and other consumables!

[Fer]

I run a printing service so at the first sign of any quality loss I replace the part. My question is how many refills can I expect the drums to last before any noticeable loss of quality?

In that case, i service a copyshop which uses a IR ADV5030 and I see quality loss since their drums are over 15% usage. That was 10k from the 60k they should last. But as long as they don;t see it, i'm fine.

[iRC]

I've been running the printing service on $600 inkjet copiers for the past 5 years, I do this only as a side business and don't advertise, in the last 3 years I've done 250 000 prints so it's not incredibly high volumes. I got the MF class printer as a small machine to introduce me to laser printing, I chose the model. I want to see if I can still make money selling laser prints considering the much higher cost per page and the fact I need to at least double my printing prices for laser prints (my customers can now choose from the same inkjet prints they loved for years for their incredibly low cost, or pay at least double the price per page for laser prints).

About refilling, firstly I do get compatible cartridges for about 1/4 the cost of canon cartridges, and I've also refilled the compatible cartridges with great results.

How exactly do machines with a contract work? Could I not refill them? If not then I'm afraid the cost per page would be prohibitive for my business.

At first: Your MF is quite small device. I bet the dealer wouldn't make contract to it.

There are different types of service contracts. We usually make a contract which includes everything else except papers and finisher staples. Customer pays certain amount of money for one page (that certain amount is some cents or even less).

If you want a contract which doesn't include toners, the price of the one page will decrease. But you must buy genuine cartridges yourself (Canon or Canon's authorized dealers won't make contracts if you use other manufacturer's compatible toner).

[aab1]

In that case a service contract would put me out of business. If I have to pay over 10 tens the cost per page for genuine supplies than I do with compatibles/refills ($700 for canon cartridges, $150 for compatibles of identical quality, $40 for refills, why in the world would I buy $700 cartridges from a company that doesn't give a crap about it's customers in the first place) then that makes no sense whatsover, the running cost would make me loose over 20 cents per sheet I'd sell rather than make a good profit. Anyway the MF requires no maintenance, all "wear-out-able" parts are user replaceable and built into the cartridges.

And I got this MF8350 as an intro to laser printing to see if I can make money with the 6 times higher cost per page (and that's using refills). If it works well I'll buy a bigger HP that ends up costing less per page, this was my first and last Canon printer.

At first: Your MF is quite small device. I bet the dealer wouldn't make contract to it.

There are different types of service contracts. We usually make a contract which includes everything else except papers and finisher staples. Customer pays certain amount of money for one page (that certain amount is some cents or even less).

If you want a contract which doesn't include toners, the price of the one page will decrease. But you must buy genuine cartridges yourself (Canon or Canon's authorized dealers won't make contracts if you use other manufacturer's compatible toner).

[RRodgers]

In a word, (err or a few) a larger machine usually has a larger drum, a larger drum will (usually) last longer than a smaller drum (they don't have to work as hard and don't have to turn as much as a smaller drum)
HTH

[Fer]

Dude why do u want another laser machine? Since can run ink for a lower price a page then laser, whats the use? Lasers can touch ink's qualities if they are at least 20k-30k. I'm talking about the IP C1. Then ink machines can run real heavy coated paper with ease.

See yourself lucky, u can run ink cheaper, not much ppl can. Toss the laser and continue using ink.

[mrwho]

Well, that's the point, isn't it? If the guy's so happy with inkjet, why the hell he keeps bothering us with his ramblings?

[Stirton.M]

Somehow the putz seems to think that injet printers are discussed at this site. Manuals4you gave him a hinted link to move on, but the moron did not get it.