Knowledgebase: Toner 101

100% New Compatible

A product that is produced brand new by a non-OEM manufacturer

Compatible/Remanufactured

Any cartridge that has been disassembled and then re-assembled in the production process.

Cross Compatible

A product that can be used in multiple OEM machine models.

Fuser

An internal printer component that permanently bonds the dry toner to the page. Fuser rollers apply heat and pressure to the toner making it bond to the page. Cleaning and maintenance of the fuser assembly rollers is vital in keeping quality printing performance.

MICR

(Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) refers to the type of toner inside the cartridge. MICR cartridges contain magnetic toner that can be read by automated MICR reading equipment. This toner is also more costly and less common than standard black non-MICR toners. The most common use of MICR printing is routing and account information on checks. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications are considered by the U.S. banking industry as the definitive criteria for judging the quality of a MICR document.

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer, (i.e. HP, Lexmark, Canon, etc.)

Page Coverage

A number that refers to the percentage of a printed page that is covered by toner. Typical page coverage is 5%.

Page Yield

A number that indicates the number of pages you can expect from the full life cycle of your cartridge. Our page yields are established by testing 5% page coverage per color benchmarked against the OEM.

Print Tests

Consist of a series of post testing on a newly assembled cartridge. Testers evaluate the variable types of print demands expected on each cartridge. This helps determine which finished assembled cartridges are ready for packaging.

Toner

This is a highly refined dry powder that is inside the toner hopper of a laser cartridge. Monochrome toner is usually dark black and consists of minute amounts of resin that are fused to the page with heat and pressure. Color printers use four color toners: black, cyan, magenta, and yellow (known as "process colors"). They combine to make up the full variety and shades of color.

Developer Roller or Mag Roller

A metal or rubber roller that charges and carries toner to the Organic Photoreceptor Drum (OPC) If damaged or worn the Developer Roller can casue print defects.

OPC Drum

An alumninum tube coated with chemical layers that have the ability to store an electrical charge on the surface.  The coatings react to light exposure, causing some of the surface charge in  the exposed areas to be discharged and conducted to ground.  These discharged areas now attract toner.

Developer Roller (Mag Roller) Sealing Blade

This is a thin Mylar or polyurethane blade that seals the bottom area of the Developer Roller.  If damaged , worn, or wavy, it can leak and casue print defects.

Doctor Bar or Blade

A rubber or metal blade that adjusts and conditions or "doctors" the layer of toner on the Developer Roller.  Worn or damaged Doctor blades can cause light or dark print, vertical streaks or background.

Wiper Blade or Scraper Blade

This is a metal blade with a thin strip of urethane or silicone attached, forming a precision edge.  After the toner transfer process, some of the toner is left on the OPC.  The precision edge scrapes this toner from the OPC and allows it to fall into the waste area.  A worn or damaged blade can cause print defects.  A dry or liquid powder lubricant is usually applied to the edge of the blade to allow the OPC drum to turn in the initial stages of printing.