How long can keep toner cartridges without use inside the printer?

[3d1l]

I've being using a HP LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdw for two years. I got this unit because it provides all the options that I was looking for, good color printing quality, printing speed, scanner with ADF that hold 50 pages, wi-fi, etc. I'm still using it with the original introductory toner cartridges that came with the printer and now I'm running low on the yellow toner. At the beginning I was printing normal loads but as I start scanning my documents I print less. I still have 50% on the black, 40% on the Cyan, 50% on the Magneta and 30% on the Yellow, and that's after two years. My concern is that if I buy the 410A cartridges which are the lowest toner yield cartridges, they will get spoiled for lack of use.

The other point is the cost, I was looking at compatible replacement alternatives but all of them are compatible with the 410X that are high yield toner cartridges. After two years I have printed less than 1000 pages with the introductory toner cartridges and the lowest one still have 30%. So my concern is if it is good to have high yield cartridges without use.

If there are no problems please recommend compatible replacement toner cartridges.

Please advice.

 

[The Hat]

@3d1l, You have really answered all your own questions yourself.

This printer seems to suite your needs and its working away with no issue for you, and why would you want to purchase high yield cartridges when you clearly don’t use very much ink anyway.

The heat in your environment is maintaining you printer and toner in good condition, so when the yellow goes empty just buy the one OEM cartridge and carry on as you have been doing.

One OEM cartridge is far cheaper than a set of compatibles and changing to compatibles will upset your colour balance, if you don’t use them all together.

One final note: Have you considered how long it will take you to use up the inks in the high yield cartridges, years, but the printer may not last that long, and any cartridges left open outside the printer will not last very long..

 

[Artur5]

Recommending a third party toner is not easy. Cheap units are a lottery. Some of them deliver perfect results comparable to OEM and others of the same brand may be poor or even unusable due to sloppy manufacturing tolerances.
I wouldn’t know about your HP printer, but the OEM low yield (3000 pages) for my Brother costs 70 euros, while you can get a high yield (8000 pages) compatible unit for 10 to 30 euros. It’s very likely that you could find a full set of CMKY high yield compatible toners for less money than a single color low yield HP OEM.
One of the worse enemies of toner powder is humidity. Beware of new toner units (OEM or not ) left for some time in unsealed packages and also of the carts installed in the machine after a long interval of inactivity.
Even if with your low mileage of printing buying high yield toners seems a waste, I bet you’d save a bit buying third party. Yes, possibly the toner powder will be spoiled long before you print enough to exhaust high yield carts but you’d printed the same number of pages that with low yield OEM cartridges and for less money.
Caveat with third party is that good results aren’t guaranteed as is the case with original products. Buying from a reputable vendor with a good returning policy is almost compulsory with non OEM laser consumables.

 

[3d1l]

Thanks for your help.