Newbie questions

Lumi

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Hello! In a rather impulsive mood, I bought a Canon LBP7110Cw because it was cheap and came with some extra goodies (a 1TB external HDD and a cheapo tablet). I've been yearning for a color laser printer for ages now.... I used to be naughty and print out stuff at work but we're no longer doing color prints so I've got more motivation now to get my own printer.

I've had some experience with refilling my own color inkjet printers and I currently have a Canon Pro9000 that is serving me well, however, I'm always wary of ruining my printouts due to liquids so a color laser is really stepping in and filling a gap.

So anyway, on to my questions:
1. I am aware of the current practice of manufacturers to offer printers at dirt-cheap prices and recoup the costs on consumables/ink, which is part of the reason I refill my own inkjet printers. Is there a similar method for color laser printers/toners?

2. Do I have to buy new toner carts each time or can I simply refill the carts (sorry if this question is stupid as I have no idea what/how toners are refilled)?

3. Do toner carts have chips similar to the new inkjet carts?

4. Any tips/tricks that would help out a new color laser printer owner?

5. Can someone confirm that my printer does NOT do duplex? I cannot find info to confirm it so I wonder if it does/doesn't and if I'm just missing something. If it doesn't, then it isn't end-of-the-world as I can simply print out odd pages, flip them over, then print on the other side with even pages.

Thanks for any help!
 

Łukasz

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Hello!
  1. Yes.
  2. No, but refilling toner carts can be challenging. Buying new ready-made or refilled is safer - can be returned to seller if it fail to print.
  3. Yes.
  4. CRG-731 is HP 131A toner with different chip identity. Not sure how HP 131A compatible will be recognized in this printer.
  5. I'm afraid LBP-7110Cw can't duplex (no "D" suffix).
Ł.
 

Lumi

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Thanks for the reply!

How "challenging" is toner refilling? I hear people say the same with inkjet cart refilling, but it's easy-as-pie given the right equipment. Also, are third-party toners cheaper/better/similar to original ones?
 

The Hat

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A lot of guys will say that inkjet refilling is very messy, but that’s not so, where as refilling toner cartridges can be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your life.

To refill toner cartridge correctly you first need preparation, preparation, preparation, get that wrong and you’ll have an expensive colourful mess all over the place.

@Łukasz made a much better suggestion to you regarding ready refilled cartridges as the safest way to go and probably the cheapest one too and I can concur with his good suggestion..
 

TimSm

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it can be messy if you OVERFILL (sometimes refilling the spcec limit can overfill, see below) a cart or you need to bleed a print head with tissue... been refilling since '94 and the worst is when they went to SPONGE cartridges b/c they DRY UP and create clogged print head problems as you refill more then a couple times! Yes, ink can get on your hands, so you need some bleach & a scrub brush.. it may take a few days for the stuff under the fingernails to go away-- but use GLOVES-- some refill kits come with them or buy your own.

carts with sponges can be a mess.. the best idea I've come up with is to dilute with isopropyl alcohol which may be an ingredient of some ink blends. when it dries into a shellac the sponge begins to dry up and the bleed of ink is not consistent ending the cart's lifespan. this can lead you to being aggressive and overfilling the cart as you get diminishing returns. so, I've learned to flush and re-hydrate the cart before it turns to shellac, especially in the winter. I like the old style bin carts like the HP 45.. now those go a solid 10-15x before kicking the bucket. carts like the hp96, not so much (3-6 refills, unless you re-hydrate at key times of the year/use cycle to prevent shellac of the print head).

I agree, toner refills CAN NOT be rushed and must be done CAREFULLY (even if it takes 5, 10 or 15 minutes, you must not be distracted).. this needs MORE care than inkjet because more is at stake if you screw it up.. an expensive drum, fuser or split toner in the printer at worst.. no/bad printing diagnostic headaches ahead! I'm about to see the risk/reward soon, I just bought a Brother MFC LED/laser style. My hp 7410 (from 2005)just died, good riddance. Though an hp T45 from 2003 is plugging along nicely (the display screen faded to zero output, color carts have the sponge, yuck--not worth fixing).

cartridge chips are EVIL... and can be defeated by developing auto-reset chips which are movable from cartridge to cartridge. do not buy printers which can't be defeated and buy ones w/o the chips altogether if you can... the brother BW / COLOR LED/LASER series mostly have NO chips, nearly all others DO!
 

Lumi

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Hello again guys!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good wireless duplex color laser printer? I currently have a HP MFP 277dw and it just decided that the color (C, M) levels are low and it automatically prints in B&W. I had a Canon LBP7110Cw that I was able to print for twice longer by ignoring the "low toner" warning and running the drums dry. I don't think I like the auto-B&W "feature" of the HP. I've never really looked at Brother printers because back in the day when I was refilling inkjets, Brother was a new product and so I went with the known Canon and HP printers.

In the meantime, I'm looking at replacement toner cartridges for the HP and I wonder if 3rd-party products are worth the risk and if they deliver the same quality printouts? I'm not printing pictures or anything but I'd still like to have good color printouts (school projects, hobby stuff, etc.). The cheapest HP 201X cart is around £60 whereas 3rd-party products can start at £34.

Thanks!
 

Ink stained Fingers

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you can get 3rd party toner cartridges - either reloaded original ones or new non-OEM ones , that depends on the printer model.
But I would not recommend using 3rd party toner in a laser at all, you are loosing warranty, the toner may not stick to the paper, you get uneven printouts, the particle size is wrong, you get premature wear etc. With inkjet refill you can compensate some of the shortcomings, but not like that on a laser printer.
 

Lumi

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Sorry, what's the difference between a "3rd-party toner cartridge" and a "3rd-party toner"?? Wouldn't the 3rd-party cartridge contain 3rd-party toner?
 

Ink stained Fingers

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it all depends on the cartridge type, the printer, the manufacturer, the patents with it, the cip on the cartridge. It could be that empty cartridges are collected, cleaned, tested, and filled with 3rd party toner, the chip ressetted or replaced and then sold again, typically as 'refurbished', or for other printers some foreign company just produces new cartridges and chips - all 3rd party . and fills them up with 3rd party toner and sells them as such - just calling them 'compatible with....'
 

Lumi

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Sorry, I'm still confused. On one end, you are telling me the difference between refilled OEM (but with 3rd-party toner inside) and all-3rd-party carts (cart and toner is 3rd-party). On the other end, are you telling me to skip ANY and ALL 3rd-party products for laser printers?
 
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