Have You Gotten Recharged Lately?

Computer printers, like computers, are here to stay. The millions of printers in use also generate millions of spent toner.

Manufacturers can rebuild toner cartridges with new drums and other essential parts after users run a specified number of copies.  Purchasing these remanufactured cartridges saves money.

Remanufactured Cartridges Save You Money

Purchasing remanufactured cartridges will generally cost you less than purchasing new OEM cartridges.  These savings add up over time, but you can save money sooner by purchasing in large quantities. A study done by Rutgers University found:

·         Commonwealth of Massachusetts saved more than $282,000 by purchasing more than 10,800 remanufactured toner cartridges and diverting more than 13 tons of material from landfill disposal in 2000. This is a savings of approximately 30% over the cost of new toner cartridges.

·         King County, Washington saved $300,000 by purchasing 4,765 remanufactured cartridges in 2001.  The cartridges cost about one-third of new cartridges.

·         Veterans Regional Office – saved over 45% by purchasing remanufactured cartridges.  The office purchased 138 remanufactured cartridges and saved about $20,000.

·         Jenkins Athens Insurance- saved approximately $3500 by purchasing 156 remanufactured toner cartridges.  This was a savings of over 17% compared to the cost of some new cartridges.

·         Oakland Unified School District- saved over $2700 by purchasing 178 remanufactured cartridges.  This was a savings of approximately 33%.

Quality Products

The quality of non Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)  laser printer, copier, fax and all-in-one machine cartridges has improved dramatically since these products were first introduced.  The toner cartridge remanufacturing industry has made many improvements in their products. Today, a quality remanufactured cartridge will meet or exceed Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) standards.  Moving away from the original “drill and fill” method, the current remanufacturing process now requires that the cartridges be disassembled and inspected to determine any problem areas. Worn components are replaced with new parts, all sections are properly cleaned, and a fresh supply of toner is added before the cartridge is reassembled and tested.

Warranty

Purchasers should also be aware that using remanufactured products will not affect the laser printers warranty.  For example, the industry warranty for Hewlett Packard reads:

“For HP printer products, the use of a non-HP toner cartridge or a refilled toner cartridge does not affect either the warranty to the customer or any HP support with the customer.”

Save Money and Get Quality

Of course, many companies want to be environmentally sensitive, but the main reason companies use remanufactured cartridges is to save money. Most remanufactured cartridges are 40 to 60 percent cheaper than the original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) cartridges, with comparable quality and reliability. In fact, many remanufactured cartridges last longer, as they often have up to 20 percent more toner than OEM cartridges. In short printer cartridges don’t need to be expensive. Plus, many remanufacturers are small businesses, employing workers from the local communities.  There are more than 500,000 people employed by remanufacturers in the United States employing workers from the local communities.