Recognition for HP’s Planet Partners Program

Photo by wlodi

The Society of Plastics Engineers or SPE has commended Hewlett Packards’s cartridge recycling initiatives through its Planet Partners Program. Said program is aimed at reducing plastic-based garbage that find its way into landfills annually, particularly those coming from discarded printer cartridges. The printer industry's first, the recycling program is an engineering breakthrough that fully integrates the use of post-consumer recycled plastics in the manufacture of new HP inkjet printer cartridges. So far, at least 200 million new cartridges have been manufactured using the process which is equivalent to more than 5 million pounds of recycled plastics. HP is in track to boost the use of recycled plastic in the coming year by twofold.

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HP Smart Install Technology - An upgrade to the Energy Star?

Photo by clix

Just when consumers think of laser printers that carry an ENERGY STAR rating as the ‘end all’ in terms of energy efficiency, HP introduced the Smart Install technology. Under an Energy Star classification, printers are programmed to automatically switch from printing mode to standby mode in between print jobs. This mechanism helped minimize energy consumption since all of the unit's electrical devices are shut-off when the unit is on standby mode; except for the fuser assembly that continues to consume energy.

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Toner Refill Kits Work In Tandem with the Clean Air Act

Why was the “Clean Air Act” enacted? The primary reason for its endorsement is to curb air-pollution and provide a cleaner air. Each one of us can help in the drive for a cleaner environment. If driving a car, see to it that it is fine tuned always to reduce the emission of harmful substances. Now for some of us who are laser printer users, recycling empty OEM toner cartridges is a sure way of reducing air-pollution. Recycling delays the disposal of empty cartridges into landfills and dumpsites. At the same time, recycling minimizes the manufacture of toner cartridges that pumps CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere during the production process. The vicious cycle that ultimately harms the environment can be minimized if each one of us contributes in a little way.

How large is the contribution of OEM toner cartridges to air pollution? The manufacture of 100 OEM toner cartridges can generate a ton of CO2; roughly the volume of pollutants pumped by a Boeing 747 in its extended flight to Manila, the Philippines from Los Angeles, California 7,307 miles away. The United States alone discards 110 million OEM toner cartridges annually - equivalent to over 1 million tons of CO2 that pollute our air-environment. And to think that only about 10 million OEM toner cartridges are recycled annually, the ease out of CO2 pollution generated by the printing industry is still a long tedious process.

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Understanding the Laser Printer’s Print Engine

The print engine of the laser printer is the mechanical part composed of different moving components. It is responsible for moving paper (medium) from one component to the next in the process of printing. However to print accurately, the print engine is aided by devices like the controller boards, RAM and several software integrated into the unit by the its manufacturer. It is no longer an Industry secret that different printer brands actually run on the same print engine as manufacturers now utilize the technology and expertise of other companies to supply the printer unit's print engine. A perfect example would be HP and Canon laser printers. The laser printer lines of both OEMs are outfitted with a similar print engine which renders its toner cartridges interchangeable.

Think of your laser printer the same way you look at your car. Just like any other vehicle, the laser printer also comes with a print engine that dictates its capacity in terms of speed and performance. For instance, Toyota Motors USA developed several car models that run on a particular engine design under the hood. The same way with laser printers, over 500 models have been devised in the last decade using just 10 or so print engine designs. This information is relevant to the user on the lookout for a laser printer. Different printer brands may run on the same print engine but then again, the cost of its replacement OEM toner consumables significantly vary e.g. Canon toner cartridges retail at a much lower price than HP cartridge units.

In terms of engine performance, consider how a small four-cylinder gas engine works inside a sports car and what it does when placed under the hood of a mid-sized car. Naturally the sports car will accelerate and deliver higher speeds - being small, lightweight and not to mention the unique transmission and gear ratio plus several other features engineered for the sports car. On one side, the mid-sized car will be able to carry more passengers and may even be packed with luxury features but will not perform at par with the sports car. This will prove that two laser printers using the same print engine will also perform differently.

The same can be observed from the supply of OEM toner consumables as one brand may be more pricey than the other. Although the 2 printers have an identical toner cartridge design, quality of toner supplied with the cartridge varies. If Hewlett Packard thinks that supplied toner with its cartridges is superior, nobody can question the pricing of their OEM toner cartridges. But the barometer for toner cost is the compatible toner supplied with toner refill kits. The HP CP3525 compatible toner refill kit (black) is retailed for only $40.95 and delivers the same print quality and yield of 10,500 pages as the OEM toner. Again this will show that toner cost is really low considering that both toner products pass the same stringent production processes and laboratory tests.

In the end, the balance between consumable cost and printer performance still determines the true worth of a printer - not just the print engine.

Clean Earth Campaign - Canon's Recycling Crusade!

Launched during the 1990s, Canon USA's Clean Earth Campaign is a global environmental program with initiatives that include the collection and recycling of used toner cartridges from its consumer base.

The campaign has so far achieved remarkable success for today, it is recognized as America's premier corporate environmental management program. In its almost 20 year run, consumable collection has ballooned to more than 110,000 tons around the globe, to tremendously surpass its set collection targets. Used cartridges are sorted out and subjected to a thorough recycling process to conserve energy during the remanufacturing stages; thus resulting to reconditioned imaging components, new cartridges and several other printer peripherals.

Consumers who intend to participate in the recycling program are instructed to follow set procedures outlined in Canon's website; particularly on the dispatch of empty cartridges to Canon through the parcel services of UPS; that is free of charge. Just like HP and Xerox, UPS is the official carrier of packages deposited in particular drop off points and with UPS outlets as well. As added convenience to the participating consumer, shipping labels can obtained from Canon's website and printed directly from the PC. Each label comes secured with a unique tracking bar code to facilitate shipping in an efficient manner.

Canon highly appreciates the efforts of its customers at recycling Canon-brand consumables. However unlike HP's "Staple Rewards" Program; no incentives, rebates or tax deductions are offered in exchange for every toner cartridge returned. Nevertheless, Canon assures its consumer base that it operates state-of-the art recycling facilities found in several sites around the globe. Moreover, empty toner cartridges pass stringent procedures in the remanufacturing of its components.

To further strengthen this commitment, Canon applied for an ISO 14001 Certification and consequently designed its recycling plants based on the ISO standards for environmental management systems. Today, all of Canon's worldwide network of recycling facilities are ISO 14001 classified. This will put beyond question Canon's promise to conform to rated environmental policies as well as comply with ongoing environmental laws and regulations to help conserve and protect the environment.

End users of Canon toner cartridges should not be solely dependent on Canon and its recycling centers for the responsible disposal and remanufacture of used or retired consumables. Recycling can in fact be undertaken on a personal scale. The simple reloading of an empty toner cartridge with a compatible Canon toner refill kit to extend the unit's life for up to 3 or 4 print cycles is already a sign of commitment to the environment.

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Are you using the

Canon MF4150 MF-4690 series laser printers?

The unit's toner cartridge can be recycled

for another cycle of printing using a compatible toner refill kit.

Get the Canon 104 High Yield Black Toner Refill Kit 4 Pack today !

Available from Laser Tek Services for only $38.95.

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Kit refills the following HP cartridges: FX-9 FX-10.

Using a Canon toner cartridge from another printer series? Check out our Canon compatible toner refill kits.

Repetitive Defect Chart: Dependable Guide to Troubleshooting Print Quality Defects

Print quality defects hardly manifest in the operation of brand new HP LaserJet CP1215 laser printer units. Over time, print defects could no longer be avoided as the printer ages. The reason for this is obvious. As printer components start to wear out on the aging printer, this directly manifests over the output pages. The print engine of the laser printer works mechanically to deliver paper from one component to the next; aided in the process by sensitive sensors which inform the user in the event that one vital part malfunctions and shut-off the printer unit altogether. This is an automatic response system because operating with a damaged component would affect the condition of all the other components and consequently increase printer repair and maintenance costs in the process.

However, the user can easily monitor the condition of pertinent printer components through the print defect that manifest over the printout and institute troubleshooting by simply studying the physical properties (i.e. the defect's ruler measurement) of the defect and identifying the suspect component through the printer's Repetitive Defect Chart thereafter. Any print defect is typically triggered by a damaged printer component; but identifying the source component for the defect without the aid of the Repetitive Defect Chart can be difficult and time consuming. For example, if the Image Transfer Belt (ITB) is damaged, the ensuing print defect manifests at intervals of more than a full page. Thus, replacing the ITB at this point makes more sense in the intent of restoring acceptable print quality. The same also holds true for defects that cover a distance of 75.8 mm over the face of the paper as this print anomaly points out to a defective Organic Photo Conductive (OPC) Drum. In this case, the component has to be cleaned and thoroughly assessed or replaced.

Below is a rundown of different laser printer components and the corresponding print defect that legibly shows on the printout which directly affects the integrity of prints.

· Defective ITB the distance is 633.6 mm and is longer than one full page.

· OPC Drum – 75.8mm

· Transfer Rollers – 57.0 mm

· Fuser Pressure Roller – 56.8 mm

· Fuser Sleeve – 56.5 mm

· Registration Roller – 44.0 mm

· RS Roller (feed roller) – 28.5 mm

· PCR (Primary Charge Roller) – 26.7 mm

· Developer Roller Sleeve – 22.3 mm

The Repetitive Defect Chart clearly identifies problem components that consequently eases out the troubleshooting process to free the laser printer from nagging print defects. It is for a fact that for brand new laser printer units, the only defect that could materialize is one coming from a low toner supply. This can be easily resolved through the purchase of a brand new toner cartridge to replace the exhausted unit. A more cost-effective option is the refill of used toner cartridges with compatible toner supplied with the HP CP1215 toner refill kit which generates big savings in the process.

The monochrome toner cartridge costs $80, while the corresponding refill package retails for only $33.95. Both toner products deliver similar print quality and yields 2200 at 5% page coverage. Package also comes with a cartridge reset chip.

HP Compatible Toner Refill Kits - Helps Reduce Printing Costs for Small Medium Sized Businesses

Emerging printer toner technologies continued to evolve despite the challenges of the global financial crisis. This gave fresh assurance to Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs) that are out to redeem lost business opportunities. SMBs serve as the pulse of the economy, thereby indicating present economic conditions. Among the major expense items confronting SMBs today are business printing expenses that actually eat up at least 3% of annual revenues. The periodic purchase of printer consumables such as toner and ink cartridges - particularly for businesses with high print volume requirements, can significantly affect bottom lines each month. Nonetheless, the emergence of moderate priced printer consumables from the aftermarket surely helped SMBs streamline expenditures, allocate funds to revenue earning activities and prepare for upcoming growth. This will in turn increase productivity, define collaboration alternatives, reduce wholly environmental impact and to a degree, offer broader flexibility as these business units now rely on new found technology to prepare for the expected economic turnaround.

Leading the pack is industry giant Hewlett Packard and its LaserJet laser printer series. An advocate of SMBs, HP in fact packaged its Laserjet printers with print management tools that would help trim printing costs and reduce energy use. These are features deemed useful to small and medium sized enterprises. Since its introduction in1994, the Laserjet series has generated unprecedented consumer loyalty to the brand; given the over 35 million units sold worldwide. In fact, industry impresarios label HP LaserJet's success as one for the books; among the great computer industry accomplishment stories. This is really a true assessment of success since many technology companies and their respective product lines have come and gone over the last quarter of the century. Yet HP continues to surge ahead, despite the fierce competitive environment, and everybody classifies this feat by HP as one of the greatest business triumphs in the high-tech revolution.

Running on the same wheels of success are aftermarket consumables - particularly toner refill kits. These third party printer consumables are actually DIY (do it yourself kits) toner refill products. The kit comes supplied with compatible toner which serves as an alternative to expensive OEM toner found in cartridges. Replenishment of the toner chamber's toner supply extends the serviceable life of cartridges by as much as 3 printing cycles. Moreover, the refill of empty toner cartridges favorably stirs user consciousness as it delivers a clear signal towards the preservation of our shrinking non-renewable resources and the environment. And so with the simple recycling of OEM toner cartridges, the release of CO2 into the air is minimized. Manufacturing 100 toner cartridges releases around one metric ton of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere which is equivalent to a Boeing 747 cruising on an eight-hour extended trip covering 5,000 miles – more than the regular New York to Paris flight at only 3,626 miles.

SMBs can rely on the toner refill kits for their printing requirement because it has been engineered to duplicate the printing capability of the OEM toner in terms of print quality and yield. HP toner refill kits should give SMB’S a double thumbs-up because it generates savings of up to 90% the retail price of a regular toner cartridge - that is on top of the cost-saving features available with HP LaserJet printers.

HP 2600n Color Laser Printer: Why use only specified print media?

Although laser printers can print text and images on almost any type of print media, it is still requires good judgment on the part of the user to follow the guidelines set forth by the printer manufacturer in terms of substrate use. Paper fibers react under varying conditions of temperature, humidity and handling which could result in chronic paper jams; necessitate frequent unit servicing or even trigger printer damage. These are conditions and variables that manufacturer Hewlett Packard has no control of.

Buying the specified print media is like looking for a needle over a pile of haystack, as there are hundreds of transparencies available in the market. Therefore make it a habit to perform test prints over particular print media just to make sure that the substrate conforms to the requirements specified in the user guide and with the HP LaserJet Printer Family Print Media Guide. This is necessary especially when purchasing paper in volume.

Caution is expressed by HP, particularly when using print media that do not meet printer specifications. Use of incompatible substrates can trigger serious printer operation problems and may even lead to the early replacement of printer parts and components. Be aware that printer repairs ensuing from the improper use and handling of print media is not covered by Hewlett-Packard's warranty service agreement.

Print media properties such as weight, composition, grain and moisture content are important factors that would dictate printer performance (print quality) and output yield in pages. Always remember that use of paper other than those specified could result in poor print quality, frequent paper jams and premature wear of printer components. Find a list of OEM specified print media for the HP 2600n laser printer from this link.

Setting aside print media requirements, laser printer users should also be attentive to the printer unit's toner requirements. Like paper, low quality toner will also adversely affect print quality. In the event that the HP toner cartridge dries up, a user can refill its toner supply using compatible toner packaged with a toner refill kit. Toner refill kits have been engineered to produce optimum prints and yield similar to that of the OEM toner.

Refilling a No Fill Hole, Lockout Chip Controlled Toner Cartridge

Of all the laser printer toner cartridges available in the market, the HP Q2612A is probably one of the most cumbersome to refill. For one, the cartridge does not come with a built in fill-hole; which was obviously intended to discourage refills. Moreover, the cartridge operates with a lockout chip that limits printouts to the yield rated for the cartridge. Third party manufacturers however have developed a refill tool which makes access to the toner hopper and waste chamber possible. From the aftermarket, a reset chip was engineered purposely to override the lockout chip and allow printing with the refilled cartridge. Many call the invention of third party consumables such as the HP 1010 / 1012 / 1020 toner refill kit ingenious; but it makes much sense in the intent of helping laser printer users cope up with rapidly bloating business printing expenditures.

Access to the concealed toner hopper becomes feasible with the refill tool – an improved version of the soldering iron where the conical tip is replaced with a copper tube measuring 18mm to 20mm in diameter. When plugged to an electrical outlet, the copper cylinder tip gets sufficiently heated (in a span of 5 to 10 minutes) to be able melt a hole into the plastic carcass of the toner cartridge. Note that a regular drilling tool should not be used to perform this procedure. Plastic shavings that would likely collect inside the hopper cannot be retrieved entirely and can damage sensitive imaging components. This would then reduce the effective life cycle of the cartridge.

In the process of refilling the Q2612A toner cartridge, the user will be required to create two holes – one each for the toner hopper (where toner supply is contained) and toner waste chamber. It is necessary to empty toner residues lingering inside the toner hopper and waste chamber as failure to do just that will ultimately result in print defects. If possible, use the device called the toner vacuum to completely rid the chambers of toner residues. Likewise note that mixing fresh toner with waste toner will have an unfavorable impact on print quality and yield. Learn more about the refill tool from our previous post.

Of course, the refill process will not be complete without the replacement of the lockout chip with the reset chip. The reset chip will refresh the cartridge's counter and override the Toner Out prompt so that printing can commence with the cartridge refilled with a compatible toner refill kit. Learn more about the reset chip from another previous post.