Your printer is a complex machine, and so is your toner cartridge. Several parts come together for the common goal of printing.
Today’s article reviews the different components of most toner cartridge brands. It’s worth acknowledging how the several parts, in harmony, get the work done.
List of Components in a Compatible Toner Cartridge
1. Toner Hopper
The Toner hopper plays the role of storing the toner inside a cartridge. It’s a container housed by a removable casing.
2. ;Empty Toner Hopper
This is basically a Toner Hopper without toner inside.
3. ;Magnetic Roller (MR)
Magnetic Roller serves the role of measuring and delivering toner to the developer. It uses controlled magnetic energy to ensure a uniform toner layer is provided.
4. ;Doctor Blade (DB)
The Doctor Blade plays a crucial role in regulating the amount of toner used for printing. It prevents excess toner from getting into the developer unit. The Doctor Blade is a metallic element that may rust and wear out over time.
5. ;Toner Powder
This refers to powder that is transferred onto a piece of paper during printing. It comes in four different colors to offer the designed color. That is Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow.
At different proportions, these four colored toner powders can yield any color. The toner powder will be depleted over time. That is when you will need to replace the cartridge over time.
6. Chip
The chip serves as a communication channel between the cartridge, printer, and PC. It makes it possible for the printer to detect the level of toner remaining in the cartridge.
The chip is usually inserted onto a circuit board. Communication is generally transmitted through Radio Frequency (RF) or direct contacts.
A printer chip is equipped with some memory to enable it to store information. Memory is needed as chips need to keep the cartridge’s details. It makes the printer aware that it’s using the correct toner cartridge.
7. ;Waste Bin
Some of the toner released from the cartridge will not be used for printing. These toner remnants will not find their way back into the cartridge. It’s usually channeled to a waste bin. Once full, the printer will notify you to replace or empty the waster toner.
8. ;Empty Waste Bin
This is basically a waste bin without any waste toner inside. ;
9. ;Wiper Blade (WB)
The role of the Wiper Blade is to wipe toner remnants and direct them into the waste bin. This ensures that no toner remains on the printer components.
10. ;Primary Charge Roller (PCR)
The role of a Primary Charge Roller is to charge the Organic Photoconductor (OPC) drum. The charge is critical in ensuring print density. Errors on this Primary Charge Roller can lead to ghosted images and light prints.
11. ;Organic Photoconductor (OPC) Drum
The OPC is a well-known printer component. It’s sometimes referred to as an imaging unit or a drum unit. The images printed on the paper will appear on the drum unit. This makes the drum attract the toner with reference to the texts and images to be printed. The toner will be transferred onto the paper, which completes the printing job. The toner is transferred onto the paper in patterns identical to the print job.
12. ;Developer Roller (DR)
The developer itself refers to small magnetic beads bearing a negative charge. A metal roller holds these beads and rotates them around the toner hopper. It will attract the positively charged toner particles and transfer them to the OPC drum. It will form an image that will end up on the paper. The equipment now holding the developer particles is the Developer Roller.
13. ;Transfer Roller (TR)
The OPC forms images that will be transferred onto the paper. Some printers will need the help of some rollers to make the process possible. These are known as Transfer Rollers.
Other printers do not need the Transfer Rollers, and the process is direct from the OPC to the paper.
Different Components for Various Printer Brands
Not all the above components are available in all the printer brands. Some like Xerox compatible toner cartridges and Brother Series have closely identical parts. Others will have varying elements to meet the intended purpose.
The one universal component for all toner cartridges is the toner powder. Every printer needs it for a successful print. Some components like OPC must be there for a printer to function, but their location will vary. In some cases, the OPC is found inside the cartridge. For others, the printer will have independent slots for this imaging unit.
Users have less control over the components to replace in their devices. You follow the pre-determined elements that must be there for your machine. Users will need to find the various parts and insert them into the specific slot. The only option you can make is the type of printer to buy. That will make the difference in the components coming with the toner cartridge.
The following table summarizes the components available in the various brands.
Summary Table on the Components in Different Printer Brands
OEM Toner Cartridges are Identical with Compatible Toner Cartridges
This article had a particular focus on compatible toner cartridges. You might be wondering whether these versions (OEM and Compatible) have identical components. OEM is short for Original Equipment Manufacturer. If you’re using HP printers, cartridges from HP are called OEM cartridges. The rest belong to the third-party manufacturers and are called Compatible Toner Cartridges.
Well, OEM cartridges set the standard. Every other compatible toner cartridge manufacturer will use the OEM as a reference. If the OEM cartridge does not have the OPC, there is no way the compatible version will have it. Compatible cartridges will not work if they are different from the OEMs.
Overall, the difference between the OEM and compatible is the manufacturer. The only other variation is with their pricing. You will pay more for these products, yet their functionality is no different. The parts are identical, and so are the functions and installation process.
Where Are You Buying Your Printer Supplies?
We are a home for compatible toner cartridges and other printer supplies. Our plant is based in China, but we will arrange for international shipping. Your part is only to let us know what you are looking for, and we will do the rest.
Shopping with us presents you with an opportunity to enjoy the best value for your money. We offer competitive pricing and quality products. We can guarantee that our products will meet your business needs. In case of any defect, we will replace it on your next order.