A laser toner cartridge is one of the most important parts of your printer because it holds and controls the ink. Caring for your laser toner cartridge is important in keeping your printer functioning efficiently.

Anatomy of a cartridge

A typical laser toner cartridge contains the powder toner, which releases ink to create prints on your paper. These cartridges are usually made of hard plastic and installed in the cartridge rack found in laser printers.

Original or not?

OEM (original equipment manufacturer) laser toner cartridges are specifically designed by printer manufacturers and function only with specific printer models and branders. These usually come with brand new laser printers when you buy them.

Compatible laser toner cartridges, meanwhile, are made by third-party manufacturers with the use of brand new OEM parts. They are a great alternative to OEM cartridges because they are designed to meet the same standards for OEM cartridges at a cheaper price. Like OEM cartridges, compatible laser toner cartridges are made for specific brands.

Finally, remanufactured laser toner cartridges are assembled from recycled cartridge parts, which have been cleaned. They are the cheapest type of cartridge but are less reliable when it comes to quality.

What to choose

Before, only OEM laser toner cartridges were sold in the market. But with the availability of cheaper alternatives to expensive cartridges, people have resorted to buying only the compatible and remanufactured laser toner cartridges. Many experts say that in the long term, however, OEM cartridges are still the best cartridge to use.