How to refill a powder cartridge at home. How to refill laser cartridges? How to refill an HP cartridge correctly: step-by-step instructions
01.05.12
First, a little theory, i.e. about what a cartridge is, why it is needed and the main components of the cartridge.
The cartridge is the main unit of a laser printer or MFP, one might say the “heart” of the device. It contains printing powder - toner and auxiliary mechanisms involved in the process of transferring toner from the cartridge to paper.
To get acquainted with the device, we will take the HP Q2612A as an example - a cartridge that is refilled in a completely standard way, and which is very common. Like most HP cartridges, it consists of two halves held together by pins. One half of the cartridge contains a waste hopper, the other half contains toner. First, let's take a look at the half of the cartridge containing the waste hopper. In addition to the hopper, this half also contains a cleaning blade - a squeegee, a charge roller (corotron) and a photo roller.
Let's take a closer look at the purpose of each component. During the printing process, ideally all the toner should be transferred from the cartridge to the paper, but this is not the case. A small amount of it remains on the photo roll and here a squeegee comes to the rescue, which cleans all the toner from the photo roll into the waste bin. The charge roller serves to pre-charge and discharge the surface of the photo roll. If the photo roll is not charged, the toner particles simply will not “stick” to it. Well, the heart of the cartridge is the photo shaft - the main component that forms the image. All surface defects of the photo roll will be reflected on the sheet of paper. So treat the drum with caution and care.
Now let's briefly look at the other half. It contains a toner bottle, a dispensing blade and a magnetic roller. The toner container contains the necessary supply of printing powder - toner. A magnetic roller is used to transfer toner to the surface of the photo roller. The dispensing blade is necessary to evenly distribute the toner over the surface of the magnetic roller, so that printing is uniform over the entire area of the sheet. And so we’re done with theory, it’s time to move on to practice.
Let’s start with the most artisanal method; I’ll say right away that you don’t need to do this. The simplest thing that comes to mind is to drill holes in the cartridge in the right places. And through them, shake out the waste and add toner. The advantage of this method is that it can be done quickly, the disadvantage is that the cartridge cannot be cleaned well. This method has a right to life and sometimes it can be used when other methods are irrational or the cartridge has a completely maple design.
Let's move on to the correct method for refilling the cartridge. As you understand from the above, we need to shake out the waste toner from the waste bin and pour good toner into a specially designed container. To do this, the cartridge must be disassembled. First, carefully examine it and understand how the halves of the cartridge are connected to each other. In order to separate them, you need to pull out the pins. To do this, unscrew the side cover of the photo roll and remove it. Then we take out the photo roll. Carefully place it in an inaccessible place so as not to accidentally damage it. After that, pull out the charging roller. Please note that one end of the roller is lubricated with conductive grease; it is advisable not to remove it. At the base of the squeegee, on the left and right, you can see the tips of the pins. Using a handy tool, for example a curved awl, we squeeze these pins out, pick them up with pliers and pull them out completely. Also pay attention to the spring that tightens the halves; it will need to be put in place after refilling the cartridge. When disassembling the cartridge, it is better to keep it in a horizontal position on the table with the photoconductor facing up. This way you will protect yourself from spilled toner from the waste bin.
The next stage of our epic will be the removal of mining. To do this, we sharply turn the half with the mining hopper over and tap it lightly with a screwdriver, trying to remove everything from there. Carefully clean everything and assemble this half. It is advisable not to clean the edge of the squeegee and the photo roller, since after this the surface must be sprinkled with special talcum powder or toner, otherwise the cartridge may jam.
Then we take the other half and disassemble it. Carefully remove the magnetic shaft, clean it, you can just use a cloth. Discard the remaining toner. Under one of the side covers there is a plug through which you can later add toner. If there is no plug, then we will refill the cartridge through the slot of the magnetic shaft. Install everything in reverse order and add toner. We turn the magnetic shaft by hand to make sure that it does not jam. After this, we assemble the cartridge in the reverse order. When installing the magnetic shaft cover, you must be extremely careful so as not to damage the shaft spring.
The article, of course, is far from complete, describing everything in general terms, so if you want to refill the cartridge yourself, it is better to find it on the Internet with pictures for refilling the cartridge yourself. I wish you success!
I would like to devote the next article on my site to refilling the Canon LBP 5050 color laser printer. Moreover, its cartridges have long been “asking” to be refilled with fresh toner. And to kill two birds with one stone, I will refill the cartridges, and my son Vladislav will film the whole process with a camera.
By the way, I use this color printer for laser thermal transfer on T-shirts. So this topic is directly related to my site. Toner, unlike water-based ink, is not washed out by water during washing and the print applied this way lasts much better. It is equally important that this printer is quite affordable; it cost me only 5,500 rubles. And its print quality is very decent.
The Canon LBP 5050 color laser printer uses 716 cartridges. Cartridges with this number are also used in Canon LBP 5970, LBP 5975, MF 8030, MF 8050 printers.
To refill we need compatible toner, chips and a screwdriver. I will use HP toner. With printer Canon LBP 5050 Compatible toner for HP Color LaserJet CP 1215/1515n/1518n/CM1312. Surely there is a toner specifically for Canon, but they offered me this one and it worked perfectly.
And here is a photo of the label from the universal chip. Here the list of compatible printers is even wider.
I will show refilling using the example of a black cartridge. Colored ones are filled in the same way.
Toner is harmful, so wear gloves and use a respirator. Or at least try not to inhale toner dust. So, let's start refilling Canon 716Bk/716C/716M/716Y cartridges.
The 716 cartridge consists of two halves. To separate them you need to remove the side covers. Take the cartridge in your hand and unscrew two screws, first on one side:
Then on the other.
Now carefully remove the covers one by one. Remember that they are what hold the halves of the cartridge together, hold it firmly in your hand.
Now nothing holds the cartridge halves. Let's separate them.
First, let's take the part where the waste toner is stored. Putting the photoconductor (blue cylinder) aside, remove the shaft from the slots.
Now, after unscrewing the two screws, remove the squeegee. Below it you will see a compartment with waste toner.
The compartment needs to be cleared of waste. An old vacuum cleaner is best for this.
After cleaning, reassemble everything in reverse order and set this part of the cartridge aside. Now let's move on to the other half. Unscrew the screw securing the contact plate and remove it.
Now you can easily remove the magnetic shaft by sliding it to the side.
Under the blade you will see a fairly wide gap through which we will pour toner. But first, also using a vacuum cleaner, you need to clean out the old toner compartment. This is a must do! Never mix original and compatible toners!
After cleaning, open the bottle and pour its contents inside the cartridge. Lightly tap the cartridge on the table to distribute the toner evenly.
Bottles with color toner contained 45 grams. And all the contents filled the cartridge to capacity. For some reason, the black toner contained 55 grams and, no matter how hard I tried to fill it all at once, nothing worked. Some of the toner remained in the bottle. It looks like the cartridges are standard, designed for 45 g of toner.
After adding toner, assemble this half of the cartridge in reverse order. When installing the dispensing blade, remember that by moving it slightly forward or backward you adjust the amount of toner entering the magnetic roller.
Now, carefully supporting the drum unit, connect both halves of the cartridge. Then put on the side covers and secure them with screws.
The last thing you need to do is replace the chip. Without it, your printer will not work. Remember that each color has its own chip. Don't confuse them!
That's it, refueling is complete. We insert the cartridge into the printer and test it. I don’t know about you, but everything worked for me the first time. I only had to slightly adjust the color levels in the print settings. But this is common practice - the toner is not “native”.
Well, in conclusion, a little mathematics (oh, and I love counting everything!). Many people are afraid to buy color laser printers due to expensive maintenance. This is true. Type in Yandex the phrase “Refilling a color laser cartridge” and you will see that the cost of refilling one (!) such cartridge costs 1000 - 1200 rubles at a service center. Moreover, a cartridge from a simple monochrome printer costs 250 - 300 rubles to refill.
Therefore, before buying a color laser, I made inquiries and found toner at a price of 137 rubles for 45 grams of each color and chips for 61 rubles apiece. Total, almost 200 rubles per color. Do you feel the difference?
I admit that this is a dealer price, that is, with a good discount. But even if you multiply this amount by 2, in terms of four cartridges, the savings will be impressive!
And remember - it’s not the Gods who burn the pots! Refill your color laser printers yourself and you will have an impressive amount left over to purchase the necessary consumables.
I wish you success!
P.S. After several refills, I concluded that chip manufacturers program them for a fairly small number of prints. As a result, when the cartridge begins to “require” replacement of the toner with the chip, it is enough to replace only the chip. There is still enough toner inside for excellent printing.
As a result, it turns out that for three chip replacements, two toner replacements are enough. That is, now I buy a little more chips than bottles of toner. It is possible that your chips are programmed differently, but still take note of this information.
How to refill the cartridge yourself? Each is equipped with a toner cartridge that helps print your documents or images. There is no need to buy a new cartridge as you can easily refill your laser printer toner yourself by following the DIY refill procedure.
Although this uses toner to refill HP laser cartridges, you can refill similar cartridges from other laser printers by following the same steps.
How to refill an HP laser cartridge yourself? Before you start refilling, it is important to purchase quality toner ink. You will also need a Phillips screwdriver, a sheet, a soft cloth, any sharp object and high quality ink bottles.
What you need to know about the laser cartridge
A laser printer cartridge, also called laser toner, is a consumable component of the printer. Laser printer cartridges contain powder, a fine dry mixture of plastic particles, carbon and black or other dyes that prints the actual image onto the paper. The toner is transferred to the paper by an electrostatically charged drum unit and melted onto the paper by heated rollers during the printing process.
Low- and mid-range laser printers typically contain two consumable parts: the cartridge itself (the typical life of which is 2,000 pages) and the image drum (the typical life of which is 40,000 pages). Some cartridges include a drum assembly in the design and therefore replacing toner means replacing the drum assembly each time, although some consider this type optional and therefore not cost-effective. Cartridges are similar to ink cartridges that are used for .
Step by step instructions
How to properly disassemble a cartridge:
1. After removing the toner cartridge from the laser printer, the first thing to do is open the side cover screw as shown below:
2 . Now remove the side cover of the printer cartridge:
3 : Once you have removed the outer cover, the next step is to remove the drum. Take it from the white part (gear) and pull it in the indicated direction.
4. This is what the laser cartridge will look like after removing the photo drum:
5. Now you need to disable the video as shown below:
6. Apply slight pressure to the rod using a sharp tool and then slightly push it up and out to the left.
7. The next step is to separate the waste block and the ink block, which are connected together using pins. So you have to take out the pins that are on both sides.
8. After pushing the pin from the inside, it's time to pull it out from the outside, as you can see in the picture below.
9. After removing the pins on both sides, you need to remove the spring, as shown in the figure:
10. The next step is to separate the two main parts. One part is garbage and the other is called ink tank. Hold the toner as shown in the picture and pull both parts apart.
11. A view of part of the waste ink and a closer view of the spring that must be removed to open the waste ink container.
12. Remove the spring and then remove the plastic cover as shown in the picture:
13. Now remove the screws of the waste container to separate the cleaning blade, and then remove the ink that was collected in this part.
14. Now that you have managed to open it, you should clean the garbage collector and the cleaning blade part. The cleaning blade should be cleaned with a soft cloth rather than a brush, as the brush may scratch the blade.
16. Replace the plastic cover until it locks into the slot/groove as shown:
17. Now install the spring back to its position as shown in the picture below.
18. Now, what you have done is that you have opened the waste ink container, cleaned it out and then closed it. Now begins the main part, which is refilling the laser printer cartridge. So now take the other part where the ink is. Open it and fill it with ink, then close it and finally assemble the two parts that were separated earlier.
19. After removing the side cover, you can see the white plastic cover, you should remove it and fill in the toner powder for the cartridge:
20. Charging the cartridge. Remove the white plastic cap, you are now ready to refill the toner, but before doing so, remember to “shake the ink tank before use”. After removing the cap from the bottle, you can put on the plastic cap that you usually get with the bottle, or you can ask the seller for one.
21. Now it's time to fill and close the lid as shown below:
22. Now you need to combine two blocks i.e. waste container and ink block as shown below: Make sure to align them as shown in the directions given below:
23. The next step is to re-insert that you have connected on both sides.
24. Now after you have inserted the pins, it is time to insert the roller as shown below:
25. It's time to put the drum back in its position, i.e. to the drum retaining pin:
26. After reinstalling the drum, install the side cover.
27. Finally, reinsert the spring. Z The laser printer adjustment is complete.
I hope you can easily refill your laser printer toner by following the steps above.
How to choose the right toner
The term "toner" refers to the dry "ink" plastic powder that is used to print on printers, copiers and fax machines that use the laser printing process. Unlike the ink used in inkjet printers, which sprays liquid onto a page and allows it to dry, toner is placed on the page and then goes through a heating process that melts the plastic onto the paper. Since it is not a liquid, it does not experience the "bleeding" that ink can have if the paper gets wet after printing.
When you shop for replacement toner and cartridges for your hp laser printer, copier, fax or , you may encounter terms that are unfamiliar to you or have questions about what type of toner you should buy. We hope this guide helps make the purchasing process a little easier.
- Usually the easiest way to find your toner is the manufacturer's part number (sometimes printed on the cartridge/bottle or on the printer/copier/fax machine itself). If a part number is not available, most suppliers will have the ability to locate the product you need (such as our Quick Finder or our catalog view page) using the manufacturer's name and printer/copier/fax model number.
- Many manufacturers will offer an original manufacturer brand and a less expensive compatible brand.
- Some toner cartridges are available with higher yield options. If available, a longer lasting cartridge will typically cost less per copy, saving you money and time.
- Don't forget to order all colors. Typically, color laser printers use different toner cartridges for each color. If one cartridge runs low, you can refill other colors so you have them on hand when they are also empty.
- If cartridges are not exposed to heat or excessive moisture and are stored in their original, sealed packaging, they have a fairly long shelf life. Having extras on hand (in each color if your printer is a color device) will help you ensure that when the current cartridge is empty, you won't have a delay waiting for a new cartridge.
Conclusion
And so, I hope in this article we were able to explain as clearly and clearly as possible how to refill a laser printer. Refilling cartridges for laser printers is not a long or difficult process; with certain knowledge, it will not be difficult for you to refill the cartridge
How to refill a laser printer cartridge
In our world, every company tries to find profit in everything. Thus, in the computer industry, printer manufacturers receive most of their profits not from the sale of office equipment, but from the sale of components for it. For example, HP receives the lion's share of profits from the sale of printer cartridges.
The reason for this is that when purchasing a printer, the buyer receives a demo cartridge, which is not only half filled, but also “refuses” to be refilled after the toner or ink runs out. And while refilling an inkjet printer cartridge is quite easy, you will have to tinker with laser printer cartridges. How to refill a laser printer cartridge?
Useful "rules"
In fact, there is nothing complicated about refilling cartridges. It is enough to understand a couple of rules and follow precautions, since the toner used to refill laser printer cartridges is harmful to health.
It will not be possible to refill chipped cartridges for the first time at home, since the chip will need to be replaced and “cancelled.” It is better to contact specialized companies for this, where they will replace the chip and refill the cartridge.
If you are not well versed in technology, it is not recommended to refill the cartridge yourself. Not everyone is capable of assembling/disassembling equipment, and if you scratch a sensitive element, you can completely throw it in the trash. Therefore, if you are not sure that you can refill a laser printer cartridge yourself, it is better to trust the professionals. Save your health, nerves and cartridge.
There is no universal toner. As a result, you need to purchase exactly the toner powder that is suitable for your printer model. Don't worry, the toner packaging usually says "supported" types of cartridges.
Precautionary measures
As mentioned above, toner is very harmful to health. Do not allow it to get on your hands or into your respiratory tract. In this regard, it is recommended that you wear rubber gloves and a robe while refilling so that the toner does not get on your clothes.
Refueling should take place in a well-ventilated area. You should definitely wear goggles over your eyes, and a respirator or gauze mask over your nose and mouth. Alas, even a gas mask will not hold the toner powder, so you need to be careful when refilling and try not to spray it. But don’t worry or worry too much about your health. You won't blow it up just by refilling it.
Remember that toner should be stored under normal conditions and at normal temperatures. If moisture gets into it, it will cause the powder to “clump.” Cartridges cannot be refilled with this toner. If lumps appear, close the toner bottle and shake it.
Refueling process
Refilling a laser printer cartridge yourself is not as easy as it might seem. There are three types of cartridges:
To refill some, you just need to remove the cap and add toner;
To refill others, you will need to completely disassemble the entire cartridge;
To refill chip cartridges you will need the help of professionals.
In the first case, refilling the cartridge with toner will not take even ten minutes. Place a newspaper on the table or floor and remove the cartridge from the printer. Then unscrew a couple of bolts and remove the special plug from it. Then we fill in the toner purchased at the store and insert the plug into place. Shake the cartridge, wipe off any remaining toner with a dry cloth and insert the cartridge into the printer. That's it, the laser printer cartridge is refilled.
In the second case, refilling will take longer, since you will need to completely disassemble the printer cartridge. On the Internet, for each type of cartridge there is a diagram for its complete disassembly. The principle of disassembling the cartridge comes down to the following: remove the cover, move the metal arms apart and pull out the photosensitive drum, which should not be touched with your hands. After refueling, all this is assembled in the reverse order.
Some experienced users prefer to drill a hole in the cartridge and fill it with toner. But to do this you need to know where to drill. Therefore, you should resort to this method in extreme cases.
Refilling chipped cartridges at home is impossible, as it requires flashing or replacing the chip. If it turns out that you are unlucky with the cartridge, then contact a specialized company to replace the chip. After which you will be able to refill the cartridge yourself using the above methods.
The main thing is to take care of your health when refilling and avoid getting toner on your hands, face or respiratory tract. A new cartridge can be bought in a store, but health cannot.
Modern printing devices using laser technology provide high speed and excellent quality of work. But visualizing a file on paper does not appear out of nowhere; for this you need consumable toner. If the quality of the printed result leaves much to be desired (pale colors, light stripes on text or images), then this indicates only one thing: the toner is used up and the laser printer needs to be refilled. You can do it yourself - you just need to follow these recommendations.
Any such device is refilled with a toner powder specially designed for this purpose. It is important that different printer models and toners use different. The manufacturer usually makes it easier for the user to choose by indicating on the bottle a list of laser printer models for which the proposed product is suitable. This color mixture is based on technology developed for a specific brand.
Among laser printer toners, several categories can be roughly distinguished.
- Original toner. It is located inside a branded cartridge and is suitable for a specific printer model. You can order this color mixture only at large chemical plants of well-known manufacturers. For most brands (for example, Samsung and others) you cannot buy such material. However, there are no exceptions without rules: for example, it is quite possible to purchase such a cartridge for OKI, Lexmark and Canon.
- Much more often, refueling specialists use compatible options. But here you also need to look at the organization offering its services: for example, Uninet, Katun, Colortek, Hi-Black do this for HP printers. Many compatible toners are mistakenly called universal.
- The most unscrupulous option is fake toner. Externally, the packaging and design will be an exact copy of the original consumable, but inside there is a powder produced in violation of the prescribed standards or even intended for a different brand.
Here are some recommendations that will help you choose a truly high-quality toner. Firstly, pay attention to the cost - if it is too low, then this should lead to thoughts of a fake. Second rule: compatible options are best purchased from proven well-known manufacturer, whose packaging itself should be beyond any criticism. For example, for a Samsung laser printer it is best to take Profiline, and for HP models (except HP - 436) Hi-black is perfect. The recognized leader is AQC (American packaging).
A well-selected toner will guarantee high-quality printing and the ability to carry out up to 5 refills. Saving on price may not be the best service here.
What you need to know about the laser cartridge
The future “refueler” should familiarize himself with the internal structure of the cartridge in advance. This can be done using the instructions included with the equipment. Typically, for all manufacturers it consists of two main parts:
- bunker, into which the dye is poured;
- compartment for powder residues and garbage collection.
Laser printer cartridge device
There are 2 types of laser printer cartridges. First, the toner is refilled into the hopper into a hole specially designed for this purpose. The latter do not have such “help”, and you will have to work a little to open the powder bunker.
How does refueling work?
Such an event is carried out in 2 stages:
- emptying the waste container;
- directly refueling.
Cleaning the container
To carry out the work we will need a screwdriver. The algorithm of actions itself will be as follows.
As you can see, all stages of cleaning are carried out with special attention and frugality. If a person does not possess these qualities, you should not even think about holding an event yourself.
Ideally, all this work should be carried out in a special room with good exhaust ventilation.
Refueling process
First, it’s worth taking a short course in the “anatomy” of the cartridge. An inspection will show whether the device has a hole into which the toner itself can be poured. If this is not observed, then you will have to completely disassemble the cartridge and pour the toner into the gap through which it will then fall onto the magnetic shaft.
Some laser printer models are equipped with cartridges with chips. This element represents the print counter. You should not try to refill such cartridges yourself - most likely, this will simply lead to a failure of the entire device. This situation is quite justified, because the meter “thinks” that its resource has been used up.
Specialized service centers will help you reset the information (or change the chip).
In addition to black and white “laser cameras,” there are also color models, they are also refueled independently if necessary. At the preparation stage, you will need toners of the required colors. Refilling is carried out using the same technology, but separately for each color cartridge. Then you need to print a test page and, if necessary, carry out the appropriate calibrations.
Colored toners for refilling cartridges
Precautionary measures
Any toner is a chemically dangerous toxic substance. It must be used with extreme caution. It is important to take special measures.
- Before starting work, put on a work coat or other clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. You must have rubber gloves on your hands. It is advisable to wear a special respiratory mask or gauze bandage - this will reduce the risk of poisoning.
- The room in which you will perform the refueling process must be thoroughly ventilated. Individual particles of toner powder can even penetrate a gas mask.
- The table on which the action will take place is covered with a protective covering. A simple newspaper is also suitable as a budget option.
Equally important is the resource availability of the laser printer part. On average, you can complete the cartridge refill procedure 5-15 times. However, after every third procedure, restoration should be done, that is, the consumable parts that require it should be replaced.
In general, it is quite possible to refill a laser printer yourself. But when holding an event, you need to be absolutely confident in your own abilities and carefully study the manual for your own model. Otherwise, saving money on “do-it-yourself service” is out of the question - it is better to carry out such maintenance by the hands of specialists.
