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If you use a printer that needs toner cartridges, you’re doubtless aware of the high cost of OEM replacement cartridges. OEM stands for “original equipment manufacturer.” This consequently means that if you have an HP or Epson printer, for instance, you’re using HP or Epson ink toner cartridges. To help resolve problems with expensive OEM toner ink cartridges, many after market compatible toner cartridges exist in the UK. These sell brands aside from the OEM.
Differences Between OEM and Compatible Cartridges
There’s been a great deal of controversy concerning the implementation of compatible ink cartridges. When these products initially were conceived, OEMs tried to oppose their use by asserting that if used, compatible ink toner cartridges would void the printer’s warranty. However, legislation has since been enacted in the UK that keeps printer OEMs from implementing this restrictive policy. Printer owners are free to choose any type of printer toner cartridges, whether OEM or compatible. However, you should be aware that the performance of compatible cartridges can be highly unpredictable. In 2008, a quality assurance firm named QualityLogic did a study that compared HP branded LaserJet toner cartridges to five kinds of compatibles. The results showed that “the quality and usability of pages printed with Original HP LaserJet colour toner cartridges was consistently more reliable than output from the re-manufactured colour toner cartridges.”
Compatible Toner Cartridges -Cartridge Fuses and Chips
Another strategy used by OEMs to deter the use of third-party laser toner cartridges in their products is the use of chips and fuses. The chip links to the printer to confirm that the cartridge is an OEM. It’s thought that the chip supervises toner usage and classifies the cartridge as empty. So even should the cartridge is refilled, the printer will assume it’s empty. Plus, a built-in fuse “blows” (shorts the electrical circuit) if the toner cartridge is empty. It isn’t easy to replace a blown fuse in a cartridge. Both the chip and the fuse need to be exchanged for a compatible toner cartridge to work properly. Does this appear as if it’s getting a bit intricate? Well, that’s just what the OEMs want you to assume. In reality both chips and fuses are accessible and replaceable, so a lot of compatible cartridges are as proficient in connecting to the printer as OEM cartridges.
The option between OEM and compatible toner cartridges is completely up to the printer’s owner or user. In the UK, compatibles allow for major cost savings.
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