HP Toner Cartridges

HP Toner Cartridges

HP manufactures a vast number of printers suitable for both home and office use, and they all run out of toner at some point. Getting an original toner cartridge is important if you want to get consistent printouts that are high-quality. If your HP model uses a toner cartridge, there are some particular things to know in order to get consistently reliable performance out of your laser printer.

Toner cartridges should be stored upright at room temperature. For consistent, quality performance, make sure that you place the toner cartridge in an upright position for a few hours to allow the particles to settle down into the cartridge ends. When it's time to use a toner cartridge, ensure that you never touch the electronic contacts with any abrasive materials, as this can damage the cartridge. When placing the toner cartridge into the printer, make sure nothing comes into contact with the electronic contacts aside from the designated contact points in the printer itself.

The terms below are some you might see on different kinds of toner cartridges. When you know what they refer to, you’ll know if it’s a product that is appropriate for your printer and for your usage needs.

• OEM cartridges: OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and it simply means the toner cartridges in the package were manufactured by the same company that made the toner cartridge that was packaged with your printer. For instance, HP OEM toner cartridges are those produced by HP. These cartridges are sized and filled appropriately to work with HP laser printers.
• Compatible cartridges: These are an alternative to OEM cartridges. Compatible toner cartridges are developed and manufactured by third-party companies but do follow the standards for the different printers. Their performance, however, can vary from company to company.
• Combination packs: This is another option for heavy users of an HP LaserJet printer. You get two or more toner cartridges in these packages.

HP goes to great lengths to identify counterfeit toner cartridges and remove them from circulation. Ensuring that you are getting genuine HP toner can help you to prolong the usable life of your printer. Authentic HP toner should have a logo with the word "authentic" stamped on its packaging. The packaging should also have an authentic seal.