refilling laser toner cartridges

marklefty

Has anyone refilled there laser toner cartridges instead of replacing them? I have a Samsung laser printer and get through a black or colour toners every two months, can any one suggest a company they would recommend

Many thanks

Little_John

Not many places will refillt hem for you cartridge world may do it but they charge a fair whack.

You can buy refil kits online, the process usually involves melting a hole in a certain location on the cartridge and pouring new tonner in the hole it isnt very scientific but its really messy, you then stick a peice of tape over the hole to stop the tonner comming out LOL you cant use a plug or anything as the tonner usually fits snuggley in the printer. have a go if you can get the tonner you dont have much to loose.

ohh the hole melting thing is usualy a moddified soldering iron with the bit replaced with what looks like a small cookie cutter and people sell these things just make your own.

Debt_Free_Chick

I've just refilled all three colour toners on my Minolta Magicolour 2300.

I was incredibly impressed with the service from www.refilltoner.com (based in Birmingham, despite the web address).

They supplied bottle of toner, funnel lid to screw onto bottle, face mask, latex gloves and step by step instructions (need to buy a starter pack for all this - but you only need to do it once). First one was a bit fiddly, as I'd not done it before, but the other two I managed with more confidence. Filling all three took about 20 minutes in total.

Chances are, it'll be easy as the toner probably has a rubber plug at one end. You only need to prize this off to refill the toner - see here.

I've only used that site once, but would definitely go back to them again. Oh, and each refill only cost £24.99 compared with £93 for a new toner cartridge from Minolta UK :eek: or somewhere in excess of £40 elsewhere, online

SomeOne_2

@ Debt_Free_Chick:

Just wonderin, have you had any problems with it?
For the same printer i got a black toner refill from the same company but my cartridge ended up jamming.

Debt_Free_Chick

SomeOne wrote:

@ Debt_Free_Chick:

Just wonderin, have you had any problems with it?
For the same printer i got a black toner refill from the same company but my cartridge ended up jamming.

Interesting ..... I've only replaced the colour toners so far, but replaced all three at once and no problems. I have a black refill, but no need to use it yet.

They do warn about some jamming problems, but I'll need to dig out the paperwork to see what's supposed to prevent it.

Did it wreck the printer :eek: or did you manage to cure it?

Lord_Chris

refilling toner? correct me if im wrong, but isnt toner a powder?

considering that this refill kit comes with latex gloves and a face mask, are you sure you want to bother with that mess to save all of 20 quid?

Be_Happy

Little_John wrote:

Not many places will refillt hem for you cartridge world may do it but they charge a fair whack.

You can buy refil kits online, the process usually involves melting a hole in a certain location on the cartridge and pouring new tonner in the hole it isnt very scientific but its really messy, you then stick a peice of tape over the hole to stop the tonner comming out LOL you cant use a plug or anything as the tonner usually fits snuggley in the printer. have a go if you can get the tonner you dont have much to loose.

ohh the hole melting thing is usualy a moddified soldering iron with the bit replaced with what looks like a small cookie cutter and people sell these things just make your own.

How terrifying this sounds - not my experience at all. I have a Samsung Laser printer and buy toner from https://www.topinks.co.uk (see previous thread on this subject dated 26-06-2006). Toner comes in 110g bottles costing £7.25 each or 3 for £14.50. Kit comes with filler spout and instructions and involves unclipping plug from end of existing cartridge, pouring in toner and replacing plug. Price of toner may vary between Samsung models, I'm not sure, but I do know that the ML1610 is more difficult, but you can send its cartridge to topinks for them to fill and return to you. This costs around £15 for the toner and postage back to you - you have to pay the initial postage to them

SomeOne_2

It didnt wreck the printer but I ended up buying a replacement genuine toner cartridge. I still have the refilled one, it could have been that the cartridge was not completely empty so I may try transferring the toner when this one runs out.

martindow

I also have a Samsung printer and find that cartridges can be refilled about 3 times before problems start happening. New toner cartridges are over 60 pounds so 15 pounds or so for refills is well worth doing.

I refill outdoors on a calm day in case I spill any toner. Some cartridges (including mine) need a hole melted to refill but others have pieces that can be unscrewed or levered out so are easier still. Companies that supply bottles of toner also tend to give instructions for your cartridge.

oldrimes

How easy and straight forward refilling is - depends on the cartridge manufacturer. Some already come with a plug that is straight forward to remove and replace. I agree about doing it outside - just in case. It helps if you shake the bottle holding the toner, before removing its lid and pouring it into the cartridge - the powder flows straight in to the cartridge.

Consumable Cafe have specific toners for different manufacturers and are quite competitve on prices.

http://www.consumablecafe.co.uk/acatalog/

Skyhigh

Ok, this is from someone with alot of experience refilling toner cartridges under the Samsung range.
So this advice is from my own personal experience and is not deemed a definitive guide - nor guaranteed.


I've had the ML-1210, ML-1510 and currently have the ML-1610.


Now, new cartridges for all of the above cost between £60 and £90.
- I only ever paid £50 for each printer.
(Note: When you buy the printer, the toner is only Partially filled, its not full, so theres no point in buying a new printer every time it runs out).


So, onto the topic.
The ML-1210 and 1510 both use the same basic type of toner cartridge, its a single unit and on one end is a plastic plug.

Now, the art is in removing the plug without damaging it so much that it leaks out the toner powder or will not fit correctly.
Basically some *careful* prizing of the plug with a fine-tipped flat screwdriver tends to work, work your way around the plug slowly lifting it up.
DO NOT just go digging into one side, these plugs are quite a soft plastic and you can damage them easily.

Then when open, simply use the provided funnel (with your toner) to pour the toner is, re-cap the cartrigdge and then SLIGHTLY SHAKE THE CARTRIDGE.

Why shake it?
Well you need to evenly distribute the new toner powder, also when refilling toner can collect on the part of the cartridge where the toner is extracted by the printer - this caused irregular printing, often in the form of "light patches" or "strips" down the middle or sides of printed pages.


Of course, the other option is to unscrew the cartridge completely.
From recollection there are 4 on the ML-1210 and 1510 carts, two near the hand grip and then one at each end.
Be *VERY* careful if you decide to do this, SLOWLY lift the upper half of the cart, this will expose the toner chamber.
CAREFULLY fill the chamber (well, trough, as its half a cylinder when you've split the cartridge in half by unscrewing it), with toner.
Put it back together, lightly shake to re-distribute the toner evenly.


Be very carefully never to get any toner on the shiny external cylinder (green tint in colour).
If you do, wipe it off with a dry cloth or piece of kitchen roll.










Now the ML-1610 is a much different beast as it takes a different cartridge.
Its much easier to refill by far.

Take out the cartridge.
Its in two parts, there is a small (about 4 inch wide and as long as the toner) toner chamber screwed on - by only two screws, on the cartridge.

Unscrew each screw (one either end) and carefully lift off the chamber.
As you lift it off, tilt it towards you.
-- There are two embossed arrows on the chamber showing you which way it slides off the main cartridge.
This prevents toner leaking from the slot on the bottom.
(Toner comes out of the slot on the bottom of the chamber, onto the 'greenish' tube and is then used for printing.....basically ).

Now you have the toner chamber and the main toner cartridge.

We only want to re-fill the toner chamber, as this is where the toner is stored.
On the "underside" of the chamber you should see the two screws that hold it together and also a long thin strip running along the edge of the chamber with about 1cm of plastic finish.
- This is where the toner itself comes out.

Unscrew the panel from the chamber and you will easily be able to pour more toner into the chamber.
Please bear in mind that the chamber is quite deep, you may want to *slightly* tilt it forward and shake it slightly to see how much toner may be stored in the chamber.
So, fill the chamber, tilt the chamber away from you to get the toner into the main bulk of the chamber, repeat.
Be very careful not to OVERFILL the chamber, bear in mind that you have to put the access-panel back on again.

Also try not to get any toner over the plastic/furry (grey) foam where the toner is extruded.

Once the chamber is sealed again - make sure you screw those screws down tightly and that the panel is correctly aligned, or else it will leak....and toner can leak easily, and it gets EVERYWHERE - lightly shake the cartidge to evenly re-distribute the new toner.

Screw the chamber back onto the cartidge (again, sliding it back onto the main cartridge in the OPPOSITE direction to the arrows), screw on and then slide back into the printer.

Print a test page.



TONER IS CARCINOGENIC!!!!

DO THIS IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA, BUT NOT SOMEWHERE WHERE THE TONER MAY BE DISTURBED AND BLOWN ABOUT.
Bear in mind, toner weighs little, its VERY easy to spill and pour too much in.

WEAR LATEX GLOVES and a FITTED air mask where possible.

If you get ANY toner on your skin, wash it off immediately.

ALWAYS put down alot of paper/plastic under the area where you will be working so you can CAREFULLY and easily wrap up any spilt toner.
DO NOT TRY AND HOOVER OR BRUSH IT UP.

Brushing will just introduce it into the air, so will hoovering to a degree.



If you have any worries or health conerns about refilling a toner cartridge, then DO NOT.



I can thoroughly recommend the ConsumableCafe, their prices tend to be the cheapest by far, plus their service is fantastic.
(Having to look after 2x 1210's, 3x1510's, a samsung printer/fax/scanner and my ML1610 I've had to buy a fair bit of toner ).

So, I hope that helps.



At the end of the day, its not too hard when you've done it a few times, you just have to be careful not to spill any.


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