HP Thoughts Against the Remanufactured Laser Toner Cartridges

Hewlett Packard / HP warns Australian business customers to "think twice before using remanufactured toner" in its business eNewsletter.

In its IT business eNewsletter, HP outlines reasons why it believes remanufactured toner "might be hurting instead of helping" businesses that use such products; firstly claiming that "it's not very reliable and may harm your printer" due to "critical cartridge components" in reused products being "very easily damaged or near the end of their usable life" and so are "more likely to fail".

It added that this could also "cause damage to your printer", citing research by Lyra Research, which was acquired by Photizo Group in 2012, with the research allegedly finding that "nearly one in 10 LaserJet customers using non-HP cartridges end up with a damaged printer that requires cleaning or repair, and 26% experience downtime as a result of cartridge problems".

Hidden costs are a further issue that HP claims remanufactured toner cartridges poses due to "hidden costs in the form of support calls, reprints, and wasted supplies" which may make using remanufactured toner "less economical than it might seem". As a result, the OEM stated that "non-HP toner cartridges can actually cost up to 10% more than original HP toner cartridges".

Continuing its list, HP stated that "it's not necessarily better for the environment" to use remanufactured toner, claiming that "remanufacturing rarely prevents toner ending up in landfills". It cited a 2014 study which allegedly found that "nearly 90% of the toner cartridges sold by the remanufacturers surveyed will ultimately be thrown away" as "most remanufacturers fail to collect their own products".

In terms of the technology of remanufactured toner, HP claims that "remanufacturers can't replicate HP technology exactly because HP technical specifications are proprietary and unpublished" and "most aftermarket toners lack uniformity in particle size". The OEM therefore concludes that "using remanufactured toner will guarantee that you aren't getting the quality your printer has the potential for producing".

Finally, HP highlights the potential issue of page yields, claiming that those of remanufactured cartridges "do not equal those of HP cartridges" as "most do not adhere to ISO standards for measuring page yield".

HP concludes that businesses should "do your research and figure out if it really will be as beneficial to your business as you might think" as "you could be surprised by the answer".

Source: The Recycler

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