How to be more environmentally conscious with your printer cartridges

In all walks of life, the push to be more environmentally friendly won’t have gone unnoticed – with the workplace being a major aspect of our daily lives, there is much we can do to cut back on material usage and waste. One of these areas is the consumables within the office, namely the paper and ink we use to print off all our important documents. One easy way to cut down on printer waste is by using remanufactured printer cartridges and refills – these items won’t just reduce your landfill contribution, they can potentially save you hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds a year too. Here, we’re going to take a look at how you can be more environmentally conscious with your printer; contributing to a better environment while reducing your spend.

Saving money with printer toner cartridges – and contribute to a better environment

Why toner cartridge refills are more environmentally friendly

Your printer manufacturer will always advise you to purchase one of their branded cartridges – which come at a premium. Printer toner refills/remanufactured cartridges negate the need to buy completely new ink every time it needs to be changed. They are essentially ‘used’ printer cartridges that have been cleaned and refilled to produce a ‘new’ cartridge – they are much cheaper because of this, avoiding a fateful end in a landfill in the bargain. Printer toner cartridges are made from several different materials – plastics, metals, foam and paper, with the toner itself potentially toxic to the environment. If you consider that it will take several centuries for all these materials to break down, you can see why the industry is keen on keeping as many consumables out of our waste piles as possible. Most print cartridges can be reused too – so it stands to sense that they should be reused to help the environment (and our pockets).

Replace your imaging drum, rather than buying more toner

If you find that your printing quality has declined, you may be tempted to change the ink or even change your ink supplier due to a perceived dip in its quality. Instead of going to the expense of needlessly replacing your cartridge, it could be the case that it’s your image drum that needs attention. Many modern printers have a two-piece system that consists of a toner and an image drum – the drum transfers the powder (‘ink’) from the toner to the paper. Due to this process, the drum will often get covered with excess powder, producing smudges, blots and other signs of a poor print job. You don’t have to replace the drum every time you replace the cartridge, but it’s always advisable to perform maintenance at regular intervals. Due to common wear-and-tear, you will need to replace the drum at some point (persistent issues after you perform maintenance is a sure-fire sign that the drum is damaged) – just don’t consider the ink quality is poor because the printer isn’t producing at the standard you’d like. By cleaning the image drum, you’ll be able to make it last for longer – perfect to save money and cut down on your waste.

Use compatible printer cartridges, rather than manufacturer ‘OEM’ items

In addition to remanufactured printer toner cartridges, is compatible cartridges (the terms are commonly grouped together). A compatible cartridge is a brand-new item, made by a third party, that has been designed to fit your specific printer. They will usually be made from recycled materials and therefore the producer’s overheads will be relatively low – savings they pass on to their customers. As a result, they make for cheaper alternatives to the printer manufacturers own cartridges. Those were three ways you can save money on your printing consumables while protecting the environment. If you would like to learn more, why not consider getting in touch with our expert team today?

A one-stop-shop for all your printing consumables

Here at Zinetic, we are a one-stop-shop for all your printing needs. Aside from printer toner and cartridges, we retail a full range of image drums and reset chip for all major manufacturers. So, regardless of your requirements, we can supply you with everything you need to get your printer producing high-quality prints for much more economical price. Please feel free to browse our selection of printer toner cartridges and click on each product for further information. If you have any questions about them or on anything printer-related in general, why not get in touch with us today? You can call us on 0118 328 2005 or alternatively, click on our ‘Contact Us’ tab to send us an e-mail.