Risk factor "Refill"

What can and can not be in newly filled inks and toner cartridges.

When asked whether cheap refill cartridges are not the best solution for the environment, the printer owner and his account, there is a very clear answer: No! Because "refill", that is often saving in the wrong place. That can go well for a long time and then come to an unexpected end with the sudden printer's death. Or it can bring a long suffering in the form of smeared prints, unidentifiable cartridges or damaged image drum.

Both of these spoil the user's enjoyment of printing at some point - and destroy his confidence in the accessory dealer industry. Wrong: Serious providers usually have nothing to do with cheap refill toners. One more reason to take a closer look at the mechanisms and risks of the "refill" industry.

What does "refill" actually mean?

Many users have difficulty distinguishing the terms "refill" and "recycling". No wonder: Often the terms synonymous of ink and toner providers synonymous used or confused. There is, above all, one thing to know: "Refill", in the context of printer accessories, means nothing other than the filling of new ink or toner into used cartridges. It does not say anything about the quality of the ink, whether and how the cartridges were previously cleaned, and whether any wearing parts have been replaced. As far as environmental protection is concerned, "refill" initially says nothing at all.

Properly recycled ink cartridges are more than just color.
Although the term recycling is also broad, it also includes basic treatment and the aspect of sustainability. However, "refill" inks are often cartridges that have been filled with inferior ink fluid, without taking into account the specific requirements of the cartridge type. Dependable retailers, therefore, prefer their recycled ink cartridges to recycled inks, and guarantee their shoppers careful cleaning of their empty, original cartridges as well as a trustworthy production of the often complex ink blends.

Illegal cheap inks harm the printer and the environment

Unfortunately, it is not everywhere, where "recycling" is on it, even recycling in it: low-cost suppliers, who often source their goods from the Far East, support a product piracy of immense extent. Because more and more often the counterfeit cartridges are declared as recycled original inks, the only reliable warning signal for the consumer here - as so often - the price. These "refill" cartridges are unpredictable not only in terms of printing performance and quality, but also in the disposal of highly problematic: The ink liquid may contain toxic heavy metals that are difficult to break down.

"Refill" toner - an unpredictable risk for laser printers

With cheap produced toner powder, filled in superficially cleaned empty cartridges, even more money is earned. It is particularly important here just not to rely on pure refilling, but to recycle the empty cartridges professional and work up. If the mechanical individual parts of the empty originals are not checked and wear parts replaced, the printer is threatened in the long term. The wrong composition of the toner powder can cause damage to the inside of the device that can no longer be repaired. If mechanical small parts loosen, they can quickly block the whole printer.

In addition, damage occurs due to a different melting point of the original toner: Melted toner can stick to the roller of the fuser unit (too low melting point) or the toner particles do not adhere to the paper (too high melting point).

Reputable suppliers such as Prindo therefore guarantee a recycling process that includes ongoing quality assurance and is audited according to European DIN standards.

Fill yourself? "Do it yourself" is not always a good idea!

Again and again, the savings that can be made possible by filling ink cartridges and toner cartridges by hand are praised in online and stationary retailing. For this purpose - especially with the toner - a long list of Dos and Don'ts is delivered, which proves one thing above all: The do-it-yourself is in this case a very complicated, often dirty and as for the toner powder, also highly dangerous matter.

Already refilling the ink liquid in the empty cartridges requires the highest concentration, a lot of skill and a lot of time. If this goes wrong, the ink can quickly stain permanently on clothing and furniture if it does not accidentally get into the printer and cause disturbances there. Even more time-consuming is only the independent transfer of toner powder in empty cartridges: Quite apart from the risk of not having caught just the right toner mixture for the printer model, the risk of health impairment is high.

No wonder that the instructions for the independent replacement of the toner are usually accompanied by instructions such as "Please do not breathe!", "Refill only in the open air!", "Toner residues never with the vacuum cleaner, toner is everywhere in the Air is distributed! "And so on.

Why we should leave ink and toner recycling to the specialists.

Our conclusion: Neither the effort of self-filling nor the savings on the purchase of cheap refill goods dubious origin really worth it. Sometimes the ink composition is not right and the prints are hardly usable, at other times the toner weakens and loses its parts inside the printer. Or, or, or ... Good recycled goods, such as Prindo and other reputable online vendors in the program, is not available for two euros. However, compared to the new original product, these recycled inks and toners are a cheap and reliable alternative. One that not only protects the environment, but also your printer.