For most small businesses, their photocopier is a central lifeline to their business. Whether they only use it to print invoices or rely on it for all correspondence, communications and physical marketing materials, their printer needs to be high quality, reliable and well-stocked with toner.
Most office printers today are multi-function devices, capable of scanning, printing and photocopying documents, as well as collating, sorting, stapling and in some cases even laminating individual pieces.
Whilst there are a lot of different types of printers out there, and we will use our extensive expertise to ensure you have the right one for your business, the most common of these in small and medium-sized enterprises is a laser printer with scanning and copying functionality.
This means that, unlike a low-cost inkjet printer, it uses toner powder instead to create sharp prints using a complex electrostatic process.
Whenever a business buys a new printer or toner cartridge, they want to know how long it lasts so they are never caught short.
Whilst we offer toner monitoring services and can order additional toner ahead of when you need it, it is worth knowing how long it lasts and when you should expect to need to replace the cartridge.
To understand this, it is important to know how manufacturers measure how many pages a toner will print, how long toner cartridges last and what external factors can affect the longevity of your toner.
How Do We Measure The Lifespan Of A Toner Cartridge?
When businesses care about the lifespan of a toner cartridge, they are typically thinking about how many pages it can print before the cartridge runs out of toner powder.
This is measured in terms of page yield, or how many standard pages a toner cartridge can print out before it needs to be replaced.
What is a “standard page”? This used to be a very difficult question to answer and one that varied depending on manufacturer, but thankfully, toner cartridges use the ISO/IEC 19752 independent standard.
This standard, first implemented in 2004, involves the use of a standard text document which has a page coverage of approximately five per cent. This is roughly two or three paragraphs of text at a standard size.
Therefore, if you are using your printer to print long documents, are printing in colour or using rich black ink settings, you should expect to use more toner per page.
In general, a standard document uses closer to ten per cent, a spreadsheet or highly detailed invoice 30 per cent and a full-page image closer to 80 per cent. This is twice, six times and 16 times the expected page count and should be factored into your toner use.
How Long Do Unopened Toner Cartridges Last?
Another consideration for small businesses that largely operate a paperless office is the other type of lifespan; how long do toner cartridges last before the toner becomes unusable?
An unopened, sealed toner cartridge will have an expiration date printed on it, but in general, they will last for between two and three years. If stored properly, they can last a lot longer than this.
Unlike ink, which can degrade considerably over time, toner tends to remain chemically stable.
However, the mechanical components and rubber seals can wear out, which means that an open but uninstalled cartridge will typically last six months before the drum can become susceptible to streaking or fading.
Finally, a cartridge that is installed but largely unused will typically last three or four months before the print results can become compromised.
What Factors Can Affect The Longevity Of Printer Toner?
In general, the longevity of printer toner is based more on external factors and usage patterns than strictly on time. Here are some of the biggest factors that can affect it:
- Sealed Box Or Packet – If the toner is sealed, the air, moisture and light that can affect toner will not have a chance to affect it, which can extend its lifespan by years.
- Temperature – High heat can cause issues with toner settlement and damage some of the cartridge parts, and regular temperature changes can lead to inconsistencies.
- Humidity – If there is a lot of moisture in the office air, which can be caused in some regions or through the use of a nearby humidifier, it can cause the toner powder to clump together.
- Direct Sunlight – This can damage the packaging, raise the temperature of the cartridge and damage the drum.
- Careful Handling – Dropping the toner, standing on it, crushing it in a corner or storing it on its side can cause issues with some of the internal components.