Refilling toner cartridges at home. Technology for refilling inkjet cartridges. How to refill a laser cartridge yourself: step by step

In this short article you will learn how to refill laser printer. Any user can carry out all the work independently; nothing is complicated. But you need to know how to use a screwdriver and sometimes pliers. Now we will look general recommendations for refilling toner cartridges. As an example, the most common printer models that are most often found in offices and homes will be given.

Features of refilling HP and Canon cartridges

Perhaps the best laser printer for the home is one made by HP or Canon. There are models that are very similar to each other. Refueling is carried out according to the same algorithm:

Take out the cartridge.
Filming sidebar cartridge by unscrewing 1-2 screws.
Pull out the magnetic shaft and photodrum.
Pour new toner ink into the hole that is covered.

Reassemble in reverse order. Most cartridges have a refill hole; it is covered with a plastic plug. It is worth noting that when refueling you do not need to change the chip or reset the counter.

Samsung and Brother printers

These brands are a little more demanding when it comes to refilling, especially Brother. With Samsung, everything is very clear - the cartridge needs to be disassembled and new toner must be poured through the filling hole. In this case, no other manipulations are necessary. But you need to know how to refill a laser printer cartridge yourself if you have Brother. First, you will have to disassemble the cartridge and pour toner inside. Be sure to empty out any remaining waste in the waste bin. You can reuse them - it's not critical.

In addition, this printer model has a built-in system that counts the number of printed sheets. Moreover, when the threshold value is reached, printing stops completely. Fortunately, such a “breakdown” can be eliminated simple manipulations:

Turn on the printer.
You wait until it starts and shuts down (all the internals stop rotating).
Press the “Back” and “Up” buttons.
Press the “Down” button several times until “00” appears on the display.

That’s it, press the “Start” button and get to work. The counter is reset to zero and you can continue printing. Refueling is not necessary at all.

OKI Printers

These printing machines are different in that they also have chips installed. This small boards with microcircuits that specify the resource ( maximum amount pages that can be printed). As a rule, it is necessary to replace the chip every time the cartridge is refilled. Now we’ll talk about how to refill laser printers of such models. First, let's talk about finicky OKIs:

Refilling is necessary infrequently, since the cartridge has (like all others) two hoppers - for clean toner and for waste. But to save money they are connected to each other. As a result, the toner takes a very long time to be produced.
The cartridge has a microchip installed. When a certain number of printed pages is reached, the printer simply stops. Therefore, the chip needs to be replaced.
In addition, sometimes (about once every 15,000 sheets) the printer begins to “swear” at the cartridge. Only installing a new element will help. But you can also cheat. New cartridges have fuses that burn out the first time they are turned on. The printer “sees” new cartridge and starts counting again. To deceive the printer, it is enough to close the corresponding contacts and open them in time when turned on. It is convenient to use an ammeter for this purpose.

Xerox Printers

These printing machines are also capricious, but not as much as the previous ones. How to refill a Xerox laser printer? This is very easy to do - remove the cartridge and add new toner. Moreover, sometimes you don’t even have to disassemble the unit - the filling hole is in plain sight. But the problem is that you will need to install chips. Their cost is quite high, but some technicians manage to programmatically eliminate the need to replace the chip card.

Now you know how to refill laser printers various models, and what nuances you might encounter in doing so. If you are not sure about own strength, take the cartridge to a workshop - they will do everything much faster and will also provide a guarantee for the work performed.

Remove the cover. Add toner. Close the lid. Insert back into the device. I must say that refilling the laser gun is not difficult at all. If you follow certain rules and don’t lose consciousness when hearing the words “screwdriver” and “pliers.” Because these are the tools you need to refill a laser printer cartridge yourself.

Laser printers are refilled with a special powder called toner.

All printers have different toners. The manufacturer usually indicates on toner bottles a list of models for which a particular powder is intended.

The toner is chemically very dangerous, you should use it carefully.

It is important to know whether the cartridge has a special chip that blocks the operation of the device after consumables will develop its resource. If yes, then it is better to take it to a gas station.

Security measures

All components of toner for printing devices are very toxic. To avoid poisoning, before refilling a laser printer cartridge, you should wear latex gloves, robe or other clothes that you don’t mind.

Toner replacement should be done in a well-ventilated area. Since small particles of toner dust can even pass through a special gas mask. You can arm yourself with a respirator or gauze bandage. But they are unlikely to help if even the gas mask allows dust particles to pass through.

The table on which the laser printer cartridge will be refilled should be covered with newspaper or something similar.

What are cartridges made of?

There are two types of laser cartridges. Some have a special hole for pouring powder into the hopper, others do not. With such a model you will have to tinker in order to get to the toner compartment.

The print cartridge consists of two parts. The first is the dye hopper. The second is a container for collecting garbage and powder residues.

Replacing the toner in a cartridge is carried out in two stages: first cleaning the waste container, then refilling it.

How to clean a laser printer cartridge

Now you need to disassemble and clean the garbage container from dirt. To do this, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws that secure the side plugs of the housing. Then carefully pull out the photosensitive drum. It is important not to grab it with your fingers by the main surface, but try to hold it on the sides or by the gear, otherwise the drum will deteriorate and will be unsuitable for subsequent use. After the photo roll is removed from the case, it is advisable to place it away from the main workspace, covering it with a newspaper or sheet of paper to prevent light and dust from entering.

Then you need to remove the charging shaft (rubberized part), which is located under the photosensitive drum. At the same time, remember that all parts must be taken by the side parts. Since damage to the surface of these parts will reduce print quality.

Now we unscrew the cleaning blade, which is called a squeegee. And carefully, so that the remaining powder and debris do not fly around, turn over and shake out the container. We carefully clean all the parts from paint residues and put them back together. In filling workshops they use a special vacuum cleaner, with which they clean the entire body of the printing device.

Refilling the printer

The toner hopper is located in the second half of the print module. Most often, access to the refill hole is located on the side under a plastic cover. But there are cartridges whose design does not provide holes for filling in paint. In this case, you will have to completely unscrew the cartridge and pour toner into the slot through which it falls onto the magnetic roller. Sometimes a hole is made in the hopper and cartridges are refilled this way. Avoiding complete disassembly and cleaning the entire cartridge.

Having opened the cap of the magnetic hopper, take the toner purchased in advance at an office equipment store, and using a funnel or an A4 sheet rolled into it, pour the powder into the hopper. Do not fill the hopper completely, as this may cause the cartridge to jam. There should be one and a half to two centimeters left to the edge. Then close the lid, assemble both parts and insert the refilled cartridge into the device.

Nuances that you need to pay attention to when refilling toners yourself.

It often happens that laser printer cartridges are equipped with a print counter chip. To refill them, you should contact specialists to reset the data in the chip’s memory or to replace it. Even if you manage to do all the dirty work at home, the printer will simply refuse to work, since “according to its calculations, the resource has already been used up.”

An important question is “How many times can a cartridge be refilled?” It all depends on the cartridge itself. On average, this amount ranges from 5 to 15 times. Moreover, during every 3–6 refueling it is necessary to perform a restoration. This is a procedure for replacing consumable parts that need to be replaced as they wear out.

Overall the gas station is not that great difficult task. But you should take on this task only when you are confident that everything will work out. Otherwise, you will have to buy a new cartridge, and its cost is often comparable to the cost of the device itself. And all the expected savings from " independent service"will come to naught. If you still have questions about how to fill laser cartridge, then we advise you to read the instructions for refueling your particular model. To do this, go to the section.

The question of how to refill a laser printer cartridge is not as difficult as users of printing devices imagine. However, there are some points to consider.

So, do not forget that cartridge powder is very harmful to human health. Of course, you shouldn’t be afraid of the refueling procedure, which takes place once a year, but you shouldn’t treat it negligently. Normal safety precautions must be followed.

To find out how to refill a laser cartridge yourself, you need to read all the instructions for the device first. The procedure should be performed in a well-ventilated room. Using dust masks will not do any good. If you have any doubts that you can handle it yourself, it is better to go to a place where they know exactly how to refuel such equipment. The only question will be cost.

If you still decide how refill hp laser toner cartridge yourself, it is recommended to purchase the powder in specialized stores. Before the procedure, the working surface is covered with newspaper or other similar material. protective coating.

The picture below shows that: Unlike charging ink jets, refilling laser cartridges involves almost complete disassembly and subsequent reassembly

Sometimes a laser cartridge has a special plug through which the powder is poured into the toner. To do this, you just need to remove the side cover of the device. If there is no such part, then the equipment will need to be completely disassembled. Therefore, before purchasing a printing device, we advise you to find out whether it is equipped with a toner plug.

Refilling cartridges yourself can be difficult due to the presence of a CHIP that is difficult to unlock if it is not oriented towards self-zeroing.

Purchasing a color laser device involves refilling four cartridges, which may not be on sale. Therefore, it is worth thinking about the feasibility of the purchase.

Modern printing devices running on laser technology, provide high speed And excellent quality work. But visualizing a file on paper does not appear out of nowhere; for this you need consumable toner. If the quality of the printed result leaves much to be desired (pale colors, light stripes on text or images), then this indicates only one thing: the toner is used up and the laser printer needs to be refilled. You can do it yourself - you just need to follow these recommendations.

Any such device is refilled with a toner powder specially designed for this purpose. The important thing is that in different models different printers and toners are used. The manufacturer usually makes it easier for the user to choose by indicating on the bottle a list of laser printer models for which the proposed product is suitable. This color mixture is based on technology developed for a specific brand.

Among laser printer toners, several categories can be roughly distinguished.

Original toner. It is located inside the branded cartridge and is suitable for a certain model printer. You can order this color mixture only at large chemical plants of well-known manufacturers. For most brands (for example, Samsung and others) you cannot buy such material. However, there are no exceptions without rules: for example, it is quite possible to purchase such a cartridge for OKI, Lexmark and Canon.
Much more often, refueling specialists use compatible options. But here you also need to look at the organization offering its services: for example, Uninet, Katun, Colortek, Hi-Black do this for HP printers. Many compatible toners mistakenly called universal.
The most unscrupulous option is fake toner. External packaging and design will be an exact copy original consumable, and inside there is powder produced in violation of the prescribed standards or even intended for another brand.

Here are some recommendations that will help you choose a truly high-quality toner. Firstly, pay attention to the cost - if it is too low, then this should lead to thoughts of a fake. Second rule: compatible options are best purchased from verified famous manufacturer , whose packaging itself should be beyond any criticism. For example, for laser Samsung printer It is best to take Profiline, and for HP models (except HP - 436) Hi-black is perfect. The recognized leader is AQC (with American packaging).

A well-selected toner will guarantee high-quality printing and the ability to carry out up to 5 refills. Saving on price may not be the best service here.

What you need to know about the laser cartridge

The future “refueler” should get acquainted in advance with internal device cartridge. This can be done using the instructions included with the equipment. Typically, for all manufacturers it consists of two main parts:

bunker, into which the dye is poured;
compartment for powder residues and garbage collection.

Laser printer cartridge device

There are 2 types of laser printer cartridges. First, the toner is refilled into the hopper into a hole specially designed for this purpose. The latter do not have such “help”, and you will have to work a little to open the powder bunker.

How does refueling work?

Such an event is carried out in 2 stages:

emptying the waste container;
directly refueling.

Cleaning the container

To carry out the work we will need a screwdriver. The algorithm of actions itself will be as follows.

As you can see, all stages of cleaning are carried out with special attention and frugality. If a person does not have these qualities, oh independently conducting The event is not worth even thinking about.

Ideally, all this work should be carried out in a special room with good exhaust ventilation.

Refueling process

To begin with, you should go short course"anatomy" of the cartridge. An inspection will show whether the device has a hole into which the toner itself can be poured. If this is not observed, then you will have to completely disassemble the cartridge and pour the toner into the gap through which it will then fall onto the magnetic shaft.

Some laser printer models are equipped with cartridges with chips. This element represents the print counter. You should not try to refill such cartridges yourself - most likely, this will simply lead to a failure of the entire device. This situation is quite justified, because the meter “thinks” that its resource has been used up.

Specialized service centers will help you reset the information (or change the chip).

In addition to black and white “laser cameras”, there are also color models, they are also refueled independently if necessary. At the preparation stage, you will need toners of the required colors. Refilling is carried out using the same technology, but separately for each color cartridge. Then you need to print a test page and, if necessary, carry out the appropriate calibrations.

Colored toners for refilling cartridges

Precautionary measures

Any toner is a chemically dangerous toxic substance. It must be used with extreme caution. It is important to take special measures.

Before starting work, put on a work coat or other clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty. You must have rubber gloves on your hands. It is advisable to wear a special respiratory mask or gauze bandage - this will reduce the risk of poisoning.
The room in which you will perform the refueling process must be thoroughly ventilated. Individual particles of toner powder can even penetrate a gas mask.
The table on which the action will take place is covered with a protective covering. As budget option A simple newspaper will do.

Equally important is the resource availability of the laser printer part. On average, you can complete the cartridge refill procedure 5-15 times. However, after every third procedure, restoration should be done, that is, the consumable parts that require it should be replaced.

In general, it is quite possible to refill a laser printer yourself. But when holding an event, you need to be absolutely confident in your own abilities and carefully study the manual for your own model. Otherwise, saving “do-it-yourself service” is out of the question - it’s better to do this Maintenance by the hands of specialists.

As a last resort before purchasing a new cartridge, you can use next way. Take a new syringe, remove the plunger and insert the syringe as deep as possible into the cartridge. Take in air and blow into the cavity of the syringe, calculating the force. This may help eliminate any remaining previous step lumps that interfere with ink flow. When you blow into the syringe, be careful not to overflow the ink over the edge of the cartridge. Then shake the cartridge, covering the holes with a paper towel. Repeat this 3-4 times if necessary. This method can extend the life of a refilled cartridge from 5 or 6 refills to 8 or 10. If you're on a budget, it's well worth the extra effort.
A refilled cartridge should weigh the same as a new one. An overfilled cartridge will fail prematurely. In cartridges, the ink is held by a sponge; overfilling them will allow the liquid to reach the top of the sponge, away from the nozzles.
If the colors still do not appear after printing, use a syringe to inject one or two small drops of ammonia (one part ammonia and one part distilled water) as deep into the cartridge as possible. That is, close to the print head (but not too close, since there is usually a coating above the print head that can be easily damaged). This will help dissolve the remaining ink clumps in the almost microscopic nozzles.
And if all else fails, then you can use the following method: Find a printer on sale that costs less than a new cartridge. It should come with a new cartridge (and sometimes two: black and color), so you will have new printer with one or two cartridges for a price less than the price of a new cartridge (printer manufacturers install on printers low prices, planning to make money in the future by selling cartridges; that is, unless you outsmart them, of course). Refill these cartridges over and over again until they fail, then do it all over again.
Don't be afraid to try again and again. It will pay for itself. If you ruin the cartridge... You can always buy a new one. You would have to do it anyway.
New cartridges arrive from the manufacturer in a pre-paid envelope. postage with a requirement to send the old cartridge for recycling in exchange.
If one of the colors does not print well after replacing the cartridge, remove the cartridge from the printer and inspect the tape covering the refill holes. Removing it and putting it back in place will eliminate any vacuum that might be preventing ink from flowing properly.
Donate your old printer to a local charity, church or school. Just warn them that the cartridge needs to be replaced and let them decide if they need such a printer.
Do not allow the ink in the cartridge to dry out. Check the cartridges regularly and refill them if necessary. Try not to let them sit too idle for a long time. Print something at least once a week. This way you will extend their service life.
After the cartridge has been refilled 5 or 6 times, the print head will begin to become unusable. She can't type forever. You will still have to buy a new cartridge and replace the old one.
Refill ink slowly to avoid air bubbles, which can reduce print quality.