Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between ink and toner?
Ink is a fast-drying, soluble dye. Toner is a powder that is fused to paper by heating it up. From a visual perspective, toner cartridges are much larger and have a higher page yield per cartridge. Inkjet printers are better suited for people who do a smaller amount of printing, such as home-computer users, whereas toner is used in laser printers, which are often used in small to large business applications.
OEM (original equipment manufacturer) toner and ink cartridges versus remanufactured or generic toner and ink cartridges: Are they reliable?
Yes, if you find the right vendor. Currently, the toner- and ink-cartridge market is being flooded with products from overseas, where industry standards are virtually non-existent. A consumer may save some money buying from an unknown online vendor. What happens if the products do not perform properly? Will you get customer service? Not likely.
At Think Ink, we only use a cartridge core that has been used one time, which greatly reduces the chance of a warranty situation. Additionally, our suppliers are located here in the United States and take great pride in producing a quality, reliable product. If you experience any problems with Think Ink’s remanufactured cartridges, we respond quickly to resolve the issue so that your organization does not experience any downtime.
Will a remanufactured cartridge void my printer warranty?
No! The use of remanufactured supplies cannot void your printer manufacturer warranty. The U.S. government enacted the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act in 1975 to protect consumers from deceptive warranties. Basically, the law states that warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with their product in order to retain the warranty, just as it is illegal for your car dealer to require only original parts be used to fix your car.
A consumer has the right to use the supplies of choice. This allows for competition and keeps prices affordable. Threatening to void a warranty or add additional service call charges for the use of compatible or remanufactured cartridges is a manufacturer’s way of trying to limit competition.
Think Ink stands behind our printer products. All of our remanufactured cartridges come with a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied, call us and we will promptly resolve your problem or refund your money.
Will a remanufactured cartridge give me the same page yield as an OEM cartridge?
Yes, Think Ink’s remanufactured cartridges have the same toner gram load as the OEM cartridges. The page yield is dependent on what you print out. You will get more pages with simple text but fewer if you print pictures and graphics. The answer to the question is that the same amount of high quality ink and toner is used in Think Ink’s toner and ink cartridges as in the OEMs.
Ask yourself which makes more sense: to spend an unnecessary amount of money on the original brand cartridge and not print any more pages than a remanufactured cartridge, or to buy an Think Ink remanufactured cartridge for much less and print the equivalent amount of pages as the OEM cartridge.
What is a virgin cartridge core?
A virgin cartridge core is an OEM toner or ink cartridge that has never before been remanufactured. On the other hand, a non- virgin core has been refilled or remanufactured at least once. Using a virgin core is very important to the overall quality of the cartridge and dramatically reduces warranty situations when using a remanufactured cartridge in your printer.
What is the difference between a standard yield and a high yield cartridge?
Many times, a printer manufacture produces several sizes of cartridges. A consumer will see this in the cartridge part number. For example, Hewlett Packard will put an “A” or an “X” behind the cartridge part number (CE280A, CE280X). The “A” behind the cartridge number will represent a lower page yielding cartridge, and an “X” behind the cartridge part number represents a higher page yielding cartridge.
Although the “X” version will cost a consumer more money up front, it almost always will save you money in the long run by giving you a lower cost per page. Not to mention, you will save time by having to replace the cartridge less often.
My printer, copier or fax machine is putting lines on the page. Do I need a service call?
You may — better yet, give Think Ink’s service department a call. We may be able to help you resolve the issue over the phone. If not, we would be more than happy to send a printer technician out to give you a free printer evaluation.
How often should my laser printer be serviced?
Think Ink recommends a yearly preventative maintenance cleaning. This will reduce the possibility of downtime because of a printer malfunction.