Toner and ink compared
| Toner | Ink | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Dry powder of plastic and pigment | Liquid dye or pigment |
| Used in | Laser printers, photocopiers | Inkjet and ink tank printers |
| How it sticks | Melted onto paper by the fuser | Absorbed into paper and dries |
| Pages per refill | Thousands per cartridge or kit | Hundreds per cartridge; thousands per ink tank bottle set |
| Dries out | No | Can dry in the print head if unused |
| Best at | Sharp text, volume | Photos, low-cost colour |
Some photocopiers use polymerised (chemically grown) toner, which has smaller, more even particles and gives finer detail. The Konica Minolta bizhub 225i in our range uses Simitri HD polymerised toner.
Cartridges, kits, drums and bottles
- Toner cartridge: toner, and on many small laser printers the drum too, in one unit (for example 12A, 88A, 925, 337).
- Toner kit: a toner container for photocopiers and business printers; the drum is separate (for example Kyocera TK-1177 or TK-4140).
- Drum unit: replaced on its own schedule on machines with a separate drum.
- Ink bottle: refills an ink tank printer (for example Canon GI-71 or Epson 003).
Genuine vs compatible supplies
Genuine (OEM) supplies are made by the printer's manufacturer and deliver the rated yield and quality. Compatible supplies are made by third parties for the same machines and cost less, but quality varies by maker. Using compatibles is generally fine on out-of-warranty mono machines; on machines under warranty, check the manufacturer's terms first.
Questions about your own machine? Send the model and a photo, and the team in Kacheripady will reply.
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