Have
you ever seen your laser printer running short of toner – generally the night
before an important assignment was due – and apprehended that you did not have
a substitute toner cartridge on hand? Did you strive to extend the cartridge by
taking it off the printer, shaking it, and putting it back in the printer
again?
Printer
manuals & those directives which come with cartridges state not to do this.
But is that only because they wish to sell you more toner, or is there a real
reason you should not shake toner cartridges?
When
it is risk-free to shake toner cartridges?
Majority
of the home & small office printers employ a combination of toner
cartridge. The cartridge contains more than just toner – it also holds the
imaging drum & developer. The imaging drum develops a still electric
version of your image & the developer statistically charges small volumes
of your toner & applies it to the charged parts of the drum. Then the
imaging drum rolls over a sheet of paper, transferring the picture onto it.
When
you substitute your combination toner cartridge, you also substitute the
imaging drum & the developer. This is vital if you think to shake the toner
cartridge because employing the developer when you are low on toner can damage
it – but you don’t actually have t concern regarding damage if you are going to
substitute it in a few days when you get your new toner cartridge.
Of
course, if you have ever shaken a toner cartridge, you possibly know regarding
the other risk – toner may leak out of the cartridge. Toner particles are
really fine – individual compounds can be from 12-15 micrometers in diameter,
making them act like dust. They may get in your eyes, on your clothes, or in
your lungs if you inhale them.
When
it is never secure to shake a toner cartridge?
Large
volume laser printers possess a separated imaging drum & developer, and the
toner cartridge is usually just a translucent plastic container. You never wish
to shake the toner container.
