Posted by Art_MD on 8/18/05 7:33am
Msg #59845

Toner question - what is waste toner

A curiosity question.

When refilling toner cartidges, the instructions say empty out the waste toner before putting in the new toner.

You fill the cartidge. Toner is used. If the good toner is in the cartidge, when does it become waste toner in the same part of the cartidge. How can you have good toner and waste toner in same compartment?

Art

Reply by PAW_Fl on 8/18/05 7:47am
Msg #59849

A typical laser cartridge has TWO compartments. New, fresh toner goes in to the feeder compartment. Then when a document is printed, the toner is strewn across the paper from the feeder compartment. What "sticks" to the paper gets fused in. What doesn't "stick", is considered waste and wiped from the paper into the waste compartment.

There are two reasons why a cartridge cannot be filled indefinitely. (1) The waste compartment fills to capacity. (2) Mechanical failure including scarring of the transfer matte (drum).

Reply by Hampton/CA on 8/18/05 10:15am
Msg #59873

The drum in your cartridge is charged with the image that you're printing/copying. The toner has an opposite charge and is pulled to the drum on the image areas. As the paper passes next to the drum, a thin wire called a corona wire produces an opposite charge to the toner on the drum and transfers the toner to the paper, which then passes through a fuser unit which presses and melts the toner to the paper.

There's always toner left on the drum once the copy is made and a cleaning blade cleans the drum and deposits the waste toner into a waste toner container. (Some models recycle the toner and you won't have a waste toner container.)

If you do have waste toner, do not use it. It has been discharged and will not work correctly.

Reply by Sharon/CA on 8/18/05 12:00pm
Msg #59900

Wow that was a lot of good information Hampton. Thanks.. I'm going to copy and save that answer for future reference. Thanks for sharing all the information could come in quite handy if I ever run into this problem!

Reply by Art_MD on 8/18/05 12:04pm
Msg #59903

thanks for the info.

Some toner cartridges have seperate waste toner compartments.

I have a Brother's 5140 which, in the refill instructions, says to dump any toner remaining, that it is waste. I was just curious as how it went from good to waste in the same compartment. Maybe I'll take one apart (one where the bar has pitted and is dead).

Art

Reply by CariMO on 8/18/05 1:43pm
Msg #59928

I have a brother 5140 also. I just started to refill my toner too. It does seem to have alot of toner I have to dump out before I refill it. Also how can you tell when you should not refill the cartridge anymore ?

Reply by Art_MD on 8/18/05 2:05pm
Msg #59936

If you start getting "spot" in the same horizonal position on the paper, remove cartridge. Pull back the cover over the roller. Clean carefully. Run another page. Reclean. If the same spots are there, there is a good chance that you should not refill that cartidge.

Art