Thursday, December 17, 2009

Do laser printer cartridges go stale if stored for a long time without being used?

Yes they do.


For print head (Hp Lexmark, Dell and some Canon) you have a bout 2 years from date of manufacture.





For Ink Tank (Epson, Brother, Kodak) you have about 3 years.





For laser toner cartridges you have about 5 years. (The toner ceases to maintain a charge over time resulting in clumpy uneven prints)





As a side note - I Do have a warehouse full of stale dated toners.Do laser printer cartridges go stale if stored for a long time without being used?
Depends what you qualify a long time to be? 1 year, no, 10 years, possibly.





The toner in the cartridge is dry, so unlike ink, it can not evaporate. However, if it is keep in a humid environment, problems can occur.





All cartridges have expiration dates. For example, HP's dates are about 3-4 years out. After that time, if you haven't used it yet, problems might happen, but give the cartridge a good shake and give it a try.Do laser printer cartridges go stale if stored for a long time without being used?
A laser printer toner cartridge has carbon particles and a drum. The drum is photo sensitive. You may have seen that a new cartridge comes in a metalized-plastic bag. This is to prevent light from entering. After taking it from the bag and installing in the printer, if the printer receives sunlight, some light may reach the drum and shorten its life. Always keep the cartridge cool and in a dark place.
Definitely not. If that was the case, could you imagine the warehouse full of lasers and they went stale for some reason? Nobody in his right mind would open all the boxes just to change the toner.





They come sealed in a dark plastic bag for a reason. The light doesn't get to them.
No

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