Frequently Asked Questions
Our FAQ Knowledgebase
How Long Will My Toner/Ink Last?
Toner and ink lifetime is not time-based but rather usage-based.
Cartridges can last more than a year or it can be depleted in one day. Most major brands quote their product on how many pages it can produce on a 5% area coverage on a standard A4 paper. In other words you can only print a fixed amount of pages based on the area coverage requirements of your printing needs.
Keep a look out for the ink or toner page yield specs listed on most of our products to know how many pages you can expect.
My Toner/Ink Didn’t Last As Long As Expected?
Often times people do not realize the amount of pages that has been printed.
It is best to print a page report before and after to see the amount of pages counted from the cartridge chip and make an assumption from there. Page yield claims are made from 5% area coverage. Pages covered in more than 5% will not reach the claimed page yield.
Please also note however, that the page count from the cartridge chip is not always a guaranteed indicator of how full or empty a cartridge is, as there is no physical mechanism to determine the remaining ink or toner. The page count is simply a method to estimate the remaining levels and is often stated as such in the manufacturer fine print.
What Type Of Printer Should I Buy?
The type of printer you should buy is based on the type and amount of printing you desire.
Consider the printing speed and other functions like wi-fi and automatic duplexing (double sided printing).
Users who scan more than one page at a time can make sure the desired model has an ADF (automatic document feeder) on top of the scanner. A lot of cost can be saved by going for a mono printer as most color printers tend to be more expensive.
Regardless of laser printers or inkjet printers, it is best to research the price and page yield of the consumable first before deciding on what type you should go for. In other words determine the price per page of the platform you decide to go with.
Good printers are specific models not necessarily a specific type.
A good general guide line:
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- Cheap printer = expensive consumable
- Expensive printer = cheaper consumable
What Printer Brand Is The Best?
After many years in the industry, it is our opinion that there is no best brand to buy.
All major brands have very successful models and at the same time very unsuccessful models. Rather look for a specific model, regardless of brand, that has affordable consumables in stock and good after sales support. Models with parts available for servicing is also a good idea to take in to consideration for futureproofing your purchase.
What Type Of Printer Is Better? Laser vs. InkJet?
Both laser and inkjet printers are suited for different needs and both have their pros and cons.
Have a friendly chat with us to help point you in the right direction for your printing needs.
Do We Sell Black And White Ink?
Although we carry a wide range of black ink and toner the chances are you probably already have white ink loaded in your printer. You can obtain white ink by simply stocking up on a fresh reem of A4 paper.
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Allow us to explain why:
As seen in fig.1, Light spectrum uses additive primary colors (red, green and blue) to obtain a white light. In simple terms you need to add all three colors equally bright to get the result of white light.
In commercial printing, subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow as in fig.2) are used. This means that in principle, colors are subtracted to obtain the desired color. By mixing all colors equally you will get the color black instead of white as with additive colors. To obtain this result more efficiently a fourth dedicated black ink dye is used.
In simple terms, to obtain ‘white ink’ on your printouts, you simply subtract all the colors.
*Our FAQ will expand as time continues.