What Is The Difference Between Ink and Toner Cartridges?

When searching for the right printer, a lot of questions can be raised. You’ll probably find yourself delving into the differences between inkjet printers and laser printers. One major difference is that an inkjet printer uses ink cartridges and a laser printer uses toners. But what is the actual difference between these print supplies?

What is an ink cartridge?

Ink cartridges are used with inkjet printers and come in a variety of colours, but the most common colours are cyan (blue), magenta (a red hue), yellow and black. With these four basic colours, it is possible for the printer to print all necessary colours. Some photo printers use multi-colour or tri-colour ink cartridges and these will include lighter colour versions of the standard four such as light cyan, magenta and yellow, along with light black and even light light black to facilitate a broader range of shades in reproducing photographs. 

Ink cartridges contain a small sponge that has become soaked with liquid ink. During printing, the ink is sprayed onto the paper through the small nozzles in the print head. These channels ensure that the ink forms the desired lines and shapes of the letters or images. From this process, your documents will come out of the printer looking the same way of your desired print on your computer. Ink cartridges have a limited shelf life because the ink can dry out over time, especially if you do not print often, the chance of dehydration is high.

Also, ink cartridges contain a chip that communicates with the printer. The chip ensures that the printer knows which colour ink has been placed and whether the cartridge type is suitable for the printer. This chip can also tell how full the cartridge is so that you can see on your computer whether the cartridge needs to be replaced or not.

A disadvantage of the ink cartridge chip is that they are also used to prevent the filling of cartridges and the use of compatible cartridges. Fortunately, our Cartridge People Own Brand ink cartridges are compatible with the branded printers that they were developed for, so no need to worry there!

What is a toner?

The difference in a toner to an ink cartridge is that toners contain colour powder instead of liquid ink. These are what are used in laser printers. A laser printer projects the document onto a part called the drum. This drum is an electrically charged roller to which the toner powder adheres according to the indicated pattern. The powder is printed on paper using heat. 

Some laser printers have the drum as part of the toner and others, the drum is purchased separately. Toners that include the drum are often more expensive to purchase, so it is worth knowing this information when purchasing your laser printer.

Toner powder cannot dry out, so toners will last a long time. If the toner ever does need replacing, you will see this on the LCD screen of your laser printer.

So, what is best: ink cartridges or toners?

The main question you need to ask yourself is how much are you printing? As the biggest difference lies in the capacity. Ink cartridges print on average around 500 pages, but toners can go up to 2,000 pages. For home printing, an inkjet printer with inkjet cartridges is the most common option and for large print volumes, such as in an office environment, a laser printer with toners is best.

Need advice? Contact our experts, they will be happy to help you choose.