Stranded - Running out of toner in the middle of an important job

This is a scenario that has or will occur to most people with a laser printer. They are in the process of completing an important document, and just when they are about to print the document, the "low toner" light on their laser printer starts blinking. They try to print the document, ignoring the warning, but the letters on the document are so pale, they can hardly read them. All the stores close to your home are closed and ordering the toner online will take a few days to arrive to your home. You have to get this document printed right away. What do you do?

The answer to this question may surprise you. It's a little trick that only a few people know. This little trick has saved me from frustrations many times. The answer is: shake it. If your laser printer is low in toner, and the pages are coming out with light spots or with missed areas, don't panic. Just open your printer up and remove the toner cartridge from the printer. Once you have removed the toner cartridge, shake it back and forth a few times. Then carefully inserted back into your laser printer and this will allow you to get another 50 pages or so out of the same cartridge. When it starts getting light again, shake it one more time and you should probably get another 20 pages. By shaking the toner cartridge, you are bringing to the top all the toner that is lying on the bottom of the cartridge.

Now this is a trick that should only be done during emergencies. I do not recommend doing this on a regular basis. Running your printer on a dry toner cartridge is not recommended, and can end up being detrimental to your printer. Every time the "low toner" light on your printer starts blinking you should order a toner cartridge Online. This way you are ensuring your printer a long and healthy life.

For more information on toner please visit Inkchief.com

Daniel De Avila. President/Owner of Inkchief.com. Many years of experience in the ink and toner industry. Has extensive knowledge of laser and inkjet printing systems. For more information on printers and printer supplies please visit Inkchief.com