Brother toner advice

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Eva888

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#285729 13-May-2021 18:53

Advice please. My newish Brother printer MFCL2713DW now needs a TN2445 Toner Cartridge. They cost up to $150 whereas generic go for around $50 plus. PB Tech had a special on original of $122

I don’t use the printer that much. If I buy the original toner, will it last or dry out if not used for long periods. Should I choose the cheaper generic option because of this even though the generic would likely print less pages. Which is a reliable place to buy generic from if this is the best course. Thanks.

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#2707130 13-May-2021 19:03

For a $280 printer, do you think spending $120-150 is a good investment?

We have a MFC 430W - had it for 6+ years now. I just buy replacement ink off AliExpress.

A quick look for your model and for $25ish you can get a full set of inks.

YMMV.

tchart

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#2707133 13-May-2021 19:08

And as you mentioned there is also the the drying out of ink which sucks and can't really be avoid unless you use the printer.

If price is ultimately the issue then I'd recommend getting a cheap laser printer. You can often pick them up for under $100 and the ink is cheaper to replace - but that's B&W.

old3eyes

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#2707149 13-May-2021 19:31

Eva888: Advice please. My newish Brother printer MFCL2713DW now needs a TN2445 Toner Cartridge. They cost up to $150 whereas generic go for around $50 plus. PB Tech had a special on original of $122

I don’t use the printer that much. If I buy the original toner, will it last or dry out if not used for long periods. Should I choose the cheaper generic option because of this even though the generic would likely print less pages. Which is a reliable place to buy generic from if this is the best course. Thanks.

It won't dry out because toner is a powder. I get toner carts from Cartridge World. About half the price of new ones.

Regards,

Old3eyes

timmmay

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#2707150 13-May-2021 19:32

I bought genuine within the printer warranty period, which I think was three years. After that I'd go third party if I could find a good quality one.

andrewNZ

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#2707153 13-May-2021 19:37

Often the printer says the toner cartridge is empty when it's not.

Google mfc-l2713dw toner reset

Just reset the starter cartridge on my brother printer and it's fine. Once it stops printing, then I'll replace it.

Eva888

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#2707155 13-May-2021 19:47

Thanks. I was also thinking it seems too much to be paying for a cartridge as it’s half th price of the whole printer, and of course didn’t think, it’s powder so might settle rather than dry out. No idea what that does if not used for a while. Maybe you need to take it out and shake it.

@AndrewNZ will look at trying this. In my case though I thought I was printing one page by Wi-Fi and when I went in to the room the printer was in, found it had printed the entire book, so maybe the starter toner is really low.

andrewNZ

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#2707156 13-May-2021 19:53

It probably is low, but a reset will also probably get you going again in the short term.

Mine stopped mid document, and I needed that document, so I reset it and finished the print.
It's since printed a further 20+ pages and the print quality is still perfect.

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andrewNZ

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#2707157 13-May-2021 19:54

Also keep in mind that printers come with starter cartridges, and they have much less toner in them.

clinty

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#2707159 13-May-2021 19:59

Basically printers are sold below cost of manafacture, and the difference is made from toner/ink sales.

The more expensive the printer - the better value the toners will be.

Brother will warranty the machine for 4 years if you use genuine toners in it. They will also replace the toner free of charge if it is faulty - just ring the 0800 number - it's answered in Tauranga

CGA still applies, however they won't cover issues caused by non genuine toner or cartridges (which I feel is fair). Some of the refill places say they will cover issues, but YMMV

The toner should be fine, unless you keep it a very damp place, or very hot place.

My cartridges have been used on and off for around three years - no issues

The cartridge will generally show empty between 0-5%, depending on your printing. Reset it if you want and keep going till the printing becomes light

Clint

Eva888

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#2707167 13-May-2021 20:15

Voiding the warranty may not be so smart after all and I think I agree with @timmmay. The 2445 is a high yield cartridge, there is a lower yield one which is cheaper and could be enough to last out the warranty period and then go to the generic option.

Also found this snippet while on google which is handy to know.

*How I Forced My Printer To Print in Low Ink

What you need to do is remove the ink cartridge/s.
Look for the clear part of the cartridge. ( Usually found near the nozzle. ...
Once you locate the transparent side of the cartridge, cut a strip of tape. Then cover the mentioned part of the ink cartridge.*

Will try the reset option first which is quite simple. Then will look for a well priced original cartridge.
Thanks all.

clinty

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#2707188 13-May-2021 20:48

Eva888: Also found this snippet while on google which is handy to know.

*How I Forced My Printer To Print in Low Ink

What you need to do is remove the ink cartridge/s.
Look for the clear part of the cartridge. ( Usually found near the nozzle. ...
Once you locate the transparent side of the cartridge, cut a strip of tape. Then cover the mentioned part of the ink cartridge.*

This is for ink cartridges not toner cartridges

Clint

Eva888

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#2707194 13-May-2021 21:02

There was also a YouTube video that showed the same optical window in the side of a Brother toner cartridge where it was taped over.

Scott3

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#2707204 13-May-2021 21:28

I have had a bad run with aftermarket toners and essentially given up.

Tried a couple or suppliers too. Was having issues with very poor yeilds and very poor print quality. Decided was they weren't worth it for me.

Would recommend paying for genuine toner, especially if you don't print a lot as you can reasonably rely on the toner remaining gauge, unlike aftermarket where it can run out at half yield so you better have a spare on hand.

$122, free shipping at the below.

https://www.doolz.co.nz/store/catalogue/TN2445/24064.html

Or $122 with paid shipping from PB tech.

Can get warehouse stationary to price match (They used to price beat by 10%, but apparently technology products are excluded) if that is more convenient

Works out to 4.07c/page which is pretty reasonable for a consumer printer in my books.

Ignore that the toner is expensive relative to the printer itself. Basically they give the printer away with a free set of consumables. The toner they include with new brother printers is typically only 600 page yield, so won't last long compared to the 3000 page high yield one you are looking at.

But sadly with most cheaper brother laser printer's when any other consumable's than toner (i.e. Drum typically at 12,000 pages) comes due you are better off financially to replace the entire printer. Had a brother multifunction at one point that hit the drum count limit. Was seriously considering buying the standalone printer with the same drum / toner just to raid those two components as it was much cheaper to buy the entire printer than a replacement drum... Was torn due to the excessive waste. Ended up just resetting the drum in software and using it for another year, then binning the printer and upgrading to a better one...

Eva888

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#2707215 13-May-2021 21:49

Scott3:
I have had a bad run with aftermarket toners and essentially given up.

Tried a couple or suppliers too. Was having issues with very poor yeilds and very poor print quality. Decided was they weren't worth it for me.

Would recommend paying for genuine toner, especially if you don't print a lot as you can reasonably rely on the toner remaining gauge, unlike aftermarket where it can run out at half yield so you better have a spare on hand.

$122, free shipping at the below.

https://www.doolz.co.nz/store/catalogue/TN2445/24064.html

Or $122 with paid shipping from PB tech.

Can get warehouse stationary to price match (They used to price beat by 10%, but apparently technology products are excluded) if that is more convenient

Works out to 4.07c/page which is pretty reasonable for a consumer printer in my books.

Ignore that the toner is expensive relative to the printer itself. Basically they give the printer away with a free set of consumables. The toner they include with new brother printers is typically only 600 page yield, so won't last long compared to the 3000 page high yield one you are looking at.

But sadly with most cheaper brother laser printer's when any other consumable's than toner (i.e. Drum typically at 12,000 pages) comes due you are better off financially to replace the entire printer. Had a brother multifunction at one point that hit the drum count limit. Was seriously considering buying the standalone printer with the same drum / toner just to raid those two components as it was much cheaper to buy the entire printer than a replacement drum... Was torn due to the excessive waste. Ended up just resetting the drum in software and using it for another year, then binning the printer and upgrading to a better one...

Thanks for the link. Yes I was afraid it would end up being false economy and according to my iPrint app I’ve done about 600 pages...(thanks to my initial test effort where I printed the entire PDF book by mistake).

It’s really maddening that the parts cost more than a new printer and quite gut wrenching to literally throw away an entire machine because it’s cheaper to buy a new one. I don't want to think where all these large plastic machines end up on a grand scale either.

Eva888

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#2707220 13-May-2021 22:15

Tried to buy from Doolz which keeps telling me my address is not valid in Address line 1, no matter which way I type it. So frustrating.

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