HP Toner Cartridges

HP Toner Cartridges

As Europe’s leading supplier of office accessories, we source only the best products, whether it’s branded HP printer toner cartridges or their unbranded equivalents. Each has its merits, and we're able to offer them to you at the best prices, whether you're buying in bulk for your business or making a one-off purchase as an individual.

If you're using an HP laser printer, you'll need HP printer toner cartridges. Unlike inkjet cartridges, HP toner cartridges are filled with toner. This is a fine powder made from microscopic plastic particles, polypropylene wax and - if the cartridge is required to print in black - powdered carbon. Documents printed using printer toner are touch-dry within seconds of leaving the printer, helping to bring the potential for smudging down to an absolute minimum. In addition, because toners are made from powder, there's minimal risk of them drying out, giving them a longer shelf-life than their ink-based counterparts.

Compatible or original HP toner cartridges?

Compatible HP toner cartridges can be just as good as their original counterparts and can cost less. However, these are only worth buying if you trust your seller. All our compatible cartridges have been rigorously tested to ensure that they deliver the same high standards and performance as genuine HP toner. Compatible cartridges offer a great alternative to genuine products for those who need to print in bulk and for whom consistent high-definition print isn't an absolute priority.

However, if you want outstanding results with every document, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) HP toner cartridges are the way forward. A study by the Buyer’s Laboratory Incorporated (BLI) found that original HP printer toner lasted longer and performed better than non-original cartridges, making them a sound investment for those looking to maximise the efficiency and quality of their print runs.

Recycling your HP toner cartridges

A commitment to the environment is increasingly essential for businesses and their customers. Hewlett Packard offers an easy-to-use recycling programme, which ensures that all their ink cartridges can be recycled. All it takes is entering the details of your empty cartridge into their recycling system, and HP will send you a prepaid envelope in which to send your old ink cartridges off on their new journey. It’s worth knowing that Hewlett Packard will only accept genuine HP toner cartridges. If you’re using compatible versions, you’ll have to find another way to dispose of empty ones.

As part of their Planet Partners pledge, Hewlett Packard has managed to recycle an estimated 875 million toners and ink cartridges, helping you and your business to minimise your impact on the environment. None of the cartridges sent through the HP Planet Pledge programme is ever sent to landfill, and the process is free. If green credentials are important to your business and customers, using branded and original cartridges can be a significant step in the right direction.

How does an HP laser printer work?

Despite being known as laser printers, static electricity is the main component in the laser printing process. There are nine steps involved in using a laser printer and HP toner to create documents on paper:

• • Firstly, the image or text’s data is transferred to the printer, where parts of it are given an electric charge.
• • The printer’s photoreceptor drum is then given a positive charge, courtesy of the corona wire which heats up.
• • A laser, beamed against a mirror, is projected against the drum, where it details the image or text to be printed.
• • The details of the image or text form a negative charge. The rest of the drum retains its positive charge.
• • Toner is released onto the drum. As the powder has a positive charge, it is attracted to the negative charges sketched out by the laser.
• • Paper is rolled through the printer and given a negative charge.
• • The paper attracts the toner as it is rolled through the printer's body.
• • The charge is removed from the paper, allowing the HP toner to sit on its surface.
• • The paper then passes through a fuser, which employs heat and pressure to fix the toner to the page, exactly where it’s needed.

What is HP toner?

HP toner cartridges contain a combination of plastic particles, polypropylene wax and, where required, carbon. The plastic particles have been ground down to a fine powder, allowing higher levels of print definition. This polypropylene wax acts as a lubricant, allowing the plastic to transfer onto the page and fix it in place. Powdered carbon is added when the colour black is required. Compared to ink-printed documents, those printed using toner will dry much quicker and minimise the potential for streaks and smudges.