How to Resume Printing when Brother Toner Cartridge Prompts Toner Out
Consumers are fully aware that OEM toner cartridges retain some amount of toner in cartridges once the ‘Toner Out’ prompts. The reason presented is that print quality for documents turned out in say the Brother HL-2040 printer will be adversely affected if toner supply is low. Although this recommendation by the printer is logical – the amount of toner left in cartridges vary from one OEM cartridge to the next. The reason, sensors in TN-350 toner cartridges monitor the number of printing sequences and not the consumption of toner, so if the user prints mostly at less than 5% coverage – naturally a lot of toner will still be left at the purported end-life of the cartridge.
What volume of toner typically remains in the cartridge after the printer prompts “Toner Out”? 10% toner is usually allowed in the make-up of TN-350 Brother toner cartridges. This practice however will vary from printer manufacturer to the next, depending again on the recommendation coming from manufacturers. So if we include whatever is left of unused toner by printing less than the industry’s standard 5% coverage, the toner volume could reach a staggering 35% to 40%.
What can the user do when the prompt ‘Toner Out’ is on? For most OEM cartridges, the user has the option to dispose the cartridge or replace the sensor chip at the bottom of the cartridge to continue printing. Some even go to the extent of re-programming the smart chip to continue printing. However, this does not hold true for Brother toner cartridges TN-350 because monitoring is accomplished twofold: an optical sensor monitors the toner supply level that automatically stops the printer when level is breached and a flag gear that monitors the number of printing sequences stops the printer when the number is reached.
What makes Brother toner cartridge different from the rest? First, the optical sensor of the Brother HL-2040 printer traverses through the cartridge via two openings on both sides. So, once the cartridge is low on toner, the light beam connects to the other side of the sensor to complete the circuit and the Brother HL-2040 printerstops. The user will just have to block the openings with black tape and fool the sensor into believing that there is still toner to continue printing. Second, the flag gear just needs resetting to allow printing, as what happens when the Brother toner cartridge TN-350 is recycled – that is refilled with OEM Brother Toner Cartridge.
Remember, when your Brother HL-2040 printer prompts ‘Toner Out’, the unit is still serviceable because it can still print several hundreds or a thousand pages.
Jeric O. Tero supplies web content for Laser Tek Services, Inc. Looking for the highest quality Brother toner cartridge available at factory direct prices? Visit our website today.
