Toner Center

Now that Xerox’s solid ink printers are gaining prominence in the document solutions market, many are wondering whether a switch from traditional laser toner printers is an advantageous solution. To understand the significance in difference between the use of traditional toner and solid ink printing one can review the abundance of Xerox information on the subject, yet the answer ultimately is derived from four basic points of comparison: ease of operation, cost, print quality and environmental impact.

Anyone that has ever changed the toner cartridge on a business sized laser printer can attest to the tediousness of the task. Toner cartridges are often difficult to remove, messy to handle and problematic to replace. Replacing toner is a skill that few cultivate and most dread. The simplicity with which Xerox solid ink is replaced is a dramatic improvement over toner. The ink sticks are simply placed into the supply rack of the laser printer. The time spent opening the packaging is often greater than the time it takes to add the solid ink to the machine’s reserve. An additional advantage to solid ink replacement is that room is allotted for the accumulation of multiple ink sticks to allow a printer to be "topped off" without waiting for the ink supply to fully diminish.

Cost is a defining factor for many printing solution purchases. Often, machines are initially deceptively affordable only to become less cost effective when the price of toner is incurred. The Xerox solid ink demonstrates a great advantage in operating cost savings. While the initial purchase price of a Xerox solid ink printer is comparable to its associated competitor’s products, the replacement solid ink sticks are significantly cheaper than toner cartridges. The low cost is the product of reduced manufacturing costs due to the ink stick’s lack of a plastic cartridge.

Print quality from a Xerox solid ink printer is comparable to that of laser printers. The solid ink printers do not represent any advancement in printing technology, and actually rank lower in warm-up speed. The print results of a solid ink printer are often considered more vibrant due to an actual greater density of ink used in the process. Laser printers are suggested to print sharper images according to many reviewers. Overall, the solid ink printing options from Xerox can be said to be of equal quality to laser printed documents.

The most significant advancement represented in Xerox’s solid ink printing solutions is their progression toward more sustainable printing with less solid waste. Printer manufacturers have gone to great lengths to address the disposal problem of millions of toner cartridges each year. The plastic cartridges and simple components often are comprised of hazardous materials that must be recycled. Xerox’s solid ink sticks produce no such waste. In fact, the wasted ink that is created during printing is collected at a central point within the printer and forms a non-toxic solid block that is acceptably disposed with common biodegradable trash effectively ending the need for endless toner cartridge recycling.

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