# Can I use photocopier toner to refill laser printer toner?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421 "2010-12-08T15:58:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421/1 "2010-12-08T15:58:57Z")

</div>

I have a large bottle of toner from my old photocopier. I was wondering if I can use it to refil the toner of my Epson C1100 Acculaser

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421/2 "2010-12-08T16:11:37Z")

</div>

How old a bottle? Like the kind where it looks like a big jug of black liquid? I don’t think so…those old photocopiers used a methanol-based toner, IIRC. I don’t think any modern laserjets use similar toner, they all use dry ink toner.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421/3 "2010-12-08T17:18:35Z")

</div>

> [@Dog80](#):
>
> I have a large bottle of toner from my old photocopier. I was wondering if I can use it to refil the toner of my Epson C1100 Acculaser

I wouldn’t.  
Although it might work, there are many, many different types of toners, and unless these two are very similar, you are likely to get poor results.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-use-photocopier-toner-to-refill-laser-printer-toner/563421/4 "2010-12-08T18:00:11Z")

</div>

Old copier toner was sometimes made with magnetic particles. Tiny magnetic particles released throughout the system of a machine not built to contain them = bad, very bad indeed.

Not that I’ve ever made such a mistake. . . ::ducks and runs::