I was wondering how long a laser printer’s toner cartridge will last. In this case, I am not talking about how many pages it will print. I need to know whether it will go bad somehow after a couple of years. It will be used, but at a slow rate. I am hoping for at least a three-year life. Is that an unrealistic amount of time? I am aware that laser printers are typically used in high volume printing, but I was hoping that maybe someone has a laser printer that is not used much or that was put into storage for a time. Thank you very much,
I had an old HP laser printer that my employer discarded. It had a toner cartridge in it when I got it, I never changed the cartridge but used it for a few dozen pages a year then handed it off to someone else 7 years later with the same cartridge in it. Worked great. It may or may not have mattered that it had a genuine HP cartridge in it - not a generic or refurb.
I had an HP laser printer that I only replaced after twelve years because the original toner cartridge finally ran out and I decided to replace the printer instead of the cartridge.
I have a 19 year old HP printer that I have only replaced the cartridge on 2-3 times. I print to it maybe 3-4 times a month, and I’ve never had any problems with the toner.
You should be aware that a lot of budget laser printers these days come with “starter” toner cartridges that have half the capacity (or less) of a new retail cartridge. Their decreased capacity could make it seem like they’re wearing out prematurely.
Unless for some reason it loses its static charge, printer toner should last more-or-less indefinitely. It’s essentially finely-powdered plastic – so fine, it makes talcum powder look like boulders. As long as it has a static charge, so it can be electrically-attracted to the oppositely-charged portions of the paper, and then melted, it will never “go bad.” Of course, I’m terribly oversimplifying the process, but I think you get the idea.
I really appreciate everyone who has answered. Thank you very much. You have given me all the information that I need, including some things I had not thought to ask about. I tried online searches at first, but I kept getting results about how many pages the toner would last. Anyway, I do not think anymore replies are needed. Thanks again,
The toner itself doesn’t have any charge.
The charge is applied to the drum, and that attracts the toner, just like a comb will attract bits of (uncharged) paper when run through your hair.
Toner is extremely stable, and will last for many years - even decades.
I suppose it might eventually clump due to humidity.