At United Imaging, we strive to keep your printer, copier, and fax machine running in top condition, even if you are outside of our service area. For this reason, we have come up with some tidbits of information that we have picked up in our years of servicing the machines. This site will be updated as we get new hints and ideas, so keep checking back with us for more Helpful Hints!

Also, if you have any questions regarding: toner, ribbons, printers, or Ricoh copier, fax, and multifunction machines, please feel free to email us at [email protected] and we will try to answer your questions on this page.

Q & A

What is the shelf-life of toner cartridges?
When stored properly, cartridges sealed in the foil bag inside the carton will be useful on average two and a half years.

How should toner cartridges be stored?
Keep the toner package away from direct sunlight, heat, and moisture. The recommended temperature range for storage is between –4 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 and 40 degrees Celcius).

How long do toner cartridges last?
Toner cartridges last between 2,500 and 15,000 pages, depending on which cartridge is being used. Extensive use of graphics can reduce the life of the toner cartridge. Using a printers Economode can double the page output.

For laser printers, how can the toner life be extended?
The life of a toner cartridge can be extended by operating your laser printer with the print density adjustment dial set on a higher number (for light print), also known as Economode. Refer to the printer User’s Manual for the location of the print density control.

Newsflash!

HP has announced the latest addition to its popular toner line. The 98X is an extra long life cartridge that is made to last approximately 30% longer than the current 98A, or Average Use, cartridge.

If your office is a home-office, or you do not change cartridges for over a year, you might want to concider the 98E. The ‘E’ is for Economy.

Remember to turn to United Imaging for all your printer supply needs. We carry ink and toner for all InkJet and Laser printers, along with wax and Colorstix for Thermal printers.

We also carry specialty printer papers for photo quality output, as well as printing on transparencies, and other types of papers for laser and inkjet printers.

Along with Genuine HP Supplies, we also carry remanufactured cartridges. These cartridges are fully guaranteed to meet or exceed the original specifications. We are so confident in the remanufactured cartridges quality that we will cover any problem with the printer that is caused by these cartridges.

Printer/Cartridge Solutions

• Clean the printer when installing a new cartridge
• Moisture in the air might affect print quality or cause the toner to dump into the printer. Moisture in the air could be from a hot room or from a hot UPS truck. Water develops in the toner and makes it heavier.
• Toner is partly plastic and it fuses to the paper.
• Streaks from top to bottom on every page can be caused by a dirty corona wire or a scratched drum or from toner in the fuser unit.
• If the streaks disappear and come back then it is a problem with the machine.
• If the paper is all white or all black- take out cart. and put back in, the shutter for the laser might not be opening or closing properly.
• 3si ghosting – problem with the fuser unit.
• If grinding noise that is not consistent, could be the fan. If consistent- could be a gear in the machine. If squeaking could be the cartridge.