Laser Printer Toner Cartridges, Copier Toner Cartridges, Fax Toner Cartridges

Toner Cartridges for Laser Printers, Copiers, and Fax Machines come in three basic types. Each manufacturer often has a different definition of what a toner cartridge is. There are three basic types of toner cartridges.

Toner Cartridge Cylinder

Some manufacturers such as Okidata, Brother and Panasonic will often call a plastic cylinder or box filled with toner a "toner cartridge". This is also very common on most medium to large copiers. These toner cartridges contain only the toner and require other consumable supplies in order to operate within the machine.

Keep in mind that your total cost-per-page will encompass other supplies for your machine. Be sure to consider the cost of all consumables in your cost-per-page calculation, and not just the toner cartridge.

Panasonic Toner Cartridges
Okidata Toner Cartridges

Toner Cartridge Developer

Some manufacturers put the toner and developer components together into one unit and call it a toner cartridge. The Brother TN460 is an example of this type. In addition, these types of machines also require a drum unit (another consumable) to create the image.

Brother Toner Cartridges
HP Color LaserJet Toner Cartridges

Toner Cartridge All-In-One

The most popular type of toner cartridge is the all-in-one style that Hewlett-Packard (HP) has made popular. These cartridges contain all the image formation components that wear out. You can find these types in HP Laser Printers, Canon Laser Printers, Lexmark Laser Printers, and Samsung Laser Printers. Canon also uses this design in their personal copier line.

Hewlett Packard Toner Cartridges
Lexmark Toner Cartridges