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CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

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Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#191

Post by actionfromafar »

Syonyk wrote: post #167
onemoresoop wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Brother any better? So far happy with my Laser Brother, way happier than the nightmares I've had with inkjet printers. But I have to admit we changed the tonner after less than 2000 pages. I assumed the cartrige had small capacity and didn't arise my suspicions. Should I worry?

No. They just run X pages and assume the cartridge is empty. You can reset it with some faintly annoying incantations, and I'd suggest doing so until you notice actual print quality issues. Especially on black. The logic is... reasonably sound from a print quality perspective. "We know the cartridge can print XXXX pages of reasonable coverage without any fading/dropouts/etc. If the user replaces it at that point, the…

You can gently turn the cartridge over and, back and forth. This will shake toner loose, and you can turn a "gray" cartridge black again.

But you may also get a little toner on you or the floor, so beware.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#192

Post by lazide »

shuntress wrote: post #178
lazide wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but clearly it isn’t on legislators priority list.

Plenty of states have active Right to Repair legislation happening right now. It's definitely on some people's priority list and good legislators make time for important issues.

Do any of them require releasing the information that was listed earlier?

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#193

Post by _carbyau_ »

fractallyte wrote: post #42
RobotToaster wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember when I was at school about 15 years ago there were printers that used wax(?) blocks, that were just put into it, not sure how it worked exactly.

Xerox Phaser printers ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Phaser ) used wax „solid ink“ blocks ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_ink ) Advantages: waterproof print; very clean; easy to change ink blocks; maintenance was mainly just emptying a tray containing small amounts of waste wax (biodegradable) Disadvantages: when offline, the printer still used power to keep the wax in a liquid state, otherwise a cold st…

I had to support one of these. I thought the colours were quite good but had nothing to compare with.

Main disadvantage was the smell when it was warmed up. It had to be kept in a ventilated separate room.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#194

Post by loloquwowndueo »

jerry1979 wrote: post #69
loloquwowndueo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well - buy the printer and once it runs out of ink toss it and buy another printer :) I did that with an HP inkjet - got me out of trouble until it ran out, then I replaced with a Brother laser that was half of what the ink refills for the HP would have been. Toner for the Brother is like 20 bucks and lasts for a couple of years given my level of usage.

Regarding the brother printer, what do you do with your replacement ink things?

I sell them to one of those shady “cheap toner/ink” places, I imagine they refurbish and resell the cartridge in turn.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#195

Post by jbm »

ElijahLynn wrote: post #182

Bought an Epson "Ecotank" a few years ago, best printer I've ever had. Only had to refill the ink tanks a couple of times, and the refill ink is super affordable. Paid a much higher up-front cost for the printer but damn... I print out TONS of photos now, and don't have to worry about the ink cartridge depleting at a fast rate.

As a counterbalance, I bought that same one at Costco and hated it; I am much happier after switching to a Brother laser printer.

During the pandemic it was especially helpful for the kids' school work. I went through 3 or 4 ink cartridges (literally thousands of pages of printing), but the 3rd party cartridges worked fine and not expensive at all.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#196

Post by lancesells »

ska wrote: post #171
lancesells wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of a timer you could have a counter. The Brita filter looks to last 40 gallons. My Brita pitcher holds 10 cups. 10 cups equals 0.625 gallons. Which means my filter lasts for ~64 fills of the pitcher. So using a counter until 64 would tell me to refill. All you need is a plus sign and some way to reset. Now that I've done the math I might start writing this on a pad next to my refrigerator because I never have…

That definitely works better than a timer, but still has to be adjusted for the water quality in your house. But it also assumes you go fill-to-empty. In my limited experience they are often refilled from partially empty, whenever convenient. If you are doing this on paper, maybe you should count output instead of input? More work though.

Didn't think of water quality. I'll have to see if I can test it. I live in Brooklyn in a superfund site so it'll be interesting to see.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#198

Post by _carbyau_ »

_jal wrote: post #62
kittyn wrote: post #7

i’m not buying it. i’ve replaced enough toner cartridges to know there’s significant weight difference between full and empty. it’s a shill article for their industrial CT scanners

I'm so glad I saw your post before rushing right out to buy my own CT scanner in order to save on toner. You saved me from Big Imaging's clutches.

But think what else you could use a CT scanner for!

- how much medicine is left in your brown UV medicine bottles?

- where did that sock go in the washing?

- how many grains are really in your ammunition? ...

I'm looking to hang my CT scanner off the side of my apartment building as soon as I get committee approval.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#199

Post by lozenge »

bewaretheirs wrote: post #155
lancesells wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of a timer you could have a counter. The Brita filter looks to last 40 gallons. My Brita pitcher holds 10 cups. 10 cups equals 0.625 gallons. Which means my filter lasts for ~64 fills of the pitcher. So using a counter until 64 would tell me to refill. All you need is a plus sign and some way to reset. Now that I've done the math I might start writing this on a pad next to my refrigerator because I never have…

At one point Brita distributed a spring-driven mechanical ratchet counter that would sit on top of the filter cartridge; it had some sort of diaphragm arrangement that would sense the water level and "tick" once per refill cycle and tell you when it was time to swap in a new filter.

They probably consider the electronic version more "modern". Even though it contains a non replaceable, non rechargeable battery.

Re: CT scan shows there's still lots of toner left in an “empty” cartridge

#200

Post by lozenge »

tailspin2019 wrote: post #75

Somewhat related, I recently bought a Brita water filter jug which has a little led on the lid which glows red when the disposable filter cartridge has “expired” and needs replacing. Before I even started to use the thing I knew what to expect. Sure enough it starts to glow red after a ridiculously short period of time of using a brand new filter cartridge. I’ve been ignoring it for a few weeks now and checking for a…

Save a cup from the end of the first filter and taste test against the first cup from the new filter?
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