Author Archives: Derek Willis

About Derek Willis

Derek Willis is the owner of Laser Cartridge Plus, Inc.

MICR Toner is moving into offices at a rapid rate!

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micr toner check“MICR” stands for magnetic ink character recognition and is pronounced “my-ker”

With all of the challenges faced with industries today, the MICR market is standing well out front. Despite declining check reserves around the world, millions of MICR documents go forward to be produced on centralized, distributed and laser printers, and vendors continue developing new MICR printing process hardware and solutions. In their recent study, “Digital MICR Printing,” INTERQUEST reviews the current state of affairs of MICR printing.

Although checks are still the leading form of non-cash payment in the US, the Federal Reserve documents a steady decline in market share to electronic payments. Between 2003 and 2006, checks dropped from 48% to 33% of all non-cash payments, and this scenario is playing out in most regions of the world. INTERQUEST estimates that, currently, about half of consumer and small business checks produced by large check suppliers are printed on conventional equipment, and about half are printed on digital systems. Declining check usage has surprisingly not taken a toll on check producers. INTERQUEST expects check volume in the US to decrease from 32 billion in 2007 to 21 billion in 2012, and that an increasing part of checks currently produced with lithography will migrate to digital platforms, mostly laser printers.

Laser Printers with MICR Toner

The majority of MICR printing is being held within of institutions using distributed laser printers. TROY Group and Source Technologies together account for more than 90% of the installed base of secure laser printers and distributed MICR printers in the US. sooner or later, electronic delivery is having an impact. Check 21 provided a boost to laser printers and distributed MICR prints as the volume of image replacement documents (IRDs) produced by banks and financial institutions grew very rapidly. As of mid-2009, however, nearly 90% of receiving institutions in the US were accepting check images, and IRD volume is declining. In the future, INTERQUEST expects to see faster laser printer units and more MICR MFPs on the market.

Recent surveys of major commercial and in-house transactional printing operations find that only about one-quarter of the respondents expect MICR volume to decline over the next few years. Yet many third-party providers are gaining volume from failing competitors, and in-house operations face outsourcing decisions as volumes level off. Consolidation in the market has been a boon for faster continuous-feed systems from vendors such as InfoPrint and Océ, while Xerox continues to dominate the cut-sheet segment. It is estimated that the overall volume of MICR printing produced on output equipment to decline from around 13 billion to 11 billion impressions by 2013.

One of the most interesting and exciting developments for the market has been the MICR enabled inkjet. Printing MICR ink with these devices present difficulties for users since the magnetic particles in the ink tend to clog the ink nozzles and are difficult to maintain in suspension. Kodak worked around the issue by offering an inline Nipson magnetographic unit with its VL and VX presses, but the Holy Grail has been an entirely inkjet solution. A solution was first achieved for desktop inkjet units, and solutions for production equipment have followed. Océ has added a fifth print head and an additional MICR ink tank to the JetStream family of fullcolor inkjet presses, and InfoPrint unveiled a MICR version of the InfoPrint 5000 at Print 09. Other vendors offering MICR-enabled inkjet production equipment include RISO and the French company, Impika.

Still with all that said HP still dominates the industry with it’s HP Laserjet printer using HP MICR Toner. HP printers are widely standard and make up about 85% of all laser printers on the market. When it comes to MICR Toner HP is the choice with its full line of HP MICR perfected and available most anywhere.

Printer Toner used to help fight crime

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printer toner fingerprintIn a world full of answers on how to recycle just more or less everything under the sun there are always clever people who just go beyond traditional means. Over and over you hear about why you should recycle your printer cartridges from trying to save the environment to being able to save money and so forth. Even with today’s applied science the most overlooked resources often get over looked.

Printer Toner Recycled into Fingerprint Powder

Angus Carnie of 300 Recycling newly noted that he has had a fantastic response from all over the world for his solution to reprocess toner powder as forensic fingerprint powder.

Just as many people would assume to recycle a printer toner cartridge would mean you take it apart and then reconstruct it for resale. But with the new application of using it as a dust for the removal of fingerprints at a crime scene is just remarkable not only for the invention, but also for the value of recycling.

Printer and photocopier cartridges have been reused or broken down to recover the plastic and metal components; nonetheless, the waste toner powder presented a problem due to its complicated composition. Carnie eventually discovered that it made an excellent core material for print powders.

“Ironically, one of the other big issues was what to do with the different colors of toner, but I found that they were ideal for identifying finger prints on dark surfaces such as car dashboards,\” With yellow toner on a black background it makes for a very decided print.

Think doubly if your a thief. If you thought you were smart enough to get away clean think again. One step ahead is the law and in their hand is recycled printer toner from probably your toner cartridge you threw away.

Answers about Toner Cartridges

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printer toner answersHaving a laser printer sitting on most office desks – both at the office and at home – most users have come to understand the role of the printer toner. But, in most cases, the extent of our knowledge is limited to knowing when and how the printer toner cartridge must be changed. And change it we do, and with not a clue to having any real understanding of how it functions within our printer.

What is printer toner made of?

Printer toner contains the material – whether in liquid or typically powder form – that brings our printed document to life, to use or dispose of at our discretion. When we choose to print from our computer, a signal is sent to the printer in binary code, formatted and ink – of all crucial colors – is released onto our papers reproducing exactly the document we constructed on our computer.

The printer you use will typically come with a unique cartridge specifically for your printer. Depending on the volume with which we print, the toner cartridge will have to be changed periodically or more frequently. In this case, we purchase replacement printer toner – which in many cases can be an expensive proposition.

Of course when replacing the printer toner most people turn to the printer producer. The specific printer toner that is compatible with your printer comes with a product number that will help you substantially and conveniently locate a replacement. While this can be a more pricey option than purchasing a generic alternative, you are sure to get the quality that your printer needs. Lower quality printer toner, while always less expensive, can seriously clog and damage your printer.

That is not to say, however, that you can not find quality printer toner at reasonable prices. There are generic brands that offer superior quality at a more affordable cost. The key is ensuring that you are dealing with a reputable company that will stand behind the products they sell. A little due diligence on the Internet will help you make a better decision in the long run. Always ask or check to see what kind of guarantee is being offered before you buy.

Printer cartridges is an inevitable part of printer ownership. Take your time to learn what works and what prices you can find so that you affordably address your printer needs. believe the old saying, you get what you pay for. That is especially true when purchasing remanufactured printer cartridges.

Printer Toner Safety First

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printer toner safetyEvery office has one. The laser printer is common to every office like the water cooler. Everyday we print off reports, our email, letters to potential customers, charts and many other things. But have you ever changed the toner cartridge in your printer or copier? It often is no problem and doesn’t seem dirty at all, but then there is the nightmare problem leaving you covered by the end of the job with a black coating of dust.

While changing copier or printer toner, your first priority is often getting the machine back running as quickly as conceivable to finish the project at hand. But it’s best to slow down and take the time to follow necessary safety precautions and check the machine for other visual potential problems.

Printer Toner is a fine powder

While copier and printer toner itself isn’t a health hazard, its fine powder (less than 3 microns) in high denseness can be. This powder can stay in the air for quite awhile, and is similar to dust when it comes to its effects on our body, resulting in allergic irritations like sneezing and coughing. Add any respiratory conditions like bronchitis or asthma and these effects can become consuming.

How does this dust become airborne? You’d be surprised at how fairly easy it is. An ill advised way to find out is to take the cartridge out of the machine, get a can of air and give it a blast. Often the failure of a toner cartridge is not that it is empty, it is the fact that the wasted toner is full. Improper disposal of printer toner in waste baskets can quickly spread dust through the air. Machine spills can cycle through the ventilator fan and make the toner dust airborne in seconds. Over-filled waste toner compartments can overrun within the machine.

Some laser toner cartridges are considered carcinogens, or cancer causing, increasing the risk of those individuals facing extremely heavy and long-term exposure. Nevertheless, typical office and personal use is deemed safe.

So take precautions. Vacuum, and use a vacuum that is equipped with a fine powder dust collection bag like the shop vac with a drywall dust bag, don’t sweep or brush, spilled toner dust. Clean up desktops or surfaces with a damp cloth. Should toner get on your hands, wash them well and instantly with soap and warn water, then with cold water which keeps your pores closed and protects your hands from becoming stained. Avoid rubbing your eyes, nose or mouth and never ingest. To play it extra safe, put the toner in a zipped plastic bag or tie off a common kitchen bag to avoid possible dust emissions.

If your eyes start watering, sneezing occurs or shortness of breath, stop working with the printer toner, if applicable, and get fresh air immediately. Then seek medical attention if your symptoms persist.