Hello friends, hopefully you are all well.

Now knowing what cartridges work in your printer is incredibly important.  Order the wrong product and you might end up costing your company hundreds of shillings or at least an inconvenient return shipment if the error is caught in time. Ink and toner are two completely different kinds of printer cartridges, each with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages.  If you’re looking to learn more about your printer cartridges or looking for a new printer and you’re on the fence about what to buy, this article and infographic below will tell everything you need to know. Keeping reading to become your office’s ink and toner expert!

What’s the difference between ink and toner?

In a nutshell, ink cartridges contain liquid and are used by inkjet printers and toner cartridges contain powder and are used by laser printers.

The ink inside an ink cartridge can be either dye-based or pigment-based, depending on which cartridge you have. Most inkjet printers on the market traditionally include dye-based inks.  They are more economical than pigment-based ink cartridges and are appreciated for their ability to produce vibrant, true to life color prints and photos.  Dye-based inks are not waterproof and can be susceptible to smudging, with many prints tending to fade after 25 years.  Pigmented-based ink offers a crisper finish and a quicker dry-time than dye-based ink.  It is valued by professional photographers and graphic designers for its ability to print archival quality images and text. Pigment ink also tends to resist water and UV light better than dye-based ink and is able to resist fading for up to 200 years.

Toner is a dry powdery substance that won’t stain like an ink cartridge, but it can get messy if handled improperly.  Monochrome laser printers print with just a black toner cartridge.  Colour laser printers use four separate black, cyan, magenta and yellow toner cartridges to produce a print.  The drum unit is another very important term you should also be familiar with, because without it, you won’t be able to print!  The drum works with the toner cartridge to fuse the toner powder to paper.  A drum unit can be built into the toner cartridge or sold separately as a single unit, depending on the consumable requirements of your printer.  Toner cartridges with a built-in drum unit are generally more expensive than a single toner cartridge but most consumers find them more convenient because you never have to worry about replacing the drum.  Every time you buy a new toner, you are essentially replacing the drum.  Separate drum units can typically be replaced after the use of 3-4 toners.  To learn more about the difference between a toner and drum unit, check out our blog article on the topic.