Replacing Printer Toner or an Ink Cartridge

Printers need ink or toner to place images onto a page. When your pages start to look blotchy or faint, you probably need a new cartridge.

Various printers work differently, but here's the general rundown on replacing the cartridge:

1. Turn off the printer and open its cover.

Printers usually have a hood-release type of latch that pops up the cover. You might need to remove the paper tray first.

If your laser printer has been turned on, let it cool off for 15 minutes. Laser printers get hot enough inside to brand a steer. The parts that seem hot are hot, and they can burn your fingers.


2. Pull out the old cartridge.

The cartridge usually slides straight out. While the cartridge is out, wipe away any dust or dirt you see inside the printer. The printer's manual tells you the most appropriate places to clean. A little rubbing alcohol on a soft rag usually works well. Check your printer's manual first to make sure that alcohol won't damage any parts inside.

Color printers usually come with two ink cartridges, one for black and the other for colored ink. Because they're often completely enclosed in black plastic, they're usually labeled to avoid confusion. If you're in doubt, the smaller cartridge probably holds the black ink.


3. Slide in the new cartridge.

Before sliding in a laser printer's toner cartridge, gently rock it back and forth to evenly distribute the toner that lurks inside. Don't turn the cartridge upside down or completely on one end.

Some toner cartridges have a protective plastic strip you must remove before you install the cartridge. Better check your printer's instruction manual on this one.

4. When the new cartridge snaps in place, close the printer's cover and turn it back on.

You might need to put the paper tray back on the printer.

5. Run your printer's software, if it has any.

Some inkjet printers, for example, come with software that aligns a newly installed cartridge. The software prints several coded designs, and then asks you to examine them and choose the best-looking ones. The printer then knows the best way to print.

• You should check your laser printer's manual for mention of any fuser pads or corona wires that need to be changed or cleaned when you replace the toner cartridge.

• New toner cartridges are sometimes blotchy for the first few pages, so don't print any résumés right off the bat.