Help & FAQ

What Is Ink In A Printer?

Ink is what an inkjet printer uses to produce text and images. Designs vary by manufacturer, but most ink cartridges look like this.

An example of ink cartridges. 

 

What Is Printer Toner? 

Toner is what laser printers use to print text and images on sheets of paper. Designs vary but most toner cartridges look something like this.

 

An example of a toner cartridge. 

 

What Is Ink Made Of?

Ink is a liquid made of colorants — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black — and a binder, which helps the ink droplets adhere to the paper. Colorants can be either a dye or a pigment.  

 

What Is Toner Made Of? 

Toner is mostly made of plastic dust with some added ingredients to help it adhere to the paper and prevent the toner from clumping.

 

How Is Printer Ink Applied?

When your inkjet kicks into action, it sprays ink from the ink cartridge onto the paper via a printhead. Some ink cartridges have a built-in printhead, like those from HP and Canon. Epson printers use a fixed printhead, so Epson ink cartridges contain only Epson-brand ink.  

 

How Does A Laser Printer Work?

A refracted laser inside a laser printer coats paper with a layer of charged particles, which then attract the particles of dust to form text or an image. The toner is fused to the paper through heat and pressure. 

 

When Do I Need To Replace My Ink Or Toner?

You will need a new ink or toner cartridge when your printouts grow faint. Your printer will likely issue a “low ink” or “low toner” warning before you run out completely.

 

Do I Buy Color Cartridges Or Black?

Open your printer so you can see the ink or toner cartridges. If there is only one cartridge in there, you have a monochrome printer. If there are four cartridges (or more), you have a color printer. Also, you could send a color photo to the printer and see if it prints in color or black-and-white to determine if you have a color or monochrome printer.

 

What Colors Do Printer Cartridges Come In?

Monochrome printers only use black cartridges. Color printers need four standard color ink or toner cartridges: black (K), cyan (C), yellow (Y), and magenta (M). Some inkjet printers also use a fifth ink cartridge — page black — for text-heavy documents, while high-end photo printers may use up to eight different color varieties of ink. 

 

Why Is Toner More Expensive Than Ink?

Toner cartridges are more expensive because they print far more pages than ink cartridges before they run out. 

 

What Kind Of Page Yield Should I Look For?

If you print a lot of pages, invest in high-yield or extra high-yield cartridges. High-yield and extra high-yield cartridges contain more ink or toner, produce more pages, and last longer.

 

Does Genuine Ink Sell Compatible Or Remanufactured Ink Or Toner?

Never! Genuine Ink only sells ink and toner cartridges made by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Our 20 years in the printing industry have taught us that OEM ink and toner cartridges deliver superior text and image quality, sharper color, and more pages per cartridge. Stick with Genuine Ink and you won’t be disappointed!

 

Should I Buy A Single Cartridge Or A Combo Pack?

In general, combo packs will save you money. Combo packs of two or more ink or toner cartridges are available for both color and monochrome printers.

 

How Quickly Will I Get My Order?

Genuine Ink offers FREE one-day shipping to most northeastern states and same-day shipping on orders placed before 5 p.m. We also offer overnight shipping at a fair, affordable price.

 

Does Genuine Ink Offer Drop Shipping? 

Yes. We drop ship all over the country! You—and your clients—can trust Genuine Ink to get your orders filled fast and accurately!

 

What Do You Sell Beside Genuine Ink? 

We carry all of your office supply needs, including toners, inks, fuser kits, drums, and maintenance kits.

 

Who Shops At Genuine Ink? 

Genuine Ink customers include small businesses, corporate businesses, schools, government offices … and you!