Solved Printer running low on toner. Continue using it?


Wisewiz

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My not-too-old Brother HLL2390DW mono laser printer recently began showing "low toner" in the printer screen, and began throwing up a banner on my network-connected PCs when we print from any of them: Your printer requires attention. Toner is low.

My question is this: Can I keep using the old cartridge and ignoring the warnings until a document comes out of the printer with its characters all in grey, rather than black? I have the replacement cartridge in hand, but would like not to waste my toner. Will it harm my printer in any way to keep using the old cartridge until it's used up enough so that it can no longer make good copies?

Thanks for any knowledgeable advice.

Dan
 
Windows Build/Version
21H2 613

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    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
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    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
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    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
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    Lenovo 3132
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    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
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    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
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    LG E2442
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    1920x1080
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    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
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    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
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    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
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    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
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    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
My not-too-old Brother HLL2390DW mono laser printer recently began showing "low toner" in the printer screen, and began throwing up a banner on my network-connected PCs when we print from any of them: Your printer requires attention. Toner is low.

My question is this: Can I keep using the old cartridge and ignoring the warnings until a document comes out of the printer with its characters all in grey, rather than black? I have the replacement cartridge in hand, but would like not to waste my toner. Will it harm my printer in any way to keep using the old cartridge until it's used up enough so that it can no longer make good copies?

Thanks for any knowledgeable advice.

Dan
Dan, use the toner cartridge until it will no longer print. In the meantime, you are right to have replacement cartridge so you can install it once the old one ceases to work.
 

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    Windows 11 23H2 22631.2861
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    PC/Desktop
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    HP Envy TE01-1xxx
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    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
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    16.0GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1463MHz (21-21-21-47)
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    16384 MBytes
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    Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Realtek High Definition Audio
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    Monitor 1 - Acer 27" Monitor 2 - Acer 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
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    WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G-1006 (SSD)
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    That's all Folks!
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 (10th gen) 10700
    Motherboard
    Intel
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Built-in
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    Acer 27" & Samsung 24"
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    HP 3-in-One Card Readr
    SuperSpeed USB Type-C
    DVD Writer
Thanks, Wynona. I'm sure it's nothing at all like running my car on fumes until the dirtiest gas in the tank is in the engine. But I just didn't know about toner. This is only my second laser printer and I love it, so I didn't want to harm it in any way just because I happen to be ignorant about the "low toner" condition.
 

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  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
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    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
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    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Can I keep using the old cartridge and ignoring the warnings until a document comes out of the printer with its characters all in grey, rather than black?
Yes. Toner plays no part in keeping the printer's mechanics serviceable. It just supplies the toner dust to be picked up by a static charge on the paper, then run through a heated roller to fuse it to the paper. Insufficient toner just means there will be little or nothing to fuse to the paper, but in no way should a lack of toner damage the machine.
 

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System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
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    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
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    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
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    Firefox, Edge
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    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Thanks, Bree. I sorta, kinda understand the process of laser printing, but I still thought it might be remotely possible that if there were no toner, the roller would complain. I'm comfortable now.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
My not-too-old Brother HLL2390DW mono laser printer recently began showing "low toner" in the printer screen, and began throwing up a banner on my network-connected PCs when we print from any of them: Your printer requires attention. Toner is low.

My question is this: Can I keep using the old cartridge and ignoring the warnings until a document comes out of the printer with its characters all in grey, rather than black? I have the replacement cartridge in hand, but would like not to waste my toner. Will it harm my printer in any way to keep using the old cartridge until it's used up enough so that it can no longer make good copies?

Thanks for any knowledgeable advice.

Dan
Sure. Run it all out. Sometimes, if you take out the toner cartridge and shake it from side to side, it will buy a little more toner life as well.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG X570S Edge Max WiFi
    Memory
    Patriot Viper Gaming DDR4 Extreme Performance (2 x32MB)
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    ZOTAC RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC 12GB GDDR6/ ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB GDDR6 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card
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    Proprietary
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    ViewSonic XG2530 25"/Benq XL2411P 24"/ ASUS VA24DQSB) 23.8"
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    1920x1080 240Hz/144Hz/60Hz (based on monitor setup above)
    Hard Drives
    SK hynix Gold P31 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
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    Thermaltake Smart 700W 80+ White Certified PSU
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    Rosewill ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, Gaming Case with Blue LED for Desktop
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    Corsair iCUE H60i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler
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    Corsair K70
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    Logitech MX Master 3
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    Edge (Chromium)
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    Norton 360
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    Windows 11 Pro
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    Home Built
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    Ryzen 7 3700X
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    MSI B550 Gaming GEN3 Gaming Motherboard
    Memory
    32MB DDR4
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    I forget, but it's old. I can't see the need to upgrade it.
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    Propietary
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    ACER LED 24"
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    1920X1080
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    1TB Samsung SSD 3.5"
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    Corsair
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    Stock
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    Logitech
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    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    ~750Mb/s download / ~750Mb/s upload
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    Edge
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    Defender and Malware Bytes
Sure. Run it all out. Sometimes, if you take out the toner cartridge and shake it from side to side, it will buy a little more toner life as well.
j: Does that suggest the warnings will stop for a bit?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
j: Does that suggest the warnings will stop for a bit?


Hi, Wisewiz.

Likely not. Since it's already past that mark. But as everyone has suggested above, run it dry.

Good for you, for having the forethought to have extra on hand. :wink:


Best regards.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 22H2 19045.4046
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/Vostro 470 (Year 2012)
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    Intel i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    8 GB
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    AMD 7500 Radeon HD Series
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    Realtek Hi-Def Audio
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    Dell U2412M
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    1 TB 7200 HDD
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    Dell/USB
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    Dell/USB
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    100/10
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    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security/MalwareBytes Premium
@WXC

Forethought is too noble a word. My first laser printer died before I exhausted the cartridge it came with (but after several years of excellent service), so I had no experience with this "low toner" warning, and I decided when I saw it for the first time that now was the time for all good men to act, and I ordered a replacement, which arrived today, and that arrival prompted me to wonder whether I should go ahead and put it in or wait a bit. It's still printing beautifully, and I think I'll take jv's advice and give 'er a gentle shake, just to see whether I can get some more mileage out of 'er. Sometimes a gentle shake of something (or someONE) is just what's needed.

Thanks for your encouragement. I'm gonna run it till it's no longer viable. I'm not a poor man, but I am alarmed by the costs of toner and ink cartridges. The prices for printers, on the one hand, and refills, on the other, proves that the companies are not really in the PRINTER business; they're in the refills business.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Not sure if you know about it or not but if you type the printer's IP address into any browser you should get a status page something like this,

1650486160459.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 5600
    Motherboard
    MSI B550 Tomahawk
    Memory
    Patriot Viper 4 Blackout Series 3600 2x8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire RX 5600 XT
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 278E1A
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    XPG SX8200 240GB M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe
    Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB
    Seagate 500 GB
    WD Black SN750 500GB
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G3
    Case
    Deepcool CK500WH
    Cooling
    Deepcool Castle 280EX, plus 3 140 MM case fans (2 in front, 1 in rear)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213 Prodigy
    Mouse
    Logitech 305
Didn't know that; tried it; it works. But I already knew I had a very low level of toner (which the status page showed), so the status report added nothing to the readout on the printer itself and the banner pop-ups on the three computers that use the printer wirelessly. Thanks for telling me about that, though. I'll use it down the road. I always thought that you had to use the junkware that printer installations install, to get a measure of remaining toner/juice.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Did you poke around while there? It shows a lot more than just toner levels.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 5600
    Motherboard
    MSI B550 Tomahawk
    Memory
    Patriot Viper 4 Blackout Series 3600 2x8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire RX 5600 XT
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 278E1A
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    XPG SX8200 240GB M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe
    Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB
    Seagate 500 GB
    WD Black SN750 500GB
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G3
    Case
    Deepcool CK500WH
    Cooling
    Deepcool Castle 280EX, plus 3 140 MM case fans (2 in front, 1 in rear)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213 Prodigy
    Mouse
    Logitech 305
Tomorrow. But thanks. Now it's time to make dinner. For me and the missus.

We have to have dinner served and consumed in time to watch Jeopardy! The Canadian woman is doing such a superb job I can't believe her, and Ken Jennings is obviously intrigued by her. His "extremely Canadian" and "Canada is known for maple syrup, mounties, poutine, ... our beloved Alex Trebek, ..." intros were wonderful. O, Canada!
 
Last edited:

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System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
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    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
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    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
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    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
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    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
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    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
@WXC

The prices for printers, on the one hand, and refills, on the other, proves that the companies are not really in the PRINTER business; they're in the refills business.

:D

I certainly don't disagree there!


Best regards. :wink:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 22H2 19045.4046
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/Vostro 470 (Year 2012)
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
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    8 GB
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    AMD 7500 Radeon HD Series
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    100/10
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    Edge
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I am alarmed by the costs of toner and ink cartridges

Dan,

The [UK] Consumers' Association ["Which"] ran a survey on third-party ink cartridges & toner. They concluded that there is no quality / technical / cost benefit in sticking to manufacturers' brand ink or toner.
The ink that printer firms don't want you to use - Which
The best laser printer toner - Which
One exception to note is HP's Instant Ink plan [a subscription scheme] which has remarkably low charges. Costs can apparently work out as almost half of standard retail prices. HP post you new ink when needed [usage is monitored & reported back to HP by the printer's control centre]. One price I saw mentioned was £9.99 a month for usage of 300 pages a month [with rollover facilities of up to three months].

I'm almost in the same boat as you.
- I'm still using the toner that the printer came with four years ago. Its main use is as a very good scanner because I hardly ever need to print anything out these days; I printed a page this afternoon & I printed out two pages in January.
- I am getting an occasional faint printout on black typing.
- I am not getting any low toner warning yet.
- I'll keep trying the shaking trick until the black toner is exhausted.
- I've bought a complete set of third-party large capacity toner replacements from Office World. They were given decent ratings in the Which review and happened to be the ones I found the lowest known-name prices for in Amazon [UK].
- The set should have cost only £49 but I took the additional risk of buying from the Amazon [UK] Warehouse [i.e. returned goods] so it only cost me £35. I'll be glad to get the chance to try them out.


All the best,
Denis
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
The prices for printers, on the one hand, and refills, on the other, proves that the companies are not really in the PRINTER business; they're in the refills business.
That's the reason I bought a 3rd party refill for my Brother laser printer. It works perfectly for only about a quarter of what Brother would have charged.
 

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    Win10 Pro x64 & 11 Pro
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    Self Build
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    Intel Core i7-11700
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    ASUS ROG Strix Z590 Gaming
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    Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz 16GB
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    MSI GeForce RTX 3050
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    Onboard Realtek
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    LG 32UN650 32" 4k
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    3840x2160 @ 60Hz (175% scaling)
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    Antec P100
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@stormy13: thanks for the info. It's like accessing a router or WAP over the network but of course focuses on printer relevant info. Works for both of my network-attached printers, and glad of it. Blogged about this today: Printer IPv4 Address Produces Reports. Good stuff!
--Ed--
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 11
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    Laptop
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    Lenovo X380 Yoga
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    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
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    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
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    16 GB
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    Intel UHD Graphics 620
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    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
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    touchscreen, touchpad
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    all of em
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    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC
I agree with @Wynona Back when I was working our printer did exactly the same so we turned off notifications and used it until it ran out. Always have a spare ready to go in. The price of Toner and ink cartridges in the UK is crazy so get every last drop out of them
 

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    Windows 11 Pro
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    Alienware M18 R1
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    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
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    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
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    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
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    Dark Metallic Moon
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    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
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    Alienware AW610M
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    Norton
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    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
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    Nvidia
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    1920 x 1080
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    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
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    Alienware 610M
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    Chrome
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    Norton

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 11
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    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 5600
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    MSI B550 Tomahawk
    Memory
    Patriot Viper 4 Blackout Series 3600 2x8GB
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    Sapphire RX 5600 XT
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    Philips 278E1A
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    XPG SX8200 240GB M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe
    Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB
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    EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G3
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    Deepcool CK500WH
    Cooling
    Deepcool Castle 280EX, plus 3 140 MM case fans (2 in front, 1 in rear)
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    Logitech G213 Prodigy
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    Logitech 305
As far as toner cartridges go, I picked up this one for my 2390DW and it has been working flawlessly,



which is a 3 to 1 savings over direct from Brother (and a couple of dollars less on Amazon, $89 instead of $100),

We bought cheap ones at work once and it leaked and ruined the printer. As for my home one, I print so little I just by genuine Canon ones, just bought a pack of all 4 cost £56
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton

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