Originally Manufactured MICR Toner v. Remanufactured MICR Toner

Author: Source Technologies

Over the thirty-plus years we have been providing quality MICR check printing solutions, we get this question often …

 

Can we print on a Source Technologies MICR printer with remanufactured MICR toner cartridges?

Over that period of time, our answer has not changed – for reasons beneficial to our customers, we advise against this. Read on.

An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) MICR Toner cartridge is built from the ground up to work with specific imaging units (printers) and to perform to a Source Technologies’ high-quality guarantee.

A remanufactured MICR toner cartridge begins as a non-MICR, standard toner cartridge, which is emptied, disassembled, cleaned, reassembled and refilled with MICR toner. This toner is not held to the same quality standards as originally manufactured toner and this can lead to poor reliability, printer damage, or bank reject fees.

Source Technologies offers only originally manufactured MICR toner cartridges, supported by a MICR Guarantee that ensures the quality of the documents printed when used with our MICR printers. This guarantee cannot be found with remanufactured MICR toner. In addition, Source Technologies' toner cartridges typically offer twice the yield of remanufactured MICR toner cartridges, and a significantly lower cost-per-page, which is the true measure of a consumable cost.

 

What about recycled cartridges?

MICR toner contains iron oxide which over time can eat away at toner cartridge components. If a cartridge is recycled, and the proper parts are not replaced, you run the risk of printer damage and print quality problems. Unfortunately, most vendors use inferior toner formulations and poor quality cartridges that could damage your printer and the quality of your MICR documents.

We do not recommend using recycled MICR toner cartridges and suggest you ask your recycled supplier these questions before buying:

  • What check reader/sorters have you used to verify the MICR toner?
  • What are the expected character signal strengths throughout the life of the toner?
  • What cartridge components, if any, did you replace while recycling?

While the costs of remanufactured MICR toner cartridges appear attractive, it’s typically not the best value when cost per page is calculated. Also, the potential high costs of either damaging the printer or printing checks that reject with remanufactured cartridges, or both, make OEM cartridges the optimum cost, low risk solution for printing checks.