Mono Toner Chips
Toner cartridges contain toner powder, a fine, dry mixture of plastic particles, carbon, and black or other coloring agents that make the actual image on the paper. The toner is transferred to paper via an electrostatically charged drum unit, and fused onto the paper by heated fuser rollers during the printing process.
There are two main types of monochrome toner cartridges. The all-in-one type incorporates the imaging drum and toner supply into the same unit. With this type both drum and toner are replaced simultaneously. Because the drum is only being used for one load of toner there is often much residual life left in the drum and other components when the toner runs out. All-in-one type toner cartridges can typically be refilled two to four times before there is noticeable deterioration in print quality.
The second type is the standalone toner cartridge that is used in monochrome models with a separate imaging drum unit. This has the advantage that it makes fuller use of the drum, which has a higher rated page life and an extended lifetime. The toner cartridge can be changed without replacing the drum.
From the refilling point of view the standalone toner cartridge has fewer sensitive components that affect print quality. These are mostly contained in the drum unit. This type of monochrome toner cartridge can typically be refilled five times or more.