There are many different companies that offer a variety of products that are marketed as refilled/refills, recycled, refurbished or remanufactured - but what's the difference? Many consumers use these four words interchangeably which makes communications and marketing somewhat of a challenge for companies like Digitech. To help our followers understand the difference and where our remanufactured toner cartridge and refurbished printer products fit into this "eco-friendly" spectrum.
INK AND TONER REFILLS
These are generally lowest in price and quality and are commonly called "drill and fill" There are no parts changed and nothing is cleaned. The cartridge simply has a hole drilled into it, the dredges of old toner are dumped out, the cartridge is filled with low-grade toner, and then glued/plugged shut. There is no testing and no warranty. You will find these kind of cartridges sold by individuals online through various auction sites.
RECYCLED TONER CARTRIDGES
This is actually not a product at all. Many companies, like Hewlett Packard (HP), offer a recycling service so that their products do not end up in landfills. The used products are taken and, instead of being refurbished, are mulched, shredded and or melted down. The purpose is to convert them into a raw material which can be used to create things like automotive parts, microchip processing trays, serving trays, spools and other everyday, new products. Recycling is not the ideal solution in a lot of cases because it requires transportation to a national or regional recycling facility and it requires large inputs of energy to break-down the toner cartridges into the desired raw material - thus releasing large amounts of carbon into our atmosphere.
REFURBISHED TONER CARTRIDGES
In the industry, these are called tier-2 or class-2 cartridges. They are only partially disassembled with only some parts being cleaned or repaired. The standards for quality are lower as they are not certified to meet the standards of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). As such, the final toner cartridge quality depends entirely on the quality of the dealer who is doing the refurbishing. Find a good dealer and you'll get good refurbished products. A good way to check your dealer's culture of quality is to check if they are ISO 9001 (quality management system) compliant.
REMANUFACTURED TONER CARTRIDGES
What we offer at Digitech is a truly remanufactured toner cartridge built to meet or exceed OEM quality. All Digitech toner cartridges are covered under a full warranty. This is because the technicians disassemble the cartridge completely. All the parts are cleaned, checked for damage, and replaced with new parts if necessary. The reassembled products are rigorously tested for irregular marks on the page or noises from the cartridge. Once approved by the technician, it is sealed and delivered to you free of charge the very next day.
Naturally, we feel our cartridges offer the best value on the market and, when combined with our service commitment, is sure to win over any business. If you have any questions about the above differences or anything related to toner or print cartridges, be sure to contact us.
