Complete with a laser printer or MFP, depending on the manufacturer and delivery package, there is a starter cartridge (most often) or a standard (full-fledged). The difference is that the starter cartridge is designed to print fewer pages, this is done so that the cartridge runs out faster and you shell out money for a new one, and this is achieved in different ways:

Type 1. Physically, i.e. the design of the toner hopper has a reduced volume and perhaps there is a chip for this volume, it is simply not physically possible to put a lot of toner into such a cartridge ("ink" - in simple terms). This is the most common option for hp and canon. Here, if you want the cartridge to last longer, buy a full-fledged one. Carefully! don’t buy a stripped-down one again, yes, yes, they are also sold separately :-) (there were such cases, for example, samsung mlt-d104x)

Type 2. According to the device, the cartridge is exactly the same as the full-fledged one, but much less toner is initially loaded into it and there may still be a chip designed for this small volume, you can put more toner into such a cartridge during refilling and change the chip or flash the device, if necessary, in this case you will receive a full-fledged cartridge, a vivid example of xerox 3010/3045. This option is certainly better. you do not need to buy a new cartridge for more prints, but sometimes there are other disadvantages, about them below.

Some information about manufacturers (not applicable to all models):

Samsung and xerox on "home (not large print volumes ~ 1000 pages)" printers and MFPs (mlt-d101s, mlt-d104s cartridges, etc.) mostly have "type 2" cartridges (mentioned above), which is of course good , because you do not need to buy a new cartridge for the full volume, but on the downside, if you want to refill it, you will often need to replace the chip or flash the device. For Samsung, a smaller cartridge may be marked with the letter "X", for example MLT-D104X, the standard one goes as S, for example MLT-D104S, but this does not mean that the cartridge, if it comes with the device, will not be initially filled with fewer pages, because To. initially it is "type 2".

HP and canon on "home (not large print volumes ~ 1000 pages)" printers and MFPs (cartridges cb435a, cb436a, ce278a, ce285a, ce283a) most often have "type 1", but a big plus is that there is no need to flash the device when refueling or change the chip. At Hp, the starting one differs visually in the label (photo below) and the size of the toner hopper. More professional models come with just a standard cartridge (for example, 505A).

Brother is distinguished by the presence or absence of a reset flag.

So it will not be out of place to read the completeness of the delivery and find out which cartridge is in the box with the printer or MFP, because for example, when buying hp, it happens that it is full-fledged, and the cost is higher than rubles by 500, which is not comparable with buying a new cartridge.

There is also an option for an increased volume, i.e. more than the starting and standard ones, they are designated differently by different manufacturers. Also, an enlarged cartridge can have several varieties (enlargement steps), for example, 2000 pages, 5000 pages, 10000 pages, etc.

For example, for HP, such cartridges have the letter "X" at the end of the model, for example, CE505X (6500 pages), and the standard CE505A comes with only 2300 pages (not to be confused with samsung, they have "X" means reduced volume)

At Samsung, the increased volume is indicated by the letter L, E, U, etc. for example MLT-D203L (5000 pages), MLT-D203E (10000 pages), MLT-D203U (15000 pages), the standard goes MLT-D203S for only 3000 pages. Here is a photo example:

Brother starter without a flag and standard with a flag

The same thing, a new sample cartridge with a different flag and without it (starter and standard).

Different labels for Brother Starter and Standard

Brother TN-325 and TN-325

Brother TN-230, TN-235 and TN-230, TN-235

HP 285a and similar on the start another label and the inscription introductory (translation: introductory i.e. start)

Canon 728 starter and standard, everything is clear here

Today it is difficult to find cartridges that could not be refilled. However, such products still exist, although they are extremely rare. As a rule, these consumables are referred to as disposable. But, even to them, the craftsmen manage to significantly increase the operational life. Therefore, there is no doubt that the complete (starter) cartridges cannot be restored to the coloring matter. In some cases, this may cause some difficulties, but refueling can still be done.

Starter cartridge: properties, purpose and capabilities

This type of consumables is called differently, namely:

• complete;
• basic;
• test.

However, in fact, they are called starters, as they are intended for the first acquaintance of the buyer (owner) with all the functions of the corresponding peripheral device. Often these cartridges have the same specifications as normal consumables. But they are distinguished by a resource that is two or even three times less for complete ones. However, it's all fixable. The main thing is to know exactly what to do, and then the starting cartridge can be easily turned into a standard one.

What is the difference?

As mentioned above, complete and standard cartridges are the same, but with a different resource. Why is it so? The matter does not always depend on the amount of coloring matter. The whole problem is in a special chip that is installed on the starting consumables. It is needed in order for the program to report the end of ink or toner after a certain number of printed pages (assuming 5% coverage). Thus, the standard cartridge turns into a starter one.

Features of refilling complete cartridges

Many people think that after the starter cartridge has stopped printing, it can be refilled, and it will work again, as before. If this still works with old-style consumables, then with modern printing accessories one refill will not work. All the same malignant chip simply will not allow this. Even with full containers, the program will still give an error. Therefore, to prevent this from happening before refilling the cartridge, it will be necessary to flash the office equipment as a whole. As an example, you can take the MLT-D104X test cartridge and compare it with the regular MLT-D104S. Their parameters are absolutely identical, except for the resource. This means that the toner container has the same capacity.

Comparison table of Samsung cartridges:

As you can see from the table, the cartridges are similar, but they create a different number of prints. To refill and increase the resource of the MLT-D104X cartridge, you need to flash and refill it. After that, this consumable will have enough toner reserves for 1500 pages of prints (the 5% coverage condition remains).

Most manufacturers complete printers and MFPs with starter cartridges.

The Starter Cartridge holds fewer print sheets than the Standard Cartridge, which is sold separately.

It is important to remember that the starter cartridge toners are designed only to start the machine, that is, so that when the device is installed, only the first tens of pages can be printed. For the smooth operation of the device, it is better to immediately buy standard consumables. The presence or absence of a starter kit depends on the trade policy of the manufacturer.

CB435A STARTER CARTRIDGE DESCRIPTION HP LJ P1005/P1006 Cartridge

The CB435A starter cartridge has about half the waste bin volume.
Toner weight in 700 page starter cartridge - 47.6 g

CARTRIDGE DESCRIPTION CB435A HP LJ P1005/P1006 Cartridge

Number of pages (b/w): 1500 standard pages
case with dimensions 327x123x113 mm
relatively low weight, equal to 793 g and resource capacity of the toner hopper.

DESCRIPTION OF STARTER CARTRIDGE CB436A Cartridge HP LJ P1505/M1120/M1522.

The squeegee has mounting dimensions that differ from other HP models. The base of the squeegee has a significantly smaller width.

The waste hopper has a very small volume, so transfer efficiency is of great importance when selecting compatible consumables. The approximate capacity of the bunker is 10 g of mining.

Charge roller diameter is the same as in HP CLJ2600,3000 cartridges (8.5 mm diameter, 27 mm circumference), but shorter (244 mm). The roller is made of rigid material, i.e. "indestructible" and is well cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. It is possible that, just as in color cartridges with similar rollers, there will also be "soft" rollers that are more prone to failure.

The magnetic shaft has dimensions: diameter - 10 mm, circumference - 31 mm, shaft length - 254 mm. The doctor blade has mounting dimensions that are different from other HP models.

CARTRIDGE DESCRIPTION CB436A HP LJ P1505/M1120/M1522 Cartridge.

The HP cb436A cartridge yields 2,000 pages at 5% coverage.
The dimensions of the 36A cartridge are 370x123x113 mm.
The weight of the 36A cartridge is just under a kilogram - 830 g.

The main difference between a starter cartridge and a regular one is in the volume of the toner hopper. And also, if you pay attention to the photo of the HP 436 starter cartridge, its area is wider than the area of ​​an ordinary HP 436 cartridge.

With today's range of printing equipment from different manufacturers, the acquisition of a modern printer or MFP is often accompanied by an unexpected problem, the essence of which is the difficulty, or even the inability to refill a cartridge of a certain brand and model. Such situations, although rare, still take place, and therefore it is better to prepare for them in advance and, if possible, avoid them.

Let's start with the fact that almost all modern consumables are equipped by the manufacturer smart electronic chips, thanks to which we not only know how much toner is left in the cartridge and what problems the printer faces in operation, but also temporarily lose the opportunity to use refills. The fact is that refill cartridges with chips usually means replacing the latter, or, alternatively, replacing the software in the printer itself. To do this, craftsmen create the "correct" chips that do not interfere with refueling, and develop the same "correct" software, which is subsequently used by professional refuelers. However, both the first and the second are reliably protected by the manufacturer from copying, so it takes some time to bypass this protection. Sometimes it is calculated in weeks, and sometimes in months. In this regard, when buying the latest model of a printer or MFP, be prepared for the fact that refilling cartridges for them at first will be impossible, and you will have to fork out for original consumables for some time.

Secondly, the ability to charge cartridges largely depends on the manufacturer of the printing device. For example, refilling cartridges of Canon, HP, Xerox, Samsung and other popular brands in our country usually does not cause difficulties for refillers (with the exception of the temporary problem with chips and software described above). At the same time, if you manage to get a printing device, say, Lexmark, Epson or Kodak, then it is far from a fact that there are craftsmen in your city who can refill a cartridge for it with high quality. In other words, it is better not to buy such "exotics", especially since the range of really high-quality printers without such related problems is more than wide. Of course, if you search very well, then in a big city you can always find a master from God who can refill even such a cartridge that he sees for the first time in his life, but why do you need this extra headache? We almost forgot: it is sometimes extremely difficult to find even a new original cartridge for sale for such printers, which are not very common in our latitudes!