Debunking remanufactured toner cartridge myths - HP

Debunking
remanufactured
toner cartridge myths
Jim Hardin,
Hewlett Packard
March 5 th , 2008
© 2005 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice

Top myths about remanufactured
toner cartridges
1. Remans always save you money
2. Reman page yields always equal
those of HP cartridges
3. Reman print quality consistently
equals that of HP cartridges
4. Remans meet HP technical
specifications
5. Remans are better for the
environment
6. Remans are just as reliable as
genuine HP cartridges
7. Remans won’t hurt your printer
3/17/2008 2

Myth 1:
Remans always save you money
• Remans reuse critical cartridge
components that may be damaged or
near the end of their usable life
- Cause more print quality issues
- Generate higher failure rates
- Increase “hidden” costs
• QualityLogic* tests found every 100
remans generate:
- 5 extra support calls
- 23,000 extra reprints
- 3.75 additional cartridge repurchases**
• Greater HP reliability means lower costs
over the life of the cartridge
* In a 2003 independent testing study performed by QualityLogic, Inc. (Reliability Comparison Study) and commissioned by HP, performance of original HP monochrome toner and black and color inkjet print
cartridges was compared to leading remanufacturer brands on a broad spectrum of reliability issues. Cartridge models tested were the ones with the biggest aftermarket for which new printers could be acquired
for testing. Samples of 100 HP LaserJet print cartridges, 151 black HP inkjet print cartridges, and 110 color HP inkjet print cartridges were compared to 390, 363, and 429 remanufactured cartridges,
respectively—from 8 leading remanufacturer toner cartridge brands and 7 leading remanufacturer ink cartridge brands. QualityLogic, Inc. is one of the world's largest, most qualified independent quality
assurance organizations, providing testing services to every major printer manufacturer.
** HP customer research in 2004 shows that only 3 out of 5 (60% of) defective cartridges identified are returned to the vendor for refund or replacement.
3/17/2008 3

Myth 2: Reman page yields always
equal those of HP cartridges
• Many remanufacturers achieve stated page yields only when
the density setting is turned down
- A lower density setting is like printing in draft mode
- Making these adjustments can artificially increase yields
for any cartridge brand
- HP bases its page yield estimates on certified
ISO standards using default toner density dial settings
• Remans often overfill their cartridges to achieve stated yields
- Overfilled cartridges can leak into the printer and
damage critical components
3/17/2008 4

Myth 3: Reman print quality
consistently equals that of HP cartridges
• Remanufacturing is a manual process subject to damage,
leading to performance and print quality problems
• Remans use low-quality toner with irregularly shaped
particles and impurities that can cause print quality
defects
• QualityLogic found that, on average, remanufactured
toner cartridges tested were eight times more likely than
HP print cartridges tested to print a high number of pages
with unacceptable quality *
• Lyra Research found that 96% of HP Color LaserJet users
who tried non-HP cartridges experienced problems such
as spotting, blurring, smearing and streaking **
HP’s spherical,
uniform toner particles
Jagged reman toner
particles
* In a 2003 independent testing study performed by QualityLogic, Inc. (Reliability Comparison Study) and commissioned by HP, performance of original HP monochrome toner and black and color inkjet print
cartridges was compared to leading remanufacturer brands on a broad spectrum of reliability issues. Cartridge models tested were the ones with the biggest aftermarket for which new printers could be
acquired for testing. Samples of 100 HP LaserJet print cartridges, 151 black HP inkjet print cartridges, and 110 color HP inkjet print cartridges were compared to 390, 363, and 429 remanufactured
cartridges, respectively—from 8 leading remanufacturer toner cartridge brands and 7 leading remanufacturer ink cartridge brands. QualityLogic, Inc. is one of the world's largest, most qualified independent
quality assurance organizations, providing testing services to every major printer manufacturer.
** Lyra Research, Inc. 09/03.
3/17/2008 5

Myth 4:
Remans meet HP technical specifications
• Remanufacturers try to mimic HP technology, but since
HP specs are proprietary and unpublished, it’s
impossible
- HP invests more than $1 billion a year in R&D for its
printing systems
- HP has more than 9,000 patents worldwide on its printing
and imaging technology
• Remans refurbish older model cartridges and can lag
several months to years behind HP
• HP LaserJet print cartridges feature advanced technology
designed to work precisely with HP printers, toner and
paper
3/17/2008 6

Myth 5:
Remans are better for the environment
• Remanufacturers are unable to refurbish many
of the used cartridges they acquire—and
many likely end up in landfills
- Through its Planet Partners program, HP makes
it free and easy to return empty HP inkjet and
LaserJet cartridges for recycling
• Remanufacturing creates waste that must be
discarded, including worn parts and residual
toner
• An HP LaserJet print cartridge recycled
through HP’s Planet Partners program has no
greater environmental impact than a
remanufactured cartridge*
* LaserJet Cartridge Environmental Comparison, First Environment, Inc.,10/04
3/17/2008 7

Myth 6: Remans are just as reliable
as genuine HP cartridges
• In its annual “Reader Satisfaction
Survey,” PC Magazine awarded HP
the top grade of A+ for the 12 th year
in a row for superior reliability,
service, support and satisfaction
• QualityLogic found that genuine
HP LaserJet cartridges tested were,
on average, more than nine times
more reliable than remanufactured
cartridges tested
3/17/2008 8

Myth 7:
Remans won’t hurt your printer
• PS Technologies found that laser
printers using remans required eight
times more repairs than printers using
genuine HP LaserJet print cartridges*
• At a cost of over $90 per repair, the
total cost of using remans may exceed
using genuine HP cartridges**
• Remans leak more, causing dusting
inside the printer, banding, background
gray, toner blobs, mystery dots and
other print quality defects
• A leaking cartridge can shorten the life
of the printer fuser
* PS Technologies, 09/03
** Repair cost source: computerrepair.com. On 4/18/05, an average printer repair in the US cost $93.21.
Banding caused by impurities in reman toner
3/17/2008 9

No myths, just facts
• A failed reman cartridge
wastes supplies and drains
time and productivity—hidden
costs that add up
• Why take a risk on
compromised quality and
printer performance? It pays
to go with HP
HP Reliability
Minimizes hidden costs.
Maximizes value.
3/17/2008 10

Current Fleet By Printer Models
Monochrome LaserJet %
LJ 4, 5 0.9%
LJ 5Si, 8000, 8050 3.2%
LJ 2100, 2200 2.2%
LJ 4000, 4050 3.6%
LJ 5000, 5100 3.9%
LJ 8100, 8150 4.6%
LJ 4100 4.6%
LJ 9000, 9050 5.3%
LJ 4200 1.1%
LJ 4250, 4350 9.3%
LJ 2400, 2420, 2430 0.7%
Total -- All Monochrome 41.3%
3/17/2008 11

Current Fleet By Printer Models
Color LaserJet Supplies %
CLJ 3500, 3550 1.0%
CLJ 3800, CP3505 1.0%
CLJ 4500, 4550 1.2%
CLJ 4600, 4650 7.8%
CLJ 4700 4.6%
CLJ 5500, 5550 40.1%
CLJ 8500, 8550 2.5%
Total -- All Color 58.7%
3/17/2008 12

Supplies Purchases by Age of Printers
LaserJet Supplies Purchases by Age of Printer
Older than 8 Years
18%
Between 4 and 8 Years
Old
16%
3 Years Old or Newer
66%
3/17/2008 13

Thank You!
877-278-3309
James.hardin@hp.com