Unique to Brother laser printers are separate toner and drum cartridges. They need to be periodically replaced. However, they do not need to be replaced at the same time.

1. Brother printers are unique in that the color output is affected by 2 separate components, the toner and drum cartridges. Both components need to be replaced when the color output or the laser toner is low. However, there is no need to replace both components at the same time. In general the page yield of the drum unit is a few times of that of the laser toner cartridge. In another words, after the laser toner cartridge has been changed for 3 to 4 times, the drum unit is to be replaced for best color output. You can check the respective page yield of the toner and drum cartridges of the different printer models at our Brother Printers page. As an example, the laser toner cartridge and the drum unit of Brother laser printer MFC-8710DW are 2 separate components which can be replaced individually and at different time intervals when the toner is low.  To determine which component to be replaced, we would use this rough guideline. The laser toner cartridge TN750 of MFC-8710DW printer has a page yield of about 8000 pages, so after it has reached its full capacity and when the display indicates that the toner is low, the toner cartridge should be replaced. The drum unit DR720 has a page yield of about 30,000 pages. This means that roughly after changing the toner cartridge for 3 to 4 times, the drum unit should be changed for best printing result.

2. Most of the laser printers nowadays come with a sample toner cartridge which has a lower page yield than a regular toner cartridge. Therefore, when it is time to replace the toner cartridge, be sure to purchase the regular toner cartridge which can print more pages. The regular toner cartridge will come in a different model number than the sample toner cartridge. Inkjet Star, Inc. carries compatible and remanufactured regular laser toner cartridges for best value to our customers. As an example, TN720 is the sample toner cartridge that comes with the new Brother printer MFC-8710DW and has a page yield of 3000 pages. When replacing the toner cartridge, you should purchase the full capacity version TN750 with a page yield of 8000 pages.

3. Compatible or remanufactured toner cartridges are relatively loosely defined as products manufactured by third party companies other than the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) such as Brother. The compatible product manufacturers specialize in aftermarket products which use brand new or mostly new parts. Remanufactured toner cartridges involve the recycling of parts and refilling toner through a standardized process of parts dismantling and inspection, cleaning and refilling. Inkjet Star, Inc. carefully selects our suppliers of compatible and remanufactured toner and drum cartridges for the Brother laser printers. The quality and page yield are compatible with the OEM products if not better. The cost savings of compatible products as compared to OEM products can be up to 80%.

Watch our YouTube video which shows you how to change the toner and drum cartridges in a Brother laser printer.

How to video

Inkjet Star, Inc. is your reliable online supplier of quality replacement ink and toner for Brother, HP, Samsung, Lexmark, Xerox, Canon, Dell, Epson and Kodak printers. Go to the archives page to see all of our blog articles.