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Old 05-29-2015, 09:00 AM   #1
newbiesforever
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how can I tell I'm low on toner?


I ran out of toner in my new laser printer (Brother HL-2170W), mostly due to accidentally starting a long print job that wasted toner in what was probably a starter cartridge.

So I ordered more toner. But my question is, how can I know beforehand that the toner is low if the printer software doesn't tell me? The software I downloaded from Brother (my distro doesn't seem to include a printer driver that runs this model) doesn't show toner level (or do any other convenient things except make the printer print), and as far as I know, you can't open a toner cartridge and look inside. Is stockpiling toner the only solution? The generic toner cartridge I ordered was cheap enough that keeping a stockpile would be easy (if older laser printer models tend to have lower toner cartridge costs like this, it's a good reason not to buy the latest model); but I'd still like to know the toner is low before it runs out.

Last edited by newbiesforever; 05-29-2015 at 09:05 AM.
 
Old 05-29-2015, 10:20 AM   #2
onebuck
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Member response

Hi,

Not a direct answer but a hint is to periodically remove the cartridge while holding the cartridge in both hands gently roll the hands in opposed action to get the toner evenly distributed(do not turn upside down). Do not shake as this can cause damage. Look here; http://solutions.brother.com/Library...200_tn_eng.pdf

Look at: http://blog.tonerboss.com/how-to-res...-toner-errors/
Quote:
Brother TN450 toner cartridge is a high capacity/high page yield printer supply that replaces OEM part numbers TN450 and TN420 on the following Brother laser printers: Brother HL-2220, Brother HL-2230, Brother HL-2240, Brother HL-2440D, Brother HL-2270DW, Brother HL-2280DW, Brother MFC-7360N, Brother MFC-7460DN, Brother MFC-7860DW, Brother DCP-7060D and DCP-7065DN. If you happen to own one of the printers above then perhaps you have encountered toner error such as “Toner Low, Replace Toner, Toner Life end & unrecognized” error prompt messages. Don’t fret when this happen, this doesn’t mean the compatible/replacement toner cartridge you bought damaged or has defects. It’s just normal for laser printers whatever the printer brand may be. But still, we think it would be nice if you know how to handle the problem as well and fix it yourself. That’s why for today’s article, we’re going to name the steps on how to reset the Brother TN450 toner cartridges when they happen not to be recognized by your printer or your printer showed errors after you have installed them.
I think your printer is covered by the above information. You do use a Brother TN450 cartridge?
I love my Brother printers!
Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!
 
Old 05-29-2015, 12:45 PM   #3
jlinkels
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newbiesforever View Post
I ran out of toner in my new laser printer (Brother HL-2170W), mostly due to accidentally starting a long print job that wasted toner in what was probably a starter cartridge.

So I ordered more toner. But my question is, how can I know beforehand that the toner is low if the printer software doesn't tell me? The software I downloaded from Brother (my distro doesn't seem to include a printer driver that runs this model) doesn't show toner level (or do any other convenient things except make the printer print), and as far as I know, you can't open a toner cartridge and look inside. Is stockpiling toner the only solution? The generic toner cartridge I ordered was cheap enough that keeping a stockpile would be easy (if older laser printer models tend to have lower toner cartridge costs like this, it's a good reason not to buy the latest model); but I'd still like to know the toner is low before it runs out.
A. My policy is to always keep one complete set of toners on shelf. As soon as I insert the a toner, I order the replacment.

B. My lead/shipment time is 3-5 weeks. You don' t know how lucky you are in the US of A with Amazon prime 2-days shipment.

C. If Brother doesn't provide toner levels, they don' t deserve your hard-earned money. Since long I only use HP printers. They have a built in web-browser, so it is OS-agnostic.

jlinkels
 
Old 05-29-2015, 12:49 PM   #4
John VV
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i would expect brother to have a gui tool like HP

if not
what dose cups say?


http://localhost:631/
 
Old 05-29-2015, 09:19 PM   #5
frankbell
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The manual for that printer (PDF) says that there's toner indicator light on the printer control panel (see page 56).
 
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Old 05-29-2015, 10:12 PM   #6
newbiesforever
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankbell View Post
The manual for that printer (PDF) says that there's toner indicator light on the printer control panel (see page 56).
Oops. I simply hadn't thought of something so obvious. yes, there's a toner indicator right there. Thanks.
 
Old 07-04-2015, 10:54 AM   #7
newbiesforever
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[Sorry! Meant to start a new post.]

Last edited by newbiesforever; 07-04-2015 at 11:20 AM.
 
  


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