Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is remanufacturing of printer cartridges?

It's reusing and refilling ink and toner printer cartridges so they can be used again. Used cartridges are collected from consumers and businesses. The cartridges are disassembled and cleaned, and any necessary replacement parts are added. High-quality toner or ink is added, and the cartridges are tested and packaged for distribution. Toner (powder form) is used in laser printers and liquid ink is used for inkjet printers.

Remanufactured cartridges contain high-quality components, and give excellent printing results. More than 3 million companies around the world already rely on these quality products for their printing needs. They trust the quality and reliability of remanufactured cartridges for their day-to-day printing needs as well as for their most important projects.

Remanufactured and compatible cartridges provide consumers an alternative to the often high-priced original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges.

Q: How big is the printer supplies industry? What's at stake?

In 2002 almost one billion toner and inkjet cartridges were shipped worldwide, according to Lyra Research. This results in total cartridge sales worth almost $20 billion in 2002.

Plus, many printer manufacturers make the bulk of their money from supplies revenue. Inkjet printers are often sold at sub-$100 or even sub-$50 prices, with the supplies marked up to make up the difference-the OEM cartridges can exceed $50 just for one item! Supplies are a bigger market than printers for many manufacturers. Last year, Lexmark's supplies revenue exceeded 50 percent of total revenue.

Q: How does remanufacturing help the environment?

Every year, more than 300 million plastic printer cartridges end up dumped in landfills in the United States and around the world-almost eight cartridges are thrown away in the United States every second, industry sources say. While we can never completely stop the cycle of cartridges entering the waste stream, we can at least stem the flow.

Remanufacturing matters. Every cartridge that we remanufacture is one fewer going directly to the landfill. For every remanufactured cartridge purchased, it's one less new cartridge that needs to be produced, saving it from entering the waste stream and from draining the planet's natural resources.