Technical brief

Original HP toner cartridge: A look inside1

HP LaserJet Pro M102, M104, M203, MFP M130, MFP M132, MFP M227, and HP LaserJet Ultra MFP M230
Up to 70% of the printing technology is in the Original HP toner cartridge system2
adherence to the media. Non-HP toner may not produce the best
The heart of the print system
images and can cause toner smears on the media.
There’s much more to an Original HP toner cartridge than meets the
eye. In fact, the HP toner cartridge is really at the heart of your 2. Stirring blade
HP LaserJet printer. It operates at its full potential when all Toner
supply When the cartridge is at rest between prints, the toner settles. The
components are working in harmony with each other. Original weight of the toner particles causes them to compress. When
HP toner cartridge systems are meticulously designed for seamless
Primary printing, it’s important to have air circulating, so the toner can move
and optimised performance. In contrast, non-HP (refilled,
charge freely. HP cartridges include a set of stirring blades that keep the
remanufactured, or new build compatible) cartridges are drilled, roller
taken apart, re-glued, or cloned. When you purchase non-HP Stirring toner aerated and flowing freely inside cartridges during printing.
cartridges, you run the risk of faulty operation and poor print blade After you select “print,” the initially settled toner is stirred and lifted
performance. This is why it’s best to stick with HP technology. toward the developer roller while it is aerated and partially charged.
Developer
Remanufacturers often reuse stirring blades. Over time, they may
Two-part cartridge design blade
lose their strength and ability to rotate, leaving unused toner in the
Some HP LaserJet printers use a two-part cartridge while others hopper.
use a one-part, unified design. This brief looks specifically inside the Erase
lamp
HP monochrome two-part print cartridge and how it works with
your HP LaserJet printer as an integrated system to achieve the
Developer roller 3. Developer blade (doctor blade)
OPC drum
highest quality and reliability. Did you know that up to 70% of the Toner accumulates on the developer roller and passes under the
Two-part cartridge system made of imaging drum cartridge
printing technology is contained inside the Original HP cartridge and toner supply cartridge developer blade (doctor blade), which distributes a layer of toner to
system?1 The HP cartridge system, with its toner supply, is a consistent height. A negative charge is generated on the toner
designed to precise specifications for the device speed, size, 1. Toner supply through the process of mixing in the hopper and then by friction as
charging characteristics, fusing properties, environmental it passes under the developer blade (tribocharging). In devices with
conditions, and desired paper types. These specifications help Toner is stored in the toner supply cartridge. For HP LaserJet
printers, there is no such thing as a universal toner. No single type higher print speeds, it is critical that the toner can be uniformly
ensure you get the legendary reliability and print quality you expect
of toner will function reliably and consistently in all devices. Toner charged fast enough to keep pace with the print speed.
from HP.
Just as the cartridge system is the heart of the print system, the properties are unique and scientifically blended to be compatible The toner and its additives also act as a lubricant on the developer
toner is the heart of the cartridge system. When cartridge with a given printer’s speed, fusing temperatures, and toner charge blade to prevent streaks, noise, and other defects. Reusing a blade
components are not working seamlessly together with the toner to and magnetism requirements. Original HP toners are proprietary can cause these defects because the blade may be worn and dirty
achieve optimal charge and performance, reliability and print quality and not available for others to source on the market. Aftermarket or have debris caught under it. A blade can also become misaligned,
suffer. HP employs leading-edge technology and precision competitors would be hard-pressed to precisely duplicate the causing one side of the page to print darker than the other, or exert
manufacturing processes to create toner cartridges that produce chemical and physical properties of the HP toner. As a result, the
exceptional results. This brief describes the electrophotographic
incorrect pressure, causing other defects.
toner in non-HP cartridges can over- or under-charge and transfer
(EP) printing process, the components involved, and likely trouble
spots that could cause defects and failures when using a non-HP differently compared to Original HP toner. The result is that either
cartridge. too much or too little toner is transferred to the paper, and print
quality suffers. Fusing properties determine gloss levels and

1
Intended for Approved Countries only.
2
Based on Original HP monochrome two-part cartridges and the electrophotographic process steps required to print a page.
Technical brief | Original HP toner cartridge

4. Developer roller 6. OPC drum Cleanerless process

This roller has a magnetic core surrounded by a non-magnetic The OPC drum (or imaging drum) is a thin-walled aluminium Unlike some other toner cartridges, there is no cleaning blade or
sleeve that attracts toner particles onto its surface and transfers cylinder, coated with specially pigmented photoconductive waste hopper in this two-part toner cartridge system. Toner
them onto the surface of the organic photoconductor drum (OPC), substances. The laser is used to discharge a latent image of the particles left behind and other debris picked up during transfer are
forming a full image of the printed page. The amount of toner on printed page onto the charged OPC surface. Development occurs moved back into the toner hopper. Because magnetic forces are
the roller is controlled by the developer blade, which precisely when the negatively charged toner is transferred to the lower used to load the toner to the developer sleeve, all non-toner waste
controls the depth of the toner layer. As the developer roller charged laser exposed areas. settles to the bottom of the system. During the life of a cartridge,
rotates, the negatively charged toner is attracted to the OPC by the the non-toner waste material is kept out of the print process by not
The toner is transferred from the surface of the OPC to the paper by
difference in voltage between the roller and the discharged image being attracted magnetically to the developer sleeve. In a
a biased transfer roller (a printer component). This process applies a
areas on the drum. The discharged areas are not positively charged; remanufactured cartridge system, any remaining waste material
positive charge to the non-printed side of the paper, which attracts
instead, they are less negative than the developer roller, creating an must be thoroughly removed before any fresh toner is introduced
the negatively charged toner from the OPC onto the paper. The
attraction of toner to the discharged areas. The toner is repelled to the system. The balance between the total amount of toner and
toner image is electrostatically held in place on the surface of the
from the areas on the OPC drum that the laser did not strike, the waste collected is one of the life-limiting parameters for good
paper and is then passed through the fusing unit within the printer,
because it has a higher negative charge than the developer roller. cartridge performance. Because waste material is mixed with the
where toner is permanently fixed to the paper by applying heat and
main toner supply, non-system-optimised toner can deeply
Thin seals are used along the roller and around the gears to prevent pressure.
degrade performance.
toner from leaking. The seals are not normally replaced by
OPCs are designed to work with the printer’s laser and other
remanufacturers and can easily be damaged during the
cartridge components (toner, developer roller, PCR). An aftermarket
remanufacturing process, resulting in toner leaks.
drum may not be matched with the other cartridge system Toner
The roller sleeve can also be easily damaged, so if it isn’t replaced components. A used image drum can also have problems such as supply
during the remanufacturing process—or if a roller is misaligned—it scratches or other surface defects; or the drum coating may be
can cause banding or repetitive defects on prints. significantly worn down in thickness. Image drums experience both
mechanical wear and electrical aging, and have a limited life. Worn
5. Primary charge roller (PCR) drums will reduce the quality of the final printed pages. Primary Stirring
charge blade
This multi-layered charge roller applies a uniform, high-voltage roller
negative charge on the OPC drum to level out any remaining charge 7. Erase lamp
from the last image and to re-charge the drum to receive a new To help ensure uniform density and consistent images with every
image. Reused PCRs can be damaged, causing non-uniform print, the cartridge employs another step to discharge the entire
charging, or under-charging of the OPC. Similarly, new aftermarket OPC surface before the next print cycle. This step prevents the Developer
PCRs used in remanufactured or new build compatible cartridges charge pattern from the previous latent image from producing a Erase blade
may not be precisely matched to the drum. PCR defects show up on light repeat (ghost) image on the next sheet of paper. This is lamp
the printed page. The PCR and OPC must be aligned—variation in accomplished by placing a small light pipe inside the cartridge, Developer roller
contact between these two parts could seriously impact print which is illuminated by the engine. OPC drum
quality.
Two-part cartridge system made of imaging drum cartridge
and toner supply cartridge

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© Copyright 2017 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements
accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

4AA6-9403EEW, February 2017