In recent years, printer supply manufacturers including Xerox, Canon, and Lexmark have been battling the increased illegal distribution of counterfeit toner cartridges throughout the United States. A counterfeit toner cartridge can be defined as a toner cartridge which appears to be manufactured by a major brand (Xerox, HP, Oki, Canon, Lexmark etc) and carries the logos, packaging, and other features that may lead the end user to believe it is an actual Genuine OEM toner cartridge when in reality the toner has an unknown, unauthorized manufacturer that in most cases does not comply with today’s printing compliance standards. Using these unauthorized and untested toners can damage your printer and will not last as long or print as clear as using Genuine and / or Quality Compatible toner cartridges.

In 2004, Xerox was able to work with customs officials from multiple countries to seize more than 7,200 counterfeit toner cartridges claiming to be Genuine Xerox toner cartridges for the Xerox Phaser 780. The estimated value of these busts was worth well over $1.3 million.

counterfeit toner cartridges

“Hundreds of thousands of illegal products, worth millions of dollars, are removed from commerce each year,” said Bill Duffy, president and chief executive officer of the Imaging Supplies Coalition, a nonprofit trade association. “This is a problem that faces the entire printing industry, and is something all manufacturers must remain vigilant in fighting to help prevent damage to the ultimate victim – the customer.” The Imaging Supplies Coalition is a non-profit trade association comprised of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of consumable imaging supplies (ribbons, toner, inks, cartridges, etc.) and equipment that have joined together to protect their customers by combating illegal activities in the Imaging Supplies Industry. The ISC currently has members including Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Okidata, Samsung, Toshiba, and Xerox.

Lexmark was also successful in finding thousands of counterfeit Lexmark toner cartridges and filed suit against a New York based company named Finetone who were allegedly importing and distributing counterfeit Lexmark toner cartridges. The cartridges and packaging carried unauthorized reproductions of Lexmark’s trademarks.

In 2005, Canon conducted a civil raid of a US distributor who was engaging in the sale of counterfeit Canon toners. Canon was able to seize thousands of the counterfeit Canon supplies and the distributor has since agreed to no longer sell these types of supplies and also had to pay damages to Canon for the numerous violations. Canon encourages customers to buy Canon toner from authorized Canon dealers or distributors.

HP has taken the battle to the web and has released several informative and somewhat entertaining videos regarding the topic of counterfeit HP toner cartridges. Also, between 2005 to 2008, HP has conducted 4,620 investigations in 55 countries, resulting in 3,528 enforcement actions conducted by law enforcement officials where more than $795 million worth of counterfeit supplies products have been seized, including more than 8 million counterfeit ink cartridges and more than six million counterfeit toner cartridges – a total of more than 15 million counterfeit pieces. HP also has a great information page that will walk you through the steps on verifying that you have purchased a true Genuine HP Toner or HP Ink cartridge – click here to view the steps.

Counterfeit Product Defense (according to ISC)

“How can I tell if the product I buy is counterfeit”?
Due to the technology now available to the counterfeiters it can be difficult to distinguish counterfeit products from genuine.  You should pay close attention to the 5 P’s which are discussed below.

1. Person:  The ISC strongly encourages you to purchase imaging supplies from the OEM or one of their authorized resellers (such as The Supplies Guys ). This is the one best thing you can do to be sure you are buying genuine merchandise.
2. Price:  If the purchase price of the OEM product is substantially under the market price or looks like a deal that is too good to be true the product may not be legitimate. The ISC advises you to be very cautious with these situations.
3. Place:  Be cautious if the manner or place of the offer is different from the normal process of business or consumer transactions.
4. Packaging:  Be observant for any deviation in color, materials quality, spelling errors in the packaging. Many OEM’s have a product authentication hologram or color shift label on the packaging to assist in verification. Familiarize yourself with those used by your brand of choice and check for them.
5. Performance:  If you notice any significant variation in the performance of the product from previous experience or obvious defects in quality such as odor or leakage, the product may not be genuine.

Consumers who believe they may have purchased counterfeit imaging products can contact the ISC at (859) 278-3032 or visit www.isc-inc.org.

One way to be certain that you are not buying counterfeit ink or toner cartridges is to always buy from The Supplies Guys We only sell the highest quality Genuine OEM and Compatible ink and toner cartridges – and all of our products carry a 100% quality and satisfaction guarantee!

Despite the tough economic times and the numerous hardships that have plagued most of us (in one way or another) throughout 2009, the holiday season is a time for us to give back and spread joy to the world. This is especially needed for our troops who will be stationed overseas this holiday season. Xerox Corp. is setting the pace this year with their sponsoring of the Let’s Say Thanks mission.

According to the cause’s website, Let’s Say Thanks is “on a mission to provide a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through LetsSayThanks.com you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.”

Get Involved, It’s Easy!

Go to the website and click on View All Designs.  Pick your favorite design (which were created and submitted by students across America), and then add your message.  When you are completed, your postcard will then be processed and printed on the Xerox iGen3^® Digital Production Press and mailed to soldiers overseas by the Give2TheTroops military support organization.

They also provide you with an embeddable widget that you can share on your favorite social network, blog or website, to help spread the word!

If you are like me and prefer to spend your time doing more important things rather than waiting for your print job to finish, then check out these three budget monochrome (black and white) printers that are all under $300. They all print at speeds greater than 25 pages per minute, so if you have the same “NEED FOR SPEED” that I do, check them out.

Brother HL-5370DW Monochrome Wireless Laser Printer – $249:

2 Sided Printing: Yes (auto)

Brother HL-5370DW Laser Printer

The HL-5370DW is a flexible, high-performance solution for printer sharing in small offices. It offers the same print speed, input capacity and duplex printing capability as the HL-5340D, and it also features outstanding connectivity with its built-in wireless 802.11b/g and Ethernet network interfaces, as well as 32MB of memory. The built-in wireless 802.11b/g and Ethernet network interfaces allow you to share this printer with multiple users on your network. For users with wireless access points that support SecureEasySetup, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or AOSS, you can automatically configure your wireless settings by simply pressing a button on your router.

You can also easily print two-sided documents as well as print professional looking documents, brochures, and booklets using the built-in duplex feature. This feature can help save money and reduce your paper use.

Samsung ML-2510 Compact Laser Monochrome Printer – $118:

Standard Paper Capacity: 250 sheets

Samsung ML-2510 Laser Printer

 The SAMSUNG ML-2510 is a monochrome laser printer that can fit into almost any space. Samsung calls it “The most compact printer on the market”. It is especially easy to install, all it takes is just four clicks. It also has a jam-free roller system that can make printing much, much easier.

Clocking in at 24 ppm for A4 size, and 25 ppm for letter size, its printout rate gives other printers a run for the money. A resolution of 1,200 x 600 dpi will deliver clear and crisp prints, but the resolution is not as high as the other two laser printers being compared here.

 

Xerox Phaser 3250/D Monochrome Laser Printer – $268:

 

Pages Per Minute: 30

Resolution: 1200 x 1200 dpi

2 Sided Printing: Yes (auto)

Standard Paper Capacity: 251 sheets

Xerox Phaser 3250/D Laser Printer

Connectivity: USB 2.0

Recommended Monthly Print Volume: Up to 4,000 pages

First Page to Print: As fast as 8.5 seconds

Size: 14.3″ x 14.5″ x 9.4″

 

The Xerox Phaser 3250/D is ideal for small offices where compact size and speed are a must. It has print speeds up to 30 ppm, a 400 MHz processor, a first-page-out time as fast as 8.5 seconds, and standard paper capacity of 251 sheets. You can also print on a variety of media including envelopes, labels, postcards, and more.

Save paper and reduce costs with “N-up” printing which allows you to print multiple pages on one sheet. When printing draft documents, you can use toner saver mode so solid areas will print gray instead of full black. Other advanced features include: Watermarks, Poster printing, Fit to page, Scaling, Overlays, Booklets, Reduce/enlarge, and Custom-size pages.

The automatic two-sided printing feature on all Phaser 3250 models can save you paper and money. You can also run your Phaser 3250 in Power Save and Toner Save mode and further reduce your electricity and consumables costs.

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After looking at the bottom line functionalty that each of these 3 prniters has to offer, I think it is clear that if you are just looking to print, nothing fancy, no network options, etc… The Samsung ML-2510 may be right for you at a price that can’t be beat. If you want a few more bells and whistles, it seems like the Brother HL-5370DW edges out the Phaser 3250/D,  offering a few more options and a slightly lower price.

 

From now until December 31, 2009, Xerox is offering up to a $1200 rebate off of a new Xerox printer purchase if you trade in your old printer. The eligible “new” printer list is below along with the “potential” rebate amount. To find the rebate value of your old printer, visit the Xerox Trade In site by clicking here. On top of the rebate, they will also pay the shipping charge for you to send them your old printer!

If you are not sure if it is time for you to upgrade to a new Xerox printer, check out our recent post which compares the newest Xerox Phaser Ink Printers.