Recycling and refurbishing are central aspects of Printer Stop’s conscious effort to be kind to the environment. Regrettably many electronic devices conclude their useful lives in dumpsters and landfills. Due to a lack of sufficient financial incentives, society has not prioritized recycling. The cost of recycled equipment can vary broadly depending on supply and demand, but generally, such equipment has limited worth. To wit, the value of recycled printer materials is much less than the cost of disassembly.

Most of the used printers that PrinterStop receives can be rebuilt or utilized for parts; however, some have no further usefulness and are therefore slated for recycling. Items such as plastics, circuit boards, metals, wiring and cabling can be recycled. This process is laborious and time intensive (as long as 30 minutes to break down into recyclable components). When enough recyclable materials are accumulated, an ISO 14001 certified recycler is contacted to collect these components.

In order to save money, help the environment, and support the US economy, consumers should buy refurbished laserjets and patronize companies that use re-conditioned parts to fix broken laserjets. Manufacturing new printers produces more carbon, consumes raw materials, and expends significant energy. PrinterStop’s refurbishing process limits these adverse effects; in addition, its printers are rebuilt in Raleigh, North Carolina, thus helping to curb US dependence on foreign manufacturing.

Refurbishing Process at the PrinterStop: Each printer is disassembled, blown free of toner, dust and debris, and inspected. Then, the outside covers are cleaned and all extra labels are removed. Next, the image quality and paper feed system are tested. The pickup rollers, feed rollers, and separation pads are replaced, if needed, with new parts and then multi-paper path tests are performed on all paper sources. The fuser assembly is refurbished by cleaning, re-lubricating, and replacing the fuser roller or film when necessary. Both the network card and formatter are tested and updated to the latest firmware version as required. A final test is performed to make sure the printer is ready for shipment to the customer. Finally, the printer is professionally boxed and shipped to you.

Inkjet Printers versus Laser Printers:  For home use, many people depend on inkjet printers for everyday low-volume printing. However, the cost of ink cartridges is much higher than toner cartridges, making inkjet printers a poor long-term value. Indeed, ink cartridges are an enormous source of profit for printer manufacturers. Since inkjet printers are not designed to be repaired because of their low replacement cost, they usually are thrown away. In most cases, no replacement parts are accessible.

Conversely, businesses primarily utilize medium to large sized laserjets due to their exceptional build quality. Because toner cartridges for laserjets are much less expensive than inkjet cartridges, and maintenance kits are typically available, laserjets are the most cost-effective option for most users. Furthermore, a quality laserjet is a greener purchase than an inkjet because a laserjet typically outlasts an inkjet by several years.  So, if you are looking for a new printer…think again! Be kind to the environment and buy a refurbished laser printer!