A few tips to help extend the life of your stored up toner cartridges

by Andy Ng on August 20, 2021 Categories: Tech Tips

With our current winter weather I would recommend getting your dancing shoes on and giving your stored up toner a good solid shake, this will help get that toner powder moving freely again and help prevent the toner from clumping up.

The good news is that toner cartridges can be stored for long periods of time without going bad however the toner will not work well if it is heavily subjected to long exposures of unfavorable temperature, humidity, or light.

To guarantee the best results from the cartridges, make sure to keep them sealed in a bag until they are to be installed into a printer. Do not keep them lying around without being covered or surrounded by a bag. Keep the cartridges at room temperature in a dry location and avoid exposing them to extreme humidity, cold, or heat. Various weather conditions could make the toner (a fine powder) clump together or otherwise fail.

Some specific conditions to consider when storing your toner cartridges are:

  • Do not store your toner in temperatures in excess of 35 degrees Celsius or lower than 10 degrees Celsius. These are numbers that generally apply to most cartridges.
  • Keep your toner cartridges horizontal. Do not store your cartridges vertically.
  • For long-term storage, keep the toner cartridges in their original packaging (cardboard box and sealed bag).
  • Try to keep the relative humidity where your cartridges are being stored between 45 percent and 80 percent.
  • Do not store your toner cartridges in any place that experiences rapid and extreme fluctuations in temperature or humidity.
  • Avoid subjecting your toner cartridges to direct sunlight, even for short periods of time.
  • Avoid storing or keeping your toner cartridges in places that are dusty or where dust may gather.
  • Do not store your toner cartridges in your car or vehicle – not even the trunk – for long periods of time.
  • Do not store your toner cartridges anywhere corrosive gases may be present.
  • Toner cartridges can be affected by salty air. Try to keep your toner cartridges out of air that may have high saline concentrations.

If you follow these guidelines, you will likely keep your toner cartridges in working condition whenever you choose to use them, maximizing their life spans.