I used dot-matrix and inkjet printers long before I got into laser printers. It was always a mystery to me that while my dot-matrix and inkjet printings would fade as the ribbon/ink would run low, that never happened with my laser printer. The prints would be just as good when the toner ran out as when it was first installed.
Turns out that there’s apparently a good reason for this — the toner cartridge isn’t exhausted. An article at Slate outlines how some users have discovered that Brother printers were reporting that their toner carts had run dry long before they actually had. The story also links to some hints for getting the most out of your toner cart, no matter what the printer sensor stuff.
This kind of stuff really steams my zucchini. And I’m not the only one: recently a class action lawsuit was filed against Samsung for just this kind of thing. The same law firm that’s suing Samsung won a suit against Epson. Check your toner sensors, kids.
