POS Supply Solutions Blog

Name Brand OEM vs. Compatible vs. Remanufactured Printer Toners

Looking to buy replacement toner cartridges for your laser printer, and not quite sure what to get? There might seem like a lot of variation between name brand, remanufactured, and compatible toner options, but the differences are quite simple. Let’s break it down.

What Are OEM Brand Toners?

Name brand or genuine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) toners are brand new toner cartridges built by the printer manufacturer. They tend to cost more since they were designed for your printer by the original OEM.

What Are OEM Compatible Toners?

A compatible toner is a brand new cartridge that was manufactured by a 3rd party to fit the specifications of the OEM. While it has a different manufacturer than the name brand cartridge, a compatible cartridge has been assembled, tested, and filled with toner to work seamlessly with the intended printer model and produce the same yield as an OEM cartridge. They are typically more cost-effective and easier to find for older or discontinued printer models.

What Are Remanufactured Toners?

Remanufactured toners are name brand cartridges that have been used and recycled. They have the same shell as the OEM brand cartridge, but have been disassembled, extensively cleaned and tested for quality, then refilled with toner to the same page yield as the original. They are a great budget-friendly option and ideal for the environmentally-conscious user.

To summarize - name brand toners are brand new and designed by the OEM, compatible toners are also brand new but built by a 3rd party manufacturer, while remanufactured toners are brand name toners that have been used and refilled.

No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong with laser toners from POS Supply! All of our remanufactured and compatible toner cartridges are built to meet or exceed OEM standards, and will work in the same way as the originals would. They offer great print quality (producing the same number of page count) at a lower, more economic price point. We also offer brand name toners from most major printer brands including Brother, Canon, HP, Epson and Okidata if that makes more sense for your needs.