HP LaserJet 3800

During the late 80's, Hewlett Packard (HP) started the mass production of laser printers that changed the course of printing history. And together with related accessories and printer peripherals introduced affordable printing to countless households and offices worldwide - thus giving HP an iconic reputation. What started it all was the technical innovation used in laser printing, the development of toner powder and toner cartridges that are first of all handy and could easily be loaded into the laser printer. Because HP has the foothold in the compact printing industry, it dictates the costs of both printers and toner cartridges to the point that laser printing has become limited only to affluent households and large business enterprises.

But then, third party manufacturers conceived compatible consumables and pioneered its distribution in the aftermarket, obviously to support the printing requirements of printers like the LaserJet HP 3800 and thereby providing regular laser printer users a viable alternative. The most important aftermarket consumable is the toner refill kit, which was primarily designed to replenish the toner supply of empty OEM toner cartridges with compatible toner powder. Priced at almost 85% off the original, the toner refill product brought laser printing closer to the masses. After two decades, aftermarket consumables has gained the fervor of many laser printer users to capture at least 30% of the printer consumable market share.

The OEM Q6472A (yellow) toner cartridge was designed to load the LaserJet HP 3800. The unit is non-refillable and comes with a microchip or lockout chip that bars printing after cartridge toner supply has been exhausted and prevents the administration of toner refills on the cartridge as well. But then again, third party manufacturers introduced the refill tool to burn a hole on the plastic shell of the empty cartridge, access the toner chamber and empty the toner chamber of leftover old toner while serving as fill hole for the transfer of a new shot of toner into the cartridge's toner hopper. Third party manufacturers also added a replacement chip to replace the lockout chip and allow further printing. This new system worked and countless of consumers enjoyed the benefits of a toner refill kit because they were able to save while also being privy to superb and razor sharp printouts as well as yield in printed pages that is similar to the OEM counterpart.

The HP LaserJet 3800 toner refill kit carries similar performance characteristics as the OEM toner, likewise rated 4,000 pages at 5% coverage. All these come at a price of only $35 versus the OEM toner cartridge's counter price of $165. And since the Q6472A OEM toner cartridge can last up to 3 refills, users stands to save around $390 for the entire life span of the cartridge.