Quality and Manufacturing

The driving force behind what we do at Veterans Imaging Products, Inc. is a company-wide commitment to quality, integrity and service. Thus, you can be assured of a reliable product that meets our high standards and exceeds the end users expectations.

Our manufacturing process is a testament to our commitment to quality. Each cartridge undergoes a thorough cleaning, inspection, and testing process before they are deemed worthy for release.

After the empty core arrives, it is disassembled in the following manner:

• Toner hopper - Cleaned
• Waste collection unit - Cleaned
• Drum - Replaced
• PCR (Primary charge roller)- Replaced
• MAG roller (Magnetic roller) - Replaced
• Wiper blades-Replaced
• Doctor blades-Replaced

Each of these components are cleaned and/or replaced each time a used cartridge is remanufactured.

The toner hopper and waste collector are cleaned with compressed air in a special cleaning room, and wiped down with a lint-free cloth to extract toner particles.

• All corresponding screws and loose parts are kept with the hopper and collector for reassembly.
• A brand new drum is replaced every time we remanufacture a cartridge. We realize that the drum is the most instrumental part of the cartridge and cannot be compromised with substandard equipment.
• A brand new PCR and MAG roller are replaced each time as well. These items are responsible for the transportation of toner through the imaging process. If toner is not properly transported, copy quality issues arise. Both of the PCR and MAG rollers have a synthetic coating and are subject to constant wear. Therefore, replacement is absolutely necessary.
• The wiper and doctor blades aid in cleaning the surface of the drum and MAG roller respectively after each image is produced. Over time, the rubber of the blades (much like that of a windshield wiper blade) becomes worn and can cause rotational scratches to the surface of the drum and MAG roller.
• After each cartridge is completely reassembled, a toner seal is put on to prevent leakage between the hopper and waste collector.
• A new chip is put on all chip cartridges, (HP and Lexmark).
• The cartridge then goes into 60 page testing, where copy quality, such as darkness, print clarity and print density, is rigorously checked before packaging.

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If I use a re-manufactured toner cartridge, will it VOID our machine's warranty?

No! This practice is prohibited by The US Clay Act and Sherman Act, Canada Competition Act and other statutes. The largest manufacturer of laser printers (Hewlett Packard) may use recycled parts in the new cartridges from some production lines they sell you. Look at the box; it says Made in Japan / China from foreign and domestic components, may contain material collected in the HP Toner Cartridge recycling Program. They do remind you that the product is only as good as the remanufacturer! If someone tells you recycling will void your warranty, ask them to put it in writing! We put our guarantee in writing.

Why is the manufacturer's cartridge warranty only 90 days when your re-manufactured cartridge's warranty is for one year for use, 2 years shelf life?

We replace worn parts with more robust OPC drums, wiper blades etc. We, also, we post test each cartridge - they don't. In fact, we have found cartridges from 1989 that still worked. Only light, impact, freezing and salt air can harm them.

Why would the people who sold me my laser printer say I need to buy new cartridges, rather than re-manufactured ones?

Since the profit margin on laser printers is low, most retailers hope to make sizable profits on the supplies (developers, toner cartridges, drums, etc.). General Motors wants you to use GM parts and Mr Good Wrench technicians. Does that make the Fram oil and airfilters installed at your local garage inferior, or grounds to void your warranty?

How do I know if I'm having a problem with my laser printer or toner cartridge?

Place another cartridge in your printer and test it out. If the problem disappears, it is the cartridge. We recommend you keep an extra cartridge on hand for several reasons; first, if your cartridge runs out, you will have a spare to use immediately, second, you can find out right away if the problem is with the cartridge or the printer.

Will there ever be toner cartridge failures?

There will be occasional failures in all cartridges new or re-manufactured. That is why we offer a year guarantee for our cartridges. The manufacturer's new cartridge typically has a 90 day guarantee. Shelf life with our products is guaranteed for 2 years.

Why don't I get the manufacturer's claimed Page Yield from my cartridges?

Cartridge manufacturer's rate yield using a formula. The page yield on toner cartridges, depends on what types of printing you are doing. Manufacturer's yield estimate is based on each 8.5 x 11 inch sheet with 5% of the page black.

Note: The formula is - a capital E, in 12 point courier type, printed 960 times on a page.

One logo or an accountant printing tax form and data, could use twice that amount of toner.

Will the use of a recycled cartridge harm my machine?

No! A cartridge is a self-contained unit. Any cartridge will dump toner if shaken in midcycle, or if wiper blade OPC drum contact is out of spec. i.e. someone drills a hole and pours in more toner, or crams the vacuum crevice tool into delicate plastic parts. This "drill and fill" myth is typical propagated by resellers who add no value to cartridges - we have seen 3 drilled in 9 years.

What steps are taken to insure a quality cartridge?

Graphics toner is used. Except as noted most of our cartridges come with a long-life drum. We change the wiper blade, recovery blade and recoat rollers. All units are tested before disassembly and again after remanufacture. One unit from each line is tested for 25 prints to verify yield and quality.

New cartridge types or new components are tested for 500-1000 prints.

Is it really disposable?

A disposable laser toner cartridge has an average of 4 lbs. of reusable plastics and components. Simply throwing away an empty cartridge is not only wasteful and toxic to the environment, but is is also prohibited in many states. Toners must be properly disposed of as hazardous waste or they can be recycled.

Although many people are environmentally conscientious enough to recycle used cartridges, they are not sure whether or not they want to use them. This is because, some recyclers just refill used cartridges, never testing them or replacing worn out parts. This careless process leads to poor print quality and printer malfunction. After one incident like this, most people stop using recycled toners and return to expensive new OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges.

At VIP, each of our cartridges is fully re-manufactured ensuring quality and reliability while saving you money and time.

Quality

All VIP laser cartridges are fully disassembled, checked, tested and re-manufactured with new parts as necessary to insure that each VIP toner meets or exceeds brand new OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridge standards.

No Exchange Required, No Waiting

Most recyclers require you to ship them your empty shells, often at your own expense, to get their low prices; and some even make you wait until your cartridge has been refilled. Not VIP! We provide ARS labels to return your empty toner cartridge and we do NOT require you to send us a used cartridge to get our highest quality compatible cartridge.

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Evenly spaced, repeated marks on the page.

Evenly spaced, repeated dots, or a fine line from the top of the page to the bottom means that your toner cartridge OPC drum has been damaged in some way. The only way to solve this problem is to replace the cartridge with another one.

Printing is too light or too dark.

The most common reason that your printing is too light or too dark on the left or the right side is that the doctor blade is set incorrectly. Another reason is that you need to set your print density setting on your laser printer. Check your printer manual for information on this procedure, or if you cannot find that manual email us at vetimages@hotmail.com . We are familiar with many types of laser printers.

Random black vertical lines.

A dirty cartridge corona wire mostly causes random black and vertical lines. To solve this problem you need to clean the wire with the brush provided with your laser printer. It would be good to look at your manual for specific instructions for your laser printer. Also, solid round dots or round circles on the left side of the page. If the vertical lines do not go away an electrical charge is jumping across the corona wires. The cartridge needs to be replaced.

Random splotches.

The toner cartridge waste bin overfilling and it dumping toner back on the OPC unit (then transferring it to your document) can also cause this. To solve this problem you will need to get another toner cartridge in your machine as soon as possible. Normally, anything on the front of the paper is a cartridge problem, anything on the back of the paper is a printer problem. The exception would be if the fuser roller cover was damaged in some way.

Squeaking sound.

Squeaking sounds mostly come from the printer, not the toner cartridge. Check this by putting in a fresh toner cartridge. If the sound still persists then contact a local remanufacturer, or printer repair shop to fix your printer. If the sound goes away, then it’s your toner cartridge and it probably has come to the end of its life and needs a major overhaul.

Toner spills.

Toner Spills can be caused from many things. Excessive handling in transport or defective toner seal and recovery blade are common reason for this problem. We test every remanufactured toner cartridge before we send it out at Laser Excellence! But still accidents do happen that is why we have a unconditional guarantee on all our remanufactured toner cartridges.

Variable Print Density.

Variable print density is a common sign that your toner cartridge is coming to the end of its natural life and should be replaced. Usually you can take the toner cartridge out of the machine and gently shake it forward and backwards to redistribute the remaining toner in the cartridge. This usually will give you a few more prints, but you should replace that toner cartridge as soon as possible so not to cause damage to your printer.

HP Error Messages.

--20 Mem Overflow = Too much data, add additional memory.
--21 Print Overrun = Indicates to complex information being sent to the printer. Formatting capabilities cannot keep up with the computer.
--22 I/O CNFIG Error = Computer & Printer are not communicating properly. Check baud rate.
--40 Error = Error occurred during the transfer of data.
--50 Error = Power off printer for 10 minutes. If error persists service. Fuser malfunction.
--51 Error = Indicates laser beam loss for over 2 seconds.
--52 Error = Indicates scanner motor unable to maintain proper speed.
--53 Error = Optional memory installed not compatible with printer.
--55 Error = Error communication problem between the DC controller and the PCA interface / formatter PCA.

If you have an error message not listed here, please email us at veterans@veteransimaging.com or call
Toll Free (866) 602-8259 for further help.

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