Standards For Cartridges

If you want to buy a new monochrome laser printer, and you're wondering how often you're going to have to replace your toner, the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) may have made it easier. According to a recent news release, four major printer manufacturers -- Canon, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, and Lexmark -- have announced their support of a new standard that will enable consumers to be able to better compare the toner yield of monochrome laser printers. In other words, since you'll know that the tests used to establish how may pages each toner cartridge is expected to cover, you'll be able to tell which printer's cartridges will last longer.

If you're more interested in color inkjet or laser printers, you'll have to wait until 2005. Meanwhile, you can get the specifics of the ISO's new standard here.