Toner, ink and drum units explained

Printers use different consumables depending on how they print. Knowing which one your printer needs makes it easy to order the correct item the first time.

Ink, for inkjet printers

Inkjet printers spray liquid ink onto the page and use ink cartridges. Many inkjets use a separate black and a colour cartridge, and some use an individual cartridge for each colour. Check your printer to see how many cartridges it takes before you order.

Toner, for laser printers

Laser printers use toner, which is a fine powder, rather than liquid ink. Toner cartridges are suited to higher print volumes and text heavy printing. As with ink, a colour laser printer uses more than one toner cartridge.

Drum units, for laser printers

A drum transfers the image onto the page inside a laser printer. Some laser printers use a separate drum unit that you replace on its own schedule, while others build the drum into the toner cartridge so it is replaced together with the toner. Check your model before ordering a drum separately, because not every printer uses one.

About page yield

Yield figures such as 3,100 pages are test based estimates. Your actual pages depend on how much of each page you cover, your print settings and your usage. Photographs and dense pages use more ink or toner than light text.

Order by code

Whichever type you need, order by the exact code printed on the item or its box, and match it to your printer's full model number. Our guide on how to find the right cartridge walks through this. Browse ink, toner and drum units, or ask us through the contact page if you are unsure.