I've been in the copier/printer business for over 40 years.
When I started, most copiers used dispersant & liquid ink mixed together.
When dry process took over, everything was just black & white. In the 90's
when color started coming along, the black toner was one price, but the
yellow, magenta, cyan (CMYK for color) was MUCH more expensive.
When we troubleshoot problems, it is common to swap one color with
another to see if the problem moves with the imaging unit or stays, which
could mean a laser/LED problem. If the drums, carrier (the micro tiny iron material
that mixes with the toner) were not the same, it would not work. The only difference
is the PIGMENT of the toner. Heck, I know once in a while when I'm teaching a class
with new techs, I will swap the magenta and cyan around, just to see the look on their
face when the colors come out funny.
It's all a scam and the consumers get screwed. In the last few years, they started putting
in "crum" chips that will prevent aftermarket toner from working. You'll get a message about
the toner not being a "genuine" (insert name) cartridge and the machine won't work.
Katun, a good manufacturer of compatible toners, would rewrite their chips so the machines
could accept them, and eventually the manufacturers will update the copier software and all
of a sudden the compatible toner won't work again, until Katun comes up with a new chip
for their cartridges. It's a stupid cat & mouse game & consumers are stuck in the middle.
