The starter toner won't start your car, but...

When you buy a printer, you may come across the term "starter toner" in the manual or other documents. What does the manufacturer mean by this? And how is it different from conventional toner?

Why is it called starter toner?

When you buy a printer, it usually comes with a suitable refill, which allows us to test whether the printer's function is okay and is generally a kind of "first aid" if you forget to throw toner for your device in the cart at the same time. It's simply the toner for the initial start-up of the printer that is included, hence the "starter". Sometimes you may also come across a term such as introductory or starter cartridge or the English term "Introductory cartridge", "Starter cartridge" or "Initial cartridge".

Starter toners are not sold separately and must be replaced with standard toners when they are used up.

How can they differ from the standard ones?

Capacity

The capacity of starter toners (as well as other cartridges) is usually smaller than standard ones, but it also depends on the make or model of the printer. So you won't print as many sheets as you would with a standard toner.

Construction

Some starter toners may also differ in design, which is particularly important in terms of refillability.

For example, toners may not include a slot for the chip location and then unfortunately cannot be refilled, or they may be missing some components that need to be installed during refilling.

It may also contain a smaller waste container where used toner powder is collected.

Inscription on the toner label

You will also usually find a label on the starter toner or cartridge that tells the manufacturer what to replace it with when it is used up. So you can also tell by the "Replace with..." on the toner label.