Office Equipment

If you place the same report from an inkjet printer and a laser printer side by side, you may notice a difference before you know which machine printed which page. The laser-printed text might look a little sharper, while the inkjet page may have smoother colors or more detailed images.

But does this mean that toner produces better print quality than ink does? The answer will depend on what type of print job you need.

Toner generally produces sharper text, clean lines, and consistent business documents. Inkjet ink shines when printing photographs, detailed artwork, and images with gradual color changes. Neither toner nor ink is higher quality than the other. They simply have different properties that make each one better for certain applications.

Although we at STPT primarily specialize in laser printers, we also recognize when an inkjet printer is the better fit.

If you’re noticing streaks, repeating marks, faded areas, or other print-quality problems, it’s probably time to replace your drum.

The drum is an important imaging component that works with toner to create the text and images on your printed pages. Like many other printer parts, drums eventually need to be replaced. Xerox AltaLink printers will typically alert you when a drum reaches the end of its expected life, although declining print quality can also be a sign that something in the imaging system needs attention.

As print vendors, we've serviced thousands of printers and copiers and handled drum replacements thousands of times.

Are you seeing the 'Replace Waste Toner Container' message on your printer and wondering if it's time for a technician? Do you have documents waiting in the queue or employees relying on the copier?

Fortunately, replacing the waste toner container on a Xerox AltaLink B8100/C8100 Series copier is pretty simple. However, you need to be careful to remove the full container so it doesn’t tip and spill loose toner inside the machine or around your office.

The waste toner container collects excess toner that is removed during normal printing. Once the container reaches capacity, the copier alerts you that it needs to be replaced. Continuing to use a full container can lead to toner overflow, internal buildup, or the machine stopping until a replacement is installed.

If you own or are evaluating a production machine, you’ve likely noticed that production print environments are becoming more automated and personalized. This means that supporting technology such as print servers play an increasingly important role. In fact, the global digital printing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2025 to 2033. This growth is driven by demand for shorter print runs, faster turnaround times, and personalized and specialized printing.

Organizations evaluating production printers often ask us whether they should choose the integrated Fiery controller or upgrade to an external Fiery print server.

We at STPT always adhere to the principle that the answer will depend on your specific print environment.

Ever wondered what’s truly covered in your printer service agreement? Even if you think you understand, many new and longtime customers still find themselves asking questions. In fact, it’s one of the most common questions we hear.

Maybe your printer needs service, your toner is running low, or you receive your monthly invoice and aren't quite sure what you're paying for. Those questions are completely understandable. Knowing exactly what’s in your service contract makes managing your printers easier and stops you from guessing about what's covered.

Over the 40 years we’ve been helping businesses keep their printers running efficiently, we've found that many questions about our Base Service Plus Cost-Per-Copy (CPC) Plan don't come from the service itself. Instead, they stem from simply not knowing what to expect.

This guide explains exactly what's included, what isn't, how the billing works, and whether the CPC Plan is the right fit for your business.