Are there any databases that describe which printer needs which toner?

Question

Are there any databases that describe which printer* needs which toner?

UPDATE:

*any printer

Answer 1

You do not say for what kind of printers (brand or how they are connected), or at what level, home or business.

I know of no multi-printer application for home use, nor would that normally be an issue since it is not hard to figure out supplies for one or two printers. Even so, many of these printers, if they are Ethernet connected, had a web page at their IP address, where you can look at how much they have consumed, or there is an application, which can give you supply information, that comes with it, and that will sit in the systray.

In a business enterprise, there are a few options. One is if you have an SNMP monitoring application, some have printer "SNMP traps". This guy actually wrote his own that you could use:

http://forums.cacti.net/about12970.html

In businesses, HP printers are still the kings, and are widely-deployed. You could use their Jetadmin software to look at them.

(not the supplies tab)

http://h20338.www2.hp.com/hpsub/cache/332262-0-0-225-121.html (there also used to be a report-generation plug-in, but the link is broken).

Answer 2

Such a database unfortunately does not exist. One has to do the grunt-work of searching for the toner per printer type. My own experience is that for the future health of the printer, it is better to use the toner from the manufacturer, even if costlier. Using price-comparing sites or even amazon.com, one can with a bit of luck find special deals.

From Finding The Right Printer Toner For Your Printer :

With the model number known, one should look for the laser printer toner replacement. There are several online stores that sell printer toners that are identical to the original ones and are compatible as well at a lower price. The problem with such low priced toners is that they do not produce the same quality results as the original toners do. In addition to this, the toner may damage the printer and one would incur the cost of getting his printer repaired. The best approach one can take to buy a replacement is go to the dealership that sold the laser printer to him with the used up printer ink toner. They would certainly have a replacement for the toner. If not, they may be able to place an order from the company itself and the laser printer toner would be delivered within a few days.

OEM, genuine, compatible and remanufactured laser printer toner cartridges are what some companies tend to sell. OEM and genuine laser printer toner cartridges are available in local stores and can be purchased if price is not a concern. These cartridges provide the best outputs, of course for a higher cost. Compatible toner cartridges are lower in price as compared to OEM and genuine toners. They work fine, but the quality is not as high as the expensive toners. Remanufactured printers toners are the cheapest and should be used by people who only print documents.

Answer 3

We use FMAudit. It also provides alerts when printer are out of the ink/toner/consumables that they require.