Many people make the mistake of confusing a drum unit with a toner cartridge and vice versa.

Drum units and toner cartridges, like toner refills, are both essential in producing a print. While these two components play a vital role in the process of printing, there’s often a misconception that a drum unit and a toner cartridge are the same thing when in fact, they’re not. Let’s define the two and identify their difference.

Defining Drum Units

A drum unit is an electrically charged cylindrical printing component that transfers the print toner to the paper. The printing process involves the laser printer putting the toner on the roller inside the printer’s drum unit. The laser printer prints letters and images and fixes the toner with heat and pressure to the paper.

Defining Toner Cartridges

A toner cartridge is a component that contains powder which will be used for printing letters and images. The toner cartridge must be replaced when the toner runs short or prints in low quality due to deterioration.

Toner cartridges need toner refills to print, and the refill is easy. You can, in fact, do it in just a few steps.

Their Difference

Drum units and toner cartridges work hand in hand in the printing process, but they are not the same thing. The toner cartridge is simply a container that contains the toner powder which will later be used by the drum unit to create letters and images on the paper.