Review on E-Z Ink (TM) Compatible Toner Cartridge - Brother TN350 Replacement (Black, 1Pack) by Chris Hossain

Summary: I am using a SECOND EZ ink cartridge and it works great. If it's like the previous one, I don't expect it to come out exactly like the original Brother cartridge. If my old printer is still working in a year or two, I'll probably buy it again. Background: I have had a Brother DCP-7020 for many years. I just checked it out and bought it in February 2007. The printer has performed reasonably well over the years, although I cannot say it has been trouble free. Let's just say I managed to sort out its quirks and overall I'm satisfied. BUT in recent years the print quality has gotten worse and worse. A few years ago I stopped paying crazy money for Brother cartridges and refilled the toner cartridge myself for about $5 a shot. It's cheap and not too complicated. But the last time, several years ago, I tore off the cap (which cannot be removed) on the toner cartridge and sealed it with tape when refilling the cartridge. So the next time I ran out of toner, I checked out the EZ Ink deal - I could get a compatible toner cartridge AND a new photoconductor for less than a Brother toner cartridge. (I did some research and found that in 2014 I paid for a new set of Brother drums and toner that cost about 72% of what I paid for the entire printer in 2007.) So I gave EZ-Ink a try. The print quality was excellent. . Parts fit a little tight on the printer but look just like the originals. Everything has been going great for about half a year now. The only downside is that the print quality has deteriorated over time. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure there was still a lot of toner left in the cartridge, but the pages kept getting lighter. For those of us who have used Brother cartridges, we would expect to get a TONER LOW message and the printer to stop printing (usually in the middle of something important) before the print quality drops sharply. So that's different than the Brother cartridge - now that I know to keep an eye on it, it's definitely something to work with. Unfortunately, the printer started to jam more. I thought it was time to give it up. But I tried EZ-Ink again. The print quality is excellent again. I think it will still take some time. The jamming doesn't seem to have anything to do with the cartridge. (It hangs about every sixth page right where the paper comes out of the tray.) I'm going to use a maintenance guide I found to try and clean the front of the printer where the paper keeps getting stuck. I think he probably just needs a good purge (which he never had), and if I'm wrong, no big deal. The Brother printer has been working properly for a long time. If this continues I'll probably end up paying for another EZ Ink cartridge. or if I'm feeling cheap that day, I can save about nine bucks and refill the cartridge myself.