Canon is temporarily stopping putting microchips in its toners. In this way, the printer farmer hopes to guarantee the supply of toner despite the chip shortage.
Toner (the “ink” of a laser printer) is not subject to global supply chain issues, but the microchips in toner cartridges are. Among other things, those simple chips allow users to quickly see how much toner is left in a cartridge. Today, as we pointed out in an earlier analysis, simple and low-cost microchips in particular are facing a production shortage. That shortage means that printer manufacturer Canon cannot get enough microchips to build its toner cartridges to conventional specifications.
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Canon removes chip from toners because of chip shortage
Canon notes that printing capacity continuity is a priority. Therefore, the company will temporarily build toner cartridges without an onboard microchip. Canon stresses that there will be no impact on print quality, but indicates that peripheral functionality will be affected. Specifically, this involves the ability to check actual toner levels.
Error messages and toner level
Printers cannot recognize cassettes without a chip as authentic. The solution to this is to simply ignore the related error message by accepting it or clicking ok. You should not click stop when that option is there. If you do, you have to reinsert the toner without a chip for a while. Canon itself provides more details on its website.
Moreover, the toner level will remain at 100 percent according to the software on the printer as long as the cartridge is functional, only to suddenly plummet to 0 when the toner runs out. At that point, it is time to insert new toner. Practically, then, it becomes difficult to proactively replace toner when a cassette is running low.
Temporary solution
Canon stresses that the toner is only being shipped temporarily without chips. Once the company regains reliable access to the necessary microchips, customers will once again receive their classic toner cartridges.