SoyBean Toner - Are they 'aving a larf July 23, 2008 16:34 by John Sollars

Well from the land of the free, we now hear that coming to a laser printer near you soon is - (drum roll) SoyBean Toner cartridges!.

In a news release this week PRC of Maine said:

'

PRC Technologies, a division of
Print Recovery Concepts Inc., announced today an environmental breakthrough in
printing for offices, public schools and colleges.  This summer, PRC will
offer the first laser printer cartridges using toner powder derived from
soybeans.  PRC reports they will supply cartridges for the most popular laser
printers under the SoyPrint brand at prices comparable to brand name versions
currently available.  Soy ink has been available for some time but this is the
first soy toner cartridge for laser printers.


Debe Overhaug, president of Print Recovery Concepts, reports a printer
cartridge contains one pound of toner powder and that U.S. businesses,
schools, institutions and governments consume over 100 million cartridges per
year.  "That means the United States consumes as much as 50,000 tons of
petroleum-based toner powder each year.  Now every office employee can help
reduce dependence on oil every time they put a toner cartridge in their
printer," Overhaug says.


PRC has completed months of extensive testing and reports the print
quality and number of pages per cartridge match brand name versions.  Overhaug
also noted soy toner does not harm the printers.  SoyPrint cartridges are
manufactured in the U.S. and will be shipped from warehouses all over the
country.'