Refill instruction for HP LaserJet Pro M 12 and M 26

Please read this tutorial carefully before you start refilling the cartridge. We suggest to always use gloves and a dust-mask when handling toner powder. The original toner cartridge for HP Laserjet Pro M 12 or HP LaserJet Pro M 26 printers is the HP 79A CF 279 A cartridge. In order to reuse your empty cartridge, it is necessary to place a filling hole in the cartridge, remove the remaining toner as well as the waste toner, refill the cartridge with new toner and replace the empty chip of the cartridge. In this tutorial we will guide you step-by-step with detailed information throughout that process.

The HP 79 toner cartridges have no accessible refill opening and the dismantling is complicated and time consuming. Therefore we recommend the use of our approved top selling hole making tool. It is possible to create a hole with a standard soldering iron as well. Please use the position shown in the picture below. The round refill opening should have a diameter of 17mm to fit and seal with our bottle funnels. Try deburring the hole so the tape can seal the opening properly - after refilling it. It is important to avoid plastic shavings inside the cartridge. They can easily damage the printing parts or the printer. Due to the fact of damaging your vital parts of the printer, we strongly recommend not to drill the refill opening.

Please carry out any toner emptying process outdoors.
The specification and material behavior of the remaining toner inside the cartridge can change throughout previous printing cycles. If mixed with new refill-toner, clumping might be caused inside the toner compartment that will lead to bad print results or can even damage the cartridge or printer. Therefore the residual toner needs to be removed before refilling the cartridge. We are able to use a special toner vacuum to remove the waste toner. But it is not possible to use a common household vacuum cleaner. The fine toner would pollute the filter and the air. It could reach and damage the electric engine or even cause dust explosions. It is helpful to remove the toner outdoors to avoid toner pollution. Empty the cartridge into a waste bin or a plastic bag by shaking the toner out of the refill opening. We suggest emptying the toner compartment and waste toner chamber (following step) at the same time.

The majority of the toner powder will be consumed during the print process. Toner that has not been transferred to the paper will be wiped off of the photo drum and stored in the waste container on the bottom side of this cartridge. It is advisable to empty that container as well when you are removing the remaining toner of the toner compartment. The procedure is the same as it is for the refill process - create a hole, remove the waste toner, clean the surface around the opening and seal the hole with duct tape.

The toner compartment has been cleared of remaining toner powder as well as the waste toner chamber. Now you can fill the new Octopus toner powder into the HP 79 cartridge. Idle toner is a rather heavy and compact powder that does not offer good flowing attributes. We suggest shaking the toner bottle with the closed refill-funnel before filling the toner into the cartridge. Doing so will create a mixture of air and toner powder which increases the flow abilities greatly what makes the refilling process much easier. The toner will appear almost like a liquid when holding the bottle against a light source.
To avoid toner spillage we suggest to placing the opening on the bottles funnel. Our toner funnels fit the hole created by our smoldering tool perfectly. If the funnel is tightly fitted into the cartridge you can turn both around to poor the toner into the cartridge. Carefully shake the cartridge or tap it on a surface to help spreading the toner inside the cartridge. After the empty bottle is detached you have to clean the area around the refill hole thoroughly to ensure the duct tape will hold as good as possible and seal the cartridge.

The toner level of HP LaserJet Pro M 12 and Pro M 26 printers is monitored by the cartridges chip. The chip of the HP 79 CF 279 cartridge is simply counting the pages being printed and estimates the usage of toner powder. Once the chip is "empty" it has to be replaced so the refilled cartridge will be accepted as a new full cartridge by the printer. Two small plastic noses in front of the rail slide are holding the chip in place. You can remove the plastic parts with pincers or carefully cut it off. The chip will slide out of the holding rail and can be replaced. Remember the position of the chip or take a picture of the direction the contacts are facing to. Do not touch the contacts of the chip to avoid damage through static discharge. Hold the chip in place by applying a little drop of hot glue in front of it or by placing double sided tape underneath the chip. Now the refilled cartridge is ready to be used again.

Please note that toner cartridges cannot be refilled endlessly. Because worn parts wear out over time, the quality of the print result will deteriorate after a few refill cycles. Then it will be time for a new cartridge.