It is typical for businesses to cut costs on printing during difficult economic times. Not only do firms cut back on commercial printing but also limit inter-office printing through the use of a network laser printer or monitoring departmental print jobs by installing a software. It all seems manageable for going concerns given their hefty corporate budgets. But for individuals operating a stand-alone laser printer and buying consumables out of his own pocket, cost cutting implies the printout of draft quality copies or perhaps just shelving the laser printer for awhile.

Consider the toner cartridges of the Xante Ilumina 502 color laser printer. The black cartridge retails at $100 while the other 3 colors sell at $300 each. That is rather too expensive for those living in a tight string budget. But did you know that you can actually refill a toner cartridge after it has been emptied of its toner supply and use it for another printing cycle? Sure you can! All you need is a Xante Ilumina toner refill kit, a third party manufactured product supplied with a bottle of compatible toner that is engineered to work with the cartridge you are replenishing. The refill package also comes bundled with a few tools used for the refill such as a funnel cap, toner wipes, reset chip and an instructional material - all these available at a much affordable price. So how do you refill the cartridge? Well, here's how:

1. Ascertain that your Ilumina 502 toner cartridge is still in fine working condition because no amount of toner can reactivate a defective cartridge.
2. Select a large and well-lighted workplace that is furnished with a sturdy workbench. Also place a covered trash bin next beside the workbench. Make sure that the trash bin is lined with a plastic bag that can be sealed for easy disposal.
3. Unload the empty cartridge from the Ilumina 502 printer and place it upside down on the workbench to allow easy access to the toner chamber.
4. Depress the small blue tab to unlock the blue handle - use a small screwdriver to push the tab in while turning the blue handle to open the hopper fill hole. Take note that the hopper fill hole is rectangular in shape.
5. Dump whatever old toner is left in the chamber into the trash bin. You can also use a toner vacuum to clear off toner deposited in the chamber.
6. Pull out the toner bottle and funnel cap from the toner refill kit's packaging. Hold the bottle and tap it gently on the workbench surface. Open the seal, screw on the funnel cap and freely pour toner into the toner chamber through the rectangular fill hole. Close the toner chamber the same way it was opened.
7. Now lift the color label beside the lever and open the chamber underneath with a small flathead screwdriver. Take out the old chip, set in the new chip and close the chip cover back on.
8. The refill process is complete. Shake the cartridge slightly from left to right to distribute toner powder evenly and load the cartridge back to the printer.

The refill process is really that simple and no special tool is required. Note that an empty cartridge can be refilled for up to 3 times before print defects will begin to manifest. Moreover, the cartridge refilled with the Xante Ilumina toner refill kit delivers the same quality prints and yield as the OEM cartridge.