Refills Help Cut Cost Of Color Laser Toner; Some Dexterity Needed; Refilling process is fairly quick, though it may call for some soldering work.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)

Byline: TED NEEDLEMAN

The price of a color laser printer has tumbled in recent years, with terrific models available for $500 or less. But you may suffer sticker shock the first time you have to replace your toner cartridge.

Prices vary, but you can expect to pay between $80 and $120 per cartridge. What's more, the printers require multiple cartridges -- since each color needs its own toner.

Our Samsung CLP-500 printer recently ran out of all four toner cartridges at once. A trip to the office supply store for four new cartridges set us back more than $400. That's a lot of money to refill a printer that originally cost less than 500 bucks.

Those high price tags are prompting some color laser owners to refill their toner cartridges themselves.

The idea of refilling your own printer is nothing new, of course. Inkjet printer owners have been refilling their cartridges for years. Monochrome laser printer users also have gotten into the act.

But it's only more recently that Internet sellers have begun offering refill kits and supplies for color laser cartridges.