Hilton Images, Inc.     Finest Quality Laser Sublimation Products

   Factually, the plastic strip is a psychological device only. It makes you feel good that you've got a sealed cartridge, that you're the first one to use it. In most cartridges the seal is entirely unnecessary. We routinely ship cartridges to Australia without seals and without problems of any sort.

   To install an aftermarket seal, the cartridge has to be broken or sawed in half and glued back together. Many things can go wrong. The most common problem is misalignment during gluing. This can make an uneven print -- dark on one side, light on the other. Less frequently, the cartridge can fall apart when being put in the printer, dumping its full load of toner.

   Splitting cartridges increases failure rate by more than 5%. We didn't feel that the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from pulling a plastic strip was worth the increased possibility of cartridge failure.

   We do not split cartridges. Some cartridges accept seals without splitting, and we install seals in those. Otherwise our cartridges do not have seals.

   Some customers have commented that they miss the warm and fuzzy feeling, and this is understandable. So we are now offering small teddy bears at no charge with any unsealed cartridge order to provide a substitute warm and fuzzy feeling. We will send teddy bears by request only, and only one per customer. The teddy bear can provide unlimited warm and fuzzy experiences. Sadly, our unsealed toner cartridges cannot.