An improved seal-insert and seal for a toner hopper as used in toner
cartridge assemblies for printers, copiers and facsimile machines. In one
embodiment, the seal has two slotted, rectangular outer pieces joined
together with slot alignment and joined by an inner layer of two-sided
tape. The two-sided tape is made with a long u-shape which does not
interfere with the slots in the outer pieces. The open end of the
u-shaped tape configuration allows a seal to be inserted or removed from
between the outer pieces to close or open the slots. The seal-insert is
applied over the passage from the toner hopper. The outer pieces are made
from an antistatic and/or a conductive material, such as an aluminum
laminate or plastic imprefnated with conductive particles. Alternately,
the outer pieces may be made from plastic covered with an antistatic
and/or conductive spray or coating. In another embodiment, a tear-seal is
made from antistatic and/or conductive material, and is provided with a
tear-guide secured to and under the tear-sheet. The tear-guide has a
width smaller than the tear-sheet and slightly smaller than the slot of
the seal-insert. When the tear-guide is pulled by the enduser, the
tear-guide will rip the tear-sheet in a straight line, providing an
opening with an even width that will not block toner flow.