Aster (Planet Image International) is a China-based manufacturer of compatible toner cartridges — third-party alternatives to OEM cartridges sold by printer manufacturers like HP, Brother, Canon, and Lexmark. Aster manufactures at a large facility in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, and sells primarily to customers in North America and Europe. Compatible toner cartridges represent roughly 90%+ of revenue. Aster sells through two main channels: an ODM channel, where Aster manufactures cartridges packaged under the customer's own brand and sells in bulk to large wholesalers; and a white-label B2B channel, where Aster sells unbranded cartridges to overseas dealers who resell to small and medium-sized businesses, offices, and schools. ODM carries lower margins due to customer pricing power, while white-label B2B carries higher margins because Aster bundles warehousing, custom packaging, relabeling, and drop-shipping services. Aster previously operated a branded B2C channel selling directly to consumers via Amazon, but divested most of those subsidiaries in late 2025 and is winding it down. Aster prices its cartridges at a significant discount to OEM equivalents, which is its core customer value proposition. Profitability is driven by manufacturing scale — 39 production lines — and R&D investment of roughly $6-10M per year to develop compatible cartridges for new printer models, targeting a three-to-six month time-to-market after a new printer launches. Aster holds 409 registered patents, which it argues enables access to export markets where many Chinese competitors cannot operate.