How to know which toner your printer needs

You've just seen the "Toner low" warning on the screen, the cartridge sticker is half rubbed off and the manual has been sitting for years in a drawer nobody opens. This article solves exactly that moment: finding the right reference in under a minute, brand by brand, without buying the wrong one or ending up returning the order.

At Star Toner we get enquiries every week saying "I don't know which toner to order". And it's almost always the same thing: the reference was right there, printed on the cartridge, people just didn't know how to read it. Identifying the toner isn't a technical problem. It's a reading problem. And you learn it in two minutes.

First of all: here we're talking about laser toner (a dry powder that fuses onto the paper with heat). If your machine is an inkjet —HP DeskJet, Canon PIXMA, Epson EcoTank, Brother InkBenefit— what you need is a liquid cartridge, and the right guide is ink cartridge or toner: which do I use for my printer.

Key points

• The toner code is printed in three places: the cartridge label, an internal sticker under the cover and the machine's manual. Reading one is enough.
• Copy the code in full: the final letter (A, X, XL) changes the yield. An HP CF259A yields 3,000 pages; the CF259X, 10,000 (HP, 2026).
• All yields are measured with the ISO/IEC 19752 standard at 5% coverage. With photos or dense PDFs, you'll get less.
• Toner ≠ drum. Kyocera (TK/DK) and Xerox (106R/108R) sell them separately.

How do I find my toner's reference?

The quickest, least error-prone way is to take out the current cartridge and copy the code from its label, letter by letter. That code —CF259A, TN-2420, CRG-067— is the commercial reference. Anything after it (batches, dates, EUR) is metadata that isn't part of the order. If the cartridge is illegible, you have four more routes.

1. Read the label on the machine itself

Almost all laser printers carry a discreet sticker listing the compatible toners. On HP LaserJets it's usually on the inside face of the front cover; on Brother, in the input tray; on Kyocera, next to the control panel. If the machine is recent, this sticker is still legible and you resolve the doubt in thirty seconds.

2. Remove the toner and copy its code

The most reliable method. Open the printer, remove the cartridge carefully and on the large label you'll see the main code. Copy it in full, including the colour or capacity suffix if there is one (BK, C, M, Y, X, L).

3. Look up your printer's exact model

The model is printed on the front: "HP LaserJet Pro M404dn", "Brother HL-L2375DW", "Canon i-SENSYS MF445dw". With that detail, any catalogue tells you which toners fit. In our laser toner catalogue each product lists the compatible printers, so you cross-check your model and see all the references on one screen.

4. Print the configuration page

Every laser printer prints a status page from its menu. On HP: Setup → Reports → Configuration Page. On Brother: Menu → Machine Info → Print Settings. That page carries the model, the serial number and, often, the toner references. It's the most reliable route when the exterior sticker can no longer be read.

5. Use the manufacturer's software or website

HP Smart, Brother iPrint&Scan or Kyocera Net Viewer show the exact consumable on the machine's page. And most brands have an official search tool by model: the HP Cartridge Check tool (HP Support, 2026), for example, gives you the right reference when you enter your printer. Handy for networked machines that are on another floor.

An identification method is any of these five routes. They all reach the same code; choose whichever is nearest to hand. If you're in front of the printer, start by taking out the cartridge.

Why does getting the reference right matter so much?

Because a wrongly ordered reference translates into two things nobody wants: a printer stopped in the middle of the week and a parcel that has to be returned. Controlling hardware and consumable costs is the biggest headache in office print management, flagged by 41% of organisations in 2025 (Quocirca, 2025). And ordering wrong is, precisely, money thrown away.

Controlling spending on hardware and consumables is the most widespread challenge in office print management, cited by 41% of organisations in 2025, ahead even of security (38%). Choosing the right reference and its capacity is the simplest lever for not inflating that spend (Quocirca, State of the Industry 2025).

There's also a technical risk: installing a cartridge that doesn't match can contaminate the optical assembly or damage the drum, and that really can complicate the machine's warranty. The good news, again: it's not a technical problem. It's reading the label properly.

The suffixes that change everything

CE285A is not the same as CE285X, just as CF283A and CF283XD are different cartridges. The final letter indicates capacity and format:

• A = standard yield.
• X or XL = high capacity, typically 2–3x more pages.
• BK / C / M / Y = colour (black, cyan, magenta, yellow).

Noting down the incomplete reference is the number-one cause of returned orders. Copy the whole code, always.

What code format does each brand use?

Each manufacturer follows a recognisable pattern. As soon as you know which one your brand uses, the search stops being a gamble. We cover the seven brands in our laser toner catalogue.

HP: CE, CF, W and Q codes

HP accounts for a good part of the installed base in Spain. Its toners follow four families:

• CE### — classic LaserJet Pro (CE285A for M1132/P1102w, CE278A for P1606dn).
• CF### — still-dominant generation (CF283A for M125/M127/M201, CF259A for M404/M428, CF217A for M102/M130).
• W#### — new nomenclature with a dynamic chip (W1103A for Neverstop 1000, W1106A for 107/135/137).
• Q#### — old LaserJet 1000/1200 series (Q2612A, Q5949A).

Look for the two-letter + numbers string at the start of the label. If you're unsure between A and X, measure the cartridge: the X version is 1–2 cm longer. Go through the full family in HP compatible toner.

Canon: CRG and CART series

Canon uses two notations: CRG (from cartridge) in Europe and CART in other markets. They coexist on the same label; in Spain, always look at the CRG.

• CRG-0##/0### — current i-SENSYS and LBP (CRG-046, CRG-067 for LBP631/633, CRG-071).
• CRG-7## — historic LBP series (CRG-728, CRG-725).
• CRG-057 / 057H — high capacity for LBP228/226 and MF443/445/449.

Colour multifunctions add a suffix: CRG-067BK, 067C, 067M, 067Y. You need all four if you print in colour. Full range in Canon compatible toner.

Brother: the TN series

The most predictable brand: all its toners start with TN- + three or four digits + an optional suffix.

• TN-2420 — HL-L2310D, DCP-L2530DW, MFC-L2710DW (high capacity, ~3,000 pages).
• TN-247BK/C/M/Y — colour series (HL-L3210CW, MFC-L3770CDW).
• TN-3430 / TN-3480 — professional high capacity (HL-L5100DN, L6300DW).

Here's the most frequent mistake we see in support: the TN-2410 (starter, ~1,200 pages) and the TN-2420 (~3,000) fit in the same machine, but yield very differently (ISO/IEC 19752, via manufacturer data, 2026). The TN-2410 comes as standard in new printers; for replacements order the TN-2420 unless you just want to "break it in". Check your model in Brother compatible toner.

Xerox, Samsung, Lexmark and Kyocera

• Xerox — three-digit prefix + R + five more. 106R##### = toner; 108R##### = drum; 113R##### = higher capacity. Careful: 106R and 108R are not the same, one is toner and the other a drum.
• Samsung — MLT-D + digits + capacity suffix. S (standard) < L (large) < E (extra) < U (ultra). For the same machine, the higher letter lowers the cost per page. Although HP bought the division in 2017, the MLT-D code is still current.
• Lexmark — 50F, 58D, 71B, 24B + digits. The fourth character indicates region: 0 = Europe. If you buy in Spain, that's your code.
• Kyocera — TK- for toner, DK- for drum. TK-1150 (ECOSYS P2235dn, ~3,000 pp.), TK-1160 (~7,200 pp.), TK-3160/3170/3190 (up to 25,000). The drum lasts several cartridge lifetimes, which lowers the long-term cost. See toner-vs-drum.

Reference table by brand

Save it as a screenshot if you manage several printers: it speeds up all subsequent purchases.

Brand	Code format	Real examples	Visual clue
HP	CE/CF/W/Q + 3–4 digits + letter	CE285A, CF259A, W1103A	A standard, X high capacity
Canon	CRG- or CART- + 3 digits	CRG-046, CRG-067	BK/C/M/Y suffixes in colour
Brother	TN- + 3–4 digits + suffix	TN-2420, TN-247BK	TN-2410 is the starter version
Xerox	106R / 108R / 113R + 5 digits	106R02773, 108R01420	106R = toner, 108R = drum
Samsung	MLT-D + 3 digits + S/L/E/U	MLT-D111S, MLT-D203L	L beats S on yield
Lexmark	24B / 50F / 58D / 71B + digits	50F2H00, 58D2H00	4th character = region (0 = EU)
Kyocera	TK- / DK- + 4 digits	TK-1150, DK-1150	DK- is a drum, not toner

What is ISO yield and why is mine lower?

The page yield is the number of sheets a cartridge prints until it runs out, measured with the ISO/IEC 19752 (monochrome) or 19798 (colour) standard. The catch is in the small print: the standard assumes 5% coverage of each page's area, under controlled conditions and with a minimum of three cartridges in three printers (ISO/IEC 19752, 2026).

The ISO/IEC 19752 standard determines yield assuming each page covers only 5% of the surface with toner —the equivalent of a normal text document—. That's why a PDF with photos, which can push coverage to 10–15%, uses up the cartridge twice as fast. It's not a defect: it's how the measurement is formulated (ISO/IEC 19752, Wikipedia).

Translated: if a CF283A is rated at 1,500 pages and yours ran out at 900, measure your real coverage before complaining. With dense graphics, the yield is divided. For the full calculation, see how many pages a cartridge prints.

I've got the reference: original or compatible?

With the code in hand, the decision that remains is financial. An original (OEM) toner is made by the machine's own brand. A certified compatible toner is made by a third party under ISO 9001 and 14001 standards, with an active chip so the printer reads the level, and with an obligation of equivalent yield.

We print and test our compatibles before selling them: same cartridge, same printer, real page count. We don't promise laboratory numbers we haven't seen; what we see is that a certified compatible with a well-programmed chip behaves like the original in an office's day-to-day, at a considerably lower price. We did that exercise in plain view in original vs compatible toner, side by side.

If your printer rejects a compatible, it's almost always the seal or the contacts, not the cartridge: we go through it step by step in my printer doesn't recognise the compatible toner. And for fitting it, how to install a toner.

Pro tip · several printers. Create a sheet with four columns: Machine, Model, B/W toner, Colour toner. Fill it in once and the annual purchase is resolved in minutes. Nobody orders the wrong reference again.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an A toner and an X or XL?
The letter indicates capacity. The A is standard; the X (or XL) is high capacity, with 2–3x more pages for a small premium. Verifiable example: the HP CF259A yields 3,000 pages and the CF259X, 10,000 (HP, 2026). If your machine takes the X, it lowers the cost per page.

Where do I find the toner's exact code?
In three places: the cartridge label (the most reliable), an internal sticker under the front cover and the machine's manual. Many brands also offer an official search tool by model, like HP's cartridge check tool. Always copy the complete code, with letters and suffixes.

Does a compatible work even if the cartridge has a chip?
Yes, if it's a certified compatible. It carries an active chip programmed for the target printer, so the machine reads the level correctly and doesn't give a "consumable not recognised" warning. That chip is made under licence and updated when the manufacturer changes the firmware.

Can I use the toner from one model in another of the same brand?
Only if the manufacturer says so. Many cartridges fit physically but the chip is programmed for a specific model and the printer rejects them. On HP, CF283A works for M125/M127/M201 but not for the M402. Check the compatibility list on the product page before ordering.

How long does a toner last, in months?
It lasts in pages, not in time, and is measured at 5% coverage (ISO/IEC 19752). As a reference: an office printing 300 pages a month uses up a 3,000-page toner in about 10 months. With dense documents, less.

Sources

• HP — HP 59X High Yield Black Original LaserJet Toner Cartridge (CF259X), CF259A/CF259X yields — https://www.hp.com/ch-en/shop/products/supplies/hp-59x-high-yield-black-original-laserjet-toner-cartridge-cf259x
• HP Support — HP Printer Cartridge Check (official cartridge-by-printer finder) — https://support.hp.com/us-en/eas/cartridgecheck
• ISO/IEC 19752 — monochrome toner yield standard, 5% coverage (summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_19752
• ISO — ISO/IEC 19752:2004, Method for the determination of toner cartridge yield — https://www.iso.org/standard/34911.html
• Quocirca — State of the Industry 2025 Study, consumable cost control (41%) — https://quocirca.com/content/quocirca-state-of-the-industry-2025-study/