The cheapest toner for your printer: how to find it

The cheapest toner for your printer is almost never the one with the lowest sticker price, but the one that costs you the least per printed page. To find it, identify the exact model of your HP, Brother, Canon or Samsung, choose a compatible with a good ISO yield and divide its price by the pages it produces.

How do I identify the right toner for my printer?

Before comparing prices you need the exact reference. Toner isn't chosen by brand alone, but by the specific printer model and the cartridge number. You'll find it in three places:

• The sticker on the back or bottom of the printer, showing the model (for example, HP LaserJet M404 or Brother HL-L2350DW).
• The current cartridge, which has its reference printed on it (something like CF259A, TN-2420 or 106R).
• The printer menu or the manufacturer's app, which shows the consumable installed.

With that detail you look for the equivalent compatible. In our compatible LaserJet toner collection you can filter by model and confirm that the reference matches before looking at the price.

Why isn't the lowest price the cheapest toner?

Two toners for the same printer can cost the same and last very differently. One yields 1,500 pages and another 3,000. If you only look at the label, the second seems "more expensive", but it prints twice as much. What really counts is the cost per page, not the price on the box.

That yield is measured with the ISO/IEC 19752 standard for monochrome toner, which sets a test page at 5% coverage so you can compare fairly. We explain it in depth in how many pages a cartridge prints.

How do I calculate the cost per page?

The formula is simple: divide the toner price by the ISO pages it yields. Let's use round numbers, just to see the method:

• Toner A: €30 and 1,500 pages → 30 ÷ 1,500 = €0.02 per page (2 cents).
• Toner B: €45 and 3,000 pages → 45 ÷ 3,000 = €0.015 per page (1.5 cents).

Toner B costs €15 more on the box, but each sheet works out 25% cheaper. Over 3,000 pages, that's real money in your pocket. It's the honest calculation we break down in the real cost of printing.

Examples by brand: HP, Brother, Canon and Samsung

The method is identical across all brands; only the format of the reference changes:

• HP: LaserJet families with references of the CF, CE or W type. Note the one on the cartridge and look for the compatible with equal or higher yield.
• Brother: TN (toner) and DR (drum) series. Watch out: on many Brother models the drum is separate, so add its cost per page too.
• Canon: numbered "Cartridge" cartridges or CRG series.
• Samsung: MLT-D references, usually with a standard and a high-yield version; the high-yield one almost always lowers the cost per page.

In every case, compare the cost per page, not the standalone price. You can see what people are buying in Star Toner's best sellers.

How do I save even more with volume discounts?

If you print a lot, buying one at a time is throwing money away. At Star Toner the volume discount is automatic and grows with the quantity, so the cost per page drops even further when you add several units of the same consumable:

• 2 units: −3%
• 3–4 units: −5%
• 5–9 units: −8%
• 10 or more: −15%

It's applied in the cart only, with no codes or small print. For an office that gets through toner every month, going from buying single units to buying in tiers is the quickest lever to bring the spend down. You'll find the detail in cost per copy: how to calculate it and bring it down in the office.

Does a cheaper compatible toner print worse?

Not necessarily. A quality compatible uses equivalent toner powder and chip and meets the same ISO yield standard. What's truly cheap is the one that combines a good price, an honest yield and a guarantee. What you want to avoid are the bargains with no clear reference or published page data.

We tell you how to tell a real bargain from a rip-off in cheap toner: how to buy without getting fooled.

Checklist for paying less per page

• Identify the exact model and the cartridge reference.
• Choose the compatible with equal or higher ISO yield.
• Calculate price ÷ pages and compare that cost per page, not the label.
• On Brother and similar, add the drum if it's separate.
• Group your purchase to trigger the volume discount.

Got a laser printer? Start with the compatible LaserJet toner collection and filter by your model. And if you're still choosing equipment, check the consumables under LaserJet printers before you buy: a cheap printer with expensive toner ends up costing you dear.

Frequently asked questions