Almost every wrong cartridge purchase comes from the same two-step translation: printer model to cartridge number, cartridge number to the specific version you need. This page explains both, so you can check our answer instead of taking it on faith.
If you would rather skip the theory, go straight to Find your printer and let the site do the translation.
Two numbers matter
The printer model identifies your machine — LaserJet Pro M404dn, PIXMA TS3320, MFC-L2750DW, EcoTank ET-2800. It is the number to search with, because one model maps to every cartridge it can take.
The cartridge number identifies the supply — CF248A, PG-245XL, TN760, 822XL. It is more precise, and more dangerous, because a number that is one character off is usually a real cartridge that fits a different printer.
Where to find the printer model
- On a label on the front of the machine, often below the control panel.
- On the sticker at the back or underneath, next to the serial number and power rating — this one always carries the full model, including suffixes the front label leaves off.
- Under the scanner lid on all-in-one units.
- In the printer's own menu, under Reports, Information or About. Printing a configuration or status page is the most reliable route, because it gives you the exact model string and often the installed supply numbers as well.
- In your computer's printer list, though be careful — the driver name is sometimes a family name rather than your exact model.
Suffix letters are not decoration. The dn, dw, fdw or e on the end tells you about duplexing, networking, fax and cloud features. They frequently share cartridges within a series — but not always, which is why we ask for the whole string.
Where to find the cartridge number
- On the cartridge itself. Pull the old one out and read the label — the number is usually the largest thing on it. This is the most reliable source there is.
- On a label inside the access door of many printers, listing every supply that machine takes.
- In the printer's supplies menu, or on the configuration page you printed above.
- In your last order. Whatever worked before still works.
How to read a cartridge number
Each manufacturer has its own system. They are all learnable, and all four follow the same underlying idea: a family number identifies the cartridge, and a letter or suffix identifies how much is inside.
HP
HP toner uses a short family number and a longer part number for the same thing. 58A and CF258A are one cartridge; 58X / CF258X is the high-yield version of it. The pattern is consistent: A is standard yield, X is high yield. Color toner families give each color its own part number under one family number — HP 205A covers CF530A black, CF531A cyan, CF532A yellow and CF533A magenta.
HP ink uses a plain family number with XL for high yield — 67 and 67XL, 910 and 910XL. Each also has a longer code ending in AN or WN, such as 3YM56AN; both refer to the same cartridge. See HP toner and HP ink.
Canon
Canon runs several parallel schemes, which is why it causes the most confusion.
- PG / CL — home inkjets. PG is pigment black, CL is the tri-color cartridge, as in PG-245XL and CL-246XL. They are almost always bought as a pair.
- PGI / CLI — multi-cartridge photo inkjets, where PGI is the pigment black used for text and CLI are the dye colors used for photos.
- Plain numbers — laser toner, such as 054 or 057, with H for high yield (057H). Canon also gives each a numeric part code like 3009C001, which is the same cartridge.
See Canon ink and Canon toner.
Brother
Brother is the most readable of the four, because the prefix tells you what the part is:
- TN — toner (TN730, TN760)
- DR — drum unit (DR730, DR223CL)
- LC — ink (LC3033)
Within a family, the higher number is usually the higher yield — TN730 standard, TN760 high. Brother writes these both with and without a hyphen (TN-760 and TN760); they are identical. The CL ending on a drum, as in DR223CL, means a color set of four drums rather than one. See Brother toner, Brother ink and Brother drums.
Epson
Epson ink families are numbered, with XL and sometimes XXL for higher capacities — 212 / 212XL, 822 / 822XL. A T prefix and trailing digits appear on the packaging (T822XL120); the family number is the part that matters.
EcoTank printers are the exception on this whole page: they have no cartridges at all. You buy ink bottles — the 502 series, for example — and pour them into tanks. Epson inkjets also use a maintenance box such as the T04D1, which collects waste ink and is replaced on its own schedule. See Epson ink.
Why one printer has several cartridge numbers
This is normal, not a data error. A single model routinely accepts:
- A standard and a high-yield version of the same cartridge. Physically interchangeable, different amounts inside, different prices.
- Separate numbers per color on color machines, sometimes grouped under one family number and sometimes not.
- A black-only and a combined option, where the tri-color cartridge has its own number entirely.
- Regional variants. The same cartridge sold in North America and Europe can carry different suffixes. Buy for your region.
- Consumables that are not cartridges — drum units, maintenance boxes, transfer belts and fusers all have their own numbers and their own replacement intervals.
So "which number is right for my printer" usually has several correct answers, and the choice between them is about capacity and cost, not fit.
Standard versus XL: what actually changes
Almost nothing physically. An XL cartridge is generally the same shell with more ink or toner in it. It fits the same slot, uses the same chip and prints the same output.
What changes is the math. Divide price by page yield for each and compare cost per page — XL is nearly always lower. Every variant on our product pages carries its own ISO page yield for exactly this reason.
Standard yield still wins in two situations: when the printer sits unused for weeks at a time and ink risks drying before you finish it, and when you expect to replace the machine before you would get through the larger cartridge.
One caution on the numbers themselves: page yield is measured to ISO/IEC 19752 (mono toner) and ISO/IEC 24711 (inkjet) at 5% page coverage. That is a standardized test page, not your documents. It is a fair way to compare two cartridges and a poor way to predict your own consumption.
Chips, and what "chip included" means
Most modern cartridges carry a small chip that identifies the supply and reports an approximate level. When a compatible cartridge includes one, level indicators behave normally. When it does not, the printer may show no level, or show an unknown-supply warning — and it prints anyway.
Two things are worth knowing. First, printers are designed to flag non-original supplies; a message saying the cartridge is not genuine is expected and usually dismissible. Second, a printer firmware update can occasionally change how aggressively that check is applied.
We state chip status on every product page rather than leaving you to discover it, because "the printer no longer shows ink levels" is the most common complaint about cheap cartridges anywhere.
Toner, drums and maintenance boxes are different parts
On a laser printer, toner is the powder that becomes print, and the drum unit is the component that transfers it — a drum typically outlasts several toner cartridges. Some machines combine them into one part; many Brother and Canon models keep them separate, which is cheaper over time and means the printer will eventually ask for a drum even though the toner is fine.
On an inkjet, the maintenance box collects the ink used in head cleaning. It fills up regardless of how much you print and has to be replaced when the printer says so.
Browse by part: toner, ink, drum units, maintenance boxes, paper.
Check a specific printer
Every model we cover has its own page listing everything that fits it — for example HP LaserJet Pro M404dn, Brother HL-L2350DW, Canon PIXMA TS3320 and Epson EcoTank ET-2800.
Or browse by brand: HP, Canon, Brother, Epson.
Still not certain?
Do not guess. Enter the model and let the site answer it.
If your model is not listed yet, email support@example.com with the model number and we will check it by hand. And if we get it wrong, the return shipping is ours — see the Return Policy.