In the modern world, competition is so high that product manufacturers will go to any lengths to ensure that people buy their product. Manufacturers of office equipment also took into account. The largest players in the market HP, Canon, Samsung, Xerox, Brother, Kyocera, Epson often sell their printers at a minus price, just to hook the buyer on the consumables hook. By selling office equipment at a loss, manufacturers will make it all back with interest on the sale of consumables for them. And in order for a new user to come to them as quickly as possible, the printer often comes with a test cartridge with a reduced resource. Our company website buys full-fledged and original starter cartridges at different prices. So, how can you distinguish a starter cartridge from a full-fledged one?
Let's start in order
Canon
Starter Canon 725
The starter cartridge is labeled Canon Cartridge 725 Starter.
Photo with sticker
The cartridge has a 2-fold reduced hopper size of 1.75 cm versus 2.5 cm on full-fledged cartridges, which affects the toner volume and print resource. Canon Cartridge 725 Starter is designed for a resource of 800 standard pages; a further replacement for it is a full-fledged Canon Cartridge 725.
The Canon Cartridge 725 Starter cartridge is supplied only with the printer. And fits the following printers:
Canon LBP 6000 i-Sensys;
- Canon LBP 6000B i-Sensys;
- Canon LBP 6020 i-Sensys;
- Canon LBP 6020B i-Sensys;
Starter Canon 726
The situation is similar to Canon Cartridge 725 Starter.
Photo with sticker
The cartridge has a 2-fold reduced hopper size of 1.75 cm versus 2.5 cm on full-fledged cartridges, which affects the toner volume and print resource. Canon Cartridge 726 Starter is designed for a resource of 800 standard pages; a further replacement for it is a full-fledged Canon Cartridge 726.
Photo with bunker
The Canon Cartridge 726 Starter cartridge is supplied only with the printer. And fits the following printers:
Canon LBP 6200 i-Sensys;
- Canon LBP 6000d i-Sensys;
Canon Cartridge 728 Starter
Photo with sticker
Unlike previous models, the Canon Cartridge 728 Starter cartridge only has the inscription 728 Starter, and the hopper is the same size as a full-fledged cartridge. But unfortunately, the manufacturer filled in less toner than a full-fledged Cartridge 728 cartridge.
Photo with bunker
The Canon Cartridge 728 Starter cartridge is supplied only with the printer. And fits the following printers:
Canon Fax L150;
- Canon MF4410 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4430 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4450 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4450d i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4570 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4570dn i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4580 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4580dn i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4730 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4750 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4780w i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4780 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4870 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4870dn i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4890 i-Sensys;
- Canon MF4890dw i-Sensys;
Hewlett Packard
HP CB435A.
The youngest cartridge for a series of HP home printers.
The cartridge label says: HP LaserJet introductory print Cartridge. Replace with CB435A.
Photo of markings
The toner hopper for this cartridge is cut exactly 2 times and is 175 mm wide, versus 250 mm for a full-fledged HP CB435A cartridge.
Photo of the bunker
The HP CB435A starter cartridge yields 700 standard pages. The cartridge is supplied only with the printer and is suitable for the following models:
HP LaserJet P1005;
- HP LaserJet P1000 series;
- HP LaserJet P1002;
- HP LaserJet P1003;
- HP LaserJet P1006;
- HP LaserJet P1007;
- HP LaserJet P1008;
- HP LaserJet P1009;
HP CB436A.
Everything is exactly the same as with the previous CB435A cartridge. Marking on the cartridge.
PHOTO
And the size of the bunker.
Photo
Supplied only with the printer, and fits the following series:
- HP LaserJet P1505;
- HP LaserJet M1120 MFP;
- HP LaserJet M1522nf MFP;
- HP LaserJet M1120n MFP;
- HP LaserJet P1505n.
HP CE285A
Same as HP CB435A AND CB436A cartridges.
HP LaserJet introductory print Cartridge. Replace with CE285A
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and Bin size.
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The HP CE285A starter cartridge yields 700 standard pages. Suitable for printers:
- HP LaserJet M1130 MFP;
- HP LaserJet M1130 MFP Pro Series;
- HP LaserJet M1132 Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1132 MFP;
- HP LaserJet M1132 MFP Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1132s Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1137 Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1210 Pro Series;
- HP LaserJet M1210 MFP Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1212nf MFP Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1214 Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1214nfp Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1217 Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1217nfp Pro;
- HP LaserJet M1217nfp MFP Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1100 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1101 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1102 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1102w Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1103 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1104 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1104w Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1106 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1106w Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1108 Pro;
- HP LaserJet P1109 Pro.
HP CF283A
Cartridge for home series printers 2014.
HP LaserJet introductory print Cartridge. Replace with CF283A.
PHOTO
Traditionally, the size of the bunker is reduced, and accordingly the resource: 700 pages.
PHOTO
This cartridge can only be found included with the printer; the HP CF283A intro cartridge is not supplied separately from the printer.
Compatible with printers and MFPs:
- HP Laserjet M125 Pro;
- HP Laserjet M125a Pro MFP (CZ172A);
- HP Laserjet M125nw Pro;
- HP Laserjet M125rnw Pro (CZ178A);
- HP Laserjet M127 Pro;
- HP Laserjet M127fn Pro (CZ181A);
- HP Laserjet M127fw Pro (CZ183A);
- HP Laserjet M200 series;
- HP Laserjet M201dw Pro (CF456A);
- HP Laserjet M201n Pro (CF455A);
- HP Laserjet M202dw Pro (C6N21A);
- HP Laserjet M202n Pro (C6N20A)
- HP Laserjet M225 Pro MFP;
- HP Laserjet M225dn Pro MFP (CF484A);
- HP Laserjet M225dw Pro MFP (CF485A);
- HP Laserjet M225rdn Pro MFP (CF486A);
HP CB540A, CB541A, CB542A, CB543A.
This series of starter cartridges is labeled HP Color LaserJet introductory (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge. Replace with CB54*A.
Photo
The toner hopper is also reduced, but unlike its monochrome brothers, the reduced hopper is only visible if you look into the cartridge itself.
Photo
Starter cartridges HP CB540A, CB541A, CB542A, CB543A Suitable for the following printers:
HP Color LaserJet CM1312 ;
- HP Color LaserJet CM1312nfi;
- HP Color LaserJet CM1210 Series;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1215;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1217;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1510 series;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1515;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1515n;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1518;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1218ni.
HP CC530A, CC531A, CC532A, CC533A.
HP Color LaserJet introductory (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge. Replace with CC53*A.
Photo
The situation with the bunker is exactly the same as in the CB540 series.
photo
Suitable for printers:
HP Color LaserJet CM2320 ;
- HP Color LaserJet CM2320fxi;
- HP Color LaserJet CM2320n;
- HP Color LaserJet CM2320nf;
- HP Color LaserJet CP2020 series;
- HP Color LaserJet CP2025;
- HP Color LaserJet CP2025dn;
- HP Color LaserJet CP2025n;
- HP Color LaserJet CP2025x.
HP CE310A, CE311A, CE312A, CE313A.
The youngest representative of HP's color laser series
External differences except for the inscription HP Color LaserJet introductory (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge. Replace with CE31*A. doesn't have
Photo
Suitable for printers:
HP Color LaserJet CP1012 Pro ;
- HP Color LaserJet CP1025 Pro (CF346A);
- HP Color LaserJet CP1012nw Pro (CE918A);
- HP Color LaserJet CP1025 Pro Plus;
- HP Color LaserJet M175a colorMFP Pro (CE864A);
- HP Color LaserJet M175nw (CE866A);
- HP Color LaserJet M275 (CF040A);
- HP Color LaserJet M275nw (200 color MFP).
HP CE320A, CE321A, CE322A, CE323A.
Indicated by HP Color LaserJet introductory (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge. Replace with CE32*A.
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The bunker has been reduced, and therefore the number of pages.
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HP CE410A, CE411A, CE412A, CE413A.
Designated HP Color LaserJet introductory (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge. Replace with CE41*A.
Photo
The hopper volume and resource are reduced compared to standard CE410A series cartridges.
Photo
Suitable for printers:
HP Color LaserJet M351 (Pro 300 color) ;
- HP Color LaserJet M351A Pro (Pro 300 color);
- HP Color LaserJet M375 (Pro 300 color);
- HP Color LaserJet M375nw MFP Pro;
- HP Color LaserJet M451A (Pro 400 color);
- HP Color LaserJet M451dn;
- HP Color LaserJet M451nw Pro;
- HP Color LaserJet M475 (Pro 400 color MFP);
- HP Color LaserJet M475dn;
- HP Color LaserJet M475dw mfp Pro.
HP CF210A, CF211A, CF212A, CF213A.
Everything is the same: Designation of the HP Color LaserJet introductory cartridge (Black/Cyan/Yellow/Magenta) print Cartridge
Photo
And a reduced bunker.
Suitable for printers:
HP Color LaserJet M251 (Pro 200 color Printer) ;
- HP Color LaserJet M251n;
- HP Color LaserJet M251nw;
- HP Color LaserJet M276;
- HP Color LaserJet M276n;
- HP Color LaserJet M251nw.
Samsung cartridges
I didn’t forget to take into account Samsung printers with test cartridges.
Samsung MLT D101S.
The cartridge marking reads: Replace with MLT-D101S.
Photo
The hopper of this cartridge also has a reduced size and is designed for only 700 pages.
Photo
Suitable for printers:
Samsung ML-2160;
- Samsung ML-2165;
- Samsung ML-2165w;
- Samsung ML-2167;
- Samsung ML-2168;
- Samsung ML-2168w;
- Samsung SCX-3400;
- Samsung SCX-3400F;
- Samsung SCX-3405;
- Samsung SCX-3405F;
- Samsung SCX-3405Fw;
- Samsung SCX-3405w;
- Samsung SCX-3407.
Samsung MLT-D103L
Marking: Replace with MLT-D103L or Replace with MLT-D103S
Photo
The bunker has been trimmed.
Photo
Suitable for printers:
Samsung ML-2545;
- Samsung ML-2950;
- Samsung ML-2950ND;
- Samsung ML-2950NDR;
- Samsung ML-2955;
- Samsung ML-2955ND;
- Samsung ML-2955DW;
- Samsung SCX-4727;
- Samsung SCX-4728;
- Samsung SCX-4728FD;
- Samsung SCX-4729;
- Samsung SCX-4729FW.
Samsung MLT D104X.
Everything is exactly the same as with the Samsung MLT-D101S: The cartridge marking reads: Replace with MLT-D104S. And a reduced capacity of the toner bin.
Suitable for printers:
Samsung ML-1660;
- Samsung ML-1665;
- Samsung ML-1667;
- Samsung ML-1860;
- Samsung ML-1865;
- Samsung ML-1865W;
- Samsung ML-1867;
- Samsung SCX-3200;
- Samsung SCX-3205.
Samsung MLT-D205S
Marking: Replace with MLT-D205E/L or Replace with MLT-D205S
Photo
The toner hopper is much smaller in size
Photo
Used with printers:
Samsung ML-3310;
- Samsung ML-3310D;
- Samsung ML-3310ND;
- Samsung ML-3710;
- Samsung ML-3710D;
- Samsung ML-3710ND;
- Samsung SCX-4833;
- Samsung SCX-4833FD;
- Samsung SCX-4833FR;
- Samsung SCX-5637;
- Samsung SCX-5637FR.
Samsung MLT-D203S
Starter cartridges of this series only have the signature Replace with MLT-D203L/S and a reduced amount of toner.
Photo
Suitable for printers:
Samsung ProXpress 3325;
- Samsung ProXpress 3325D;
- Samsung ProXpress 3820;
- Samsung ProXpress 3820D;
- Samsung ProXpress 3820ND;
- Samsung ProXpress 3870;
- Samsung ProXpress 3870FD;
- Samsung ProXpress 3870FW;
- Samsung ProXpress 4020;
- Samsung ProXpress 4020ND;
- Samsung ProXpress 4070;
- Samsung ProXpress 4070FR;
Brother starter cartridges can be distinguished from their full-fledged counterparts by the absence of a side flag on them and a sticker without the name of the cartridge.
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
Starter cartridges come in the following models
Brother TN-1075;
- Brother TN-2075;
- Brother TN-2080;
- Brother TN-2085;
- Brother TN-2090;
- Brother TN-2135;
- Brother TN-2175;
- Brother TN-2235;
- Brother TN-2275;
And others.
With today's assortment of printing equipment from different manufacturers, the purchase of a modern printer or MFP is often accompanied by an unexpected problem, the essence of which is the difficulty, or even the impossibility, of refilling a cartridge of a certain brand and model. Such situations, although rare, do occur, and therefore it is better to prepare for them in advance and, if possible, avoid them.
Let's start with the fact that almost all modern consumables are equipped by the manufacturer with sophisticated electronic chips, thanks to which we not only know how much toner is left in the cartridge and what problems the printing device encounters, but also temporarily lose the opportunity to use refills. The fact is that refilling cartridges with chips usually means replacing the latter, or, alternatively, replacing the software in the printer itself. To do this, craftsmen create “correct” chips that do not interfere with refueling, and develop equally “correct” software, which are subsequently used by professional refuelers. However, both the first and second are reliably protected from copying by the manufacturer, so it takes some time to bypass this protection. Sometimes it is calculated in weeks, and sometimes in months. In this regard, when buying the latest model of printer or MFP, be prepared for the fact that refilling cartridges for them will be impossible at first, and you will have to shell out money for original consumables for some time.
Secondly, the ability to charge cartridges largely depends on the manufacturer of the printing device. For example, refilling cartridges from Canon, HP, Xerox, Samsung and other brands popular in our country usually does not cause difficulties for refillers (with the exception of the temporary problem with chips and software described above). At the same time, if you happen to acquire a printing device, say, Lexmark, Epson or Kodak, then it is far from a fact that in your city there will be craftsmen who can refill the cartridge for it with high quality. In other words, it is better not to buy such “exotic” products, especially since the range of truly high-quality printers without such associated problems is more than wide. Of course, if you look really hard, then in a big city you can always find a master from God who can refill even such a cartridge that he sees for the first time in his life, but why do you need this extra headache? We almost forgot: for such printing machines, which are rare in our latitudes, it can sometimes be extremely difficult to find even a new original cartridge for sale!
Today it is difficult to find cartridges that cannot be refilled. However, such products still exist, although they are extremely rare. Typically, these consumables are called disposable. But even their craftsmen manage to significantly increase their service life. Therefore, there is no doubt that complete (starter) cartridges cannot be restored to colorant again. In some cases, this may cause some difficulties, but refueling is still possible.
Starter cartridge: properties, purpose and capabilities
This type of consumables is called differently, namely:
- complete;
- basic;
- test.
However, in fact, they are called starter ones, since they are intended to first familiarize the buyer (owner) with all the functions of the corresponding peripheral device. Often such cartridges have the same technical characteristics as normal consumables. But they are distinguished by a resource, which is two or even three times less for complete ones. However, this is all fixable. The main thing is to know clearly what to do, and then the starter cartridge can be easily turned into a standard one.
What is the difference?
As mentioned above, complete and standard cartridges are the same, but with different resources. Why is this so? It doesn't always depend on the amount of dye. The whole problem is in a special chip that is installed on starting consumables. It is needed so that the program reports the end of ink or toner after a certain number of printed pages (subject to 5% coverage). Thus, the standard cartridge turns into a starter cartridge.
Features of refilling complete cartridges
Many people think that after the starter cartridge has stopped printing, it can be refilled and it will work again as before. If this still works with old-style consumables, then with modern printing accessories one refill will not work. The same malignant chip simply will not allow this to be done. Even with full containers, the program will still throw an error. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, before refilling the cartridge, you will need to reflash the office equipment as a whole. As an example, you can take the MLT-D104X test cartridge and compare it with the regular MLT-D104S. Their parameters are absolutely identical, except for the resource. This means that the toner container has the same capacity.
Comparison table of Samsung cartridges:
|
Main characteristics |
||
|
Compatibility |
ML-1660/1665/1667; ML-1860/1865/1867; ML-1670/1675/1677; ML-1865W; SCX-3200/3205/3207/3205W |
|
|
Laser |
||
|
Dye color |
Black toner |
|
As you can see from the table, the cartridges are similar, but create a different number of prints. To refill and increase the resource of the MLT-D104X cartridge, you need to flash it and refill it. After this, the toner reserves of this consumable will be enough for 1500 pages of prints (the condition of 5% fullness is maintained).
Most manufacturers supply printers and MFPs with starter cartridges.
The starter cartridge holds fewer print sheets than the standard cartridge, which is sold separately.
It is important to remember that the toners in the starter cartridge are designed only to start the device, that is, so that when installing the device, only the first tens of pages can be printed. For uninterrupted operation of the device, it is better to immediately buy standard consumables. The presence or absence of a starter kit depends on the manufacturer's sales policy.
DESCRIPTION OF STARTER CARTRIDGE CB435A HP LJ P1005/P1006 Cartridge
The CB435A starter cartridge has approximately half the volume of the waste hopper.
Toner weight in 700 page starter cartridge is 47.6 g
DESCRIPTION OF CARTRIDGE CB435A HP LJ P1005/P1006 Cartridge
Number of pages (b/w): 1500 standard pages
case with dimensions 327x123x113 mm
relatively light weight of 793 g and resource capacity of the toner bin.
DESCRIPTION OF STARTER CARTRIDGE CB436A HP LJ P1505/M1120/M1522 cartridge.
The squeegee has installation dimensions that differ from other HP models. The squeegee base has a significantly smaller width.
The waste hopper has a very small volume, so transfer efficiency is of great importance when selecting compatible consumables. The approximate capacity of the hopper is 10 g of waste.
The diameter of the charge roller is the same as in HP CLJ2600,3000 cartridges (diameter - 8.5 mm, circumference - 27 mm), but the length is shorter (244 mm). The roller is made of hard material, i.e. “indestructible” and can be easily cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. It is quite possible that, just as in color cartridges with similar rollers, there will also be “soft” rollers that are more prone to failure.
The magnetic shaft has dimensions: diameter – 10 mm, circumference – 31 mm, shaft length – 254 mm. The metering blade has different mounting dimensions than other HP models.
DESCRIPTION OF CARTRIDGE CB436A HP LJ P1505/M1120/M1522 cartridge.
The HP cb436A cartridge yields 2,000 pages at 5% page coverage.
The dimensions of the 36A cartridge are 370x123x113 mm.
The 36A cartridge weighs just under a kilogram - 830 g.
The main difference between a starter cartridge and a regular one is the volume of the toner tank. And also, if you pay attention to the photo of the HP 436 starter cartridge, its platform is wider than the platform of an ordinary HP 436 cartridge.
Recently, Ricoh released a new series of monochrome printers and MFPs. Visually, the devices look very modern and are inexpensive.
It so happened that the next purchase from the supplier coincided with the arrival of the new Ricoh SP150 series into the warehouse, and I decided to take it for myself to try. The printer turned out to be so successful that it stayed on my desk for only a few hours, after which the client who refilled our Lexmark E120 bought it. However, I managed to take a number of photos and look at the design of the printer in more detail.
About design.
Comparing the dimensions of Samsung ML 1615 and Ricoh SP150 - front view
Comparing the dimensions of Samsung ML 1615 and Ricoh SP150 - rear view
The first impression when I took the printer out of the box was that IT IS SMALL. Just some kind of “nano printer”. The design is made in the style of the latest generation of iPhone smartphones, i.e. white glossy plastic, smooth shapes. Next to such a printer, even super expensive mobile gadgets will look harmonious. In order to make the size of the printer more clear, I photographed it next to the Samsung ML-1615 printers. As you can see, the printer is half as tall, and also slightly smaller in width and depth.
Let's take a look inside the Ricoh SP150
To be honest, I was afraid that these were yet another miscarriages like the Ricoh S100/SP111 that had design problems with paper feeding. But my fears turned out to be in vain, this is a completely different printer, despite the fact that the paper is still inserted from above, the paper feed mechanism itself has been brought to mind. As you can see in the photo, the pickup roller is now mounted on a metal rod, and not a plastic rod as in the SP100. The paper pickup roller is controlled using a clutch, rather than obsolete solenoids. The pickup roller itself has a classic design and size for Ricoh devices; we can safely say that this roller will not lose its properties throughout the entire service life of the printer. The location of the sensors has also changed and now there should be no false jams.
About the cartridge and chip.
The cartridge in the Ricoh SP 150, despite its similarity with the SP100 cartridge, is slightly smaller in size. This was done primarily to reduce the size of the device itself, and of course to prevent cartridge cloning. The cartridge has on board a standard chip from Ricoh SP111/SP200 with its own firmware. The device supports two types of cartridge - 700 pages () and 1500 pages (SP150HE). As usual, the only difference is in the firmware of the cartridge chip and the amount of toner loaded. Despite the fact that the cartridge has a small volume and is not positioned as refillable, Ricoh engineers did not reduce the diameter of the photo roller. Considering the wear resistance of Ricoh photo rolls, we can safely say that the cartridge will withstand at least five refills without serious loss of print quality. 
The toner can be used the same as for Ricoh SP100/SP200. This is either original toner or Samsung universal toner. The cartridge does not have external caps for filling toner and emptying waste. However, the classic hidden plug for refilling the cartridge is present under the lid. Interestingly, the cartridge is structurally similar to the SP100/SP200, but the springs in it are clearly from the Ricoh SP3500/SP311. There is a plastic “identifier key” on the front of the cartridge, I think this is a foundation for the future. How they will carry out a small marketing change to the device in person and “the key identifier will be shifted.”
To sum it up.
In my opinion, the printer turned out to be very successful and, at first glance, very reliable. I really hope that it will seriously push the unsuccessful Samsung printers on the 101/111 cartridge, as well as its clones from Xerox, out of the market. The printer does not have full-fledged electronic components on board, i.e. it is a GDI printer. But at such an affordable price, you can turn a blind eye to this drawback.
PS. While I was writing this note (a month has passed), this client came to refill a Ricoh SP150 cartridge. The client was satisfied with the printer, and put his Lexmark in the closet as a backup printer.
PS. A colleague from GoldPrint posted a video on the official channel YouTube about the device Ricoh SP150, which will be useful for people refilling cartridges.