Which toner fits the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4203dn?

"Up to 7,500 pages": read the small print

Specification sheets for this range quote toners "up to 7,500 pages". The figure is accurate, but it does not describe the cartridge you will order by default: the 230A yields about 2,000 pages. The 7,500 correspond to the high-capacity version, the 230X.

The confusion costs dearly at the first resupply: you size your budget and your ordering pace on 7,500 pages, and discover after three weeks that you already have to buy again. Remember the ratio, it is 3.75 — one of the widest in HP's catalogue, and it amply justifies moving to the 230X as soon as the machine serves several people.

Wired networking only

The 4203dn connects over Gigabit Ethernet or USB, with no Wi-Fi — the only difference from the 4203dw, which takes exactly the same cartridges. It prints 33 pages per minute in black and in colour alike, with automatic duplex, 250 sheets in the main tray and 50 in the universal one.

Its 2.2-inch monochrome screen and its dial allow each toner's level to be read without going near a computer — useful on a shared machine, where nobody has the HP software installed.

How long does a set last?

HP recommends 750 to 4,000 pages a month. At the ceiling, a 230A black lasts a little over two weeks and a 230X close to two months. As on any colour laser, the three colours are used together on colour documents: keep a set in reserve rather than an isolated cartridge, and order the black separately, more often.