Which toner fits the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 4303fdw?

Why your colours run out before the black

On an office laser, black normally goes three to four times faster than each colour. On a new 4303fdw the opposite often happens — and it is neither a fault nor a setting to correct. HP pre-installs a 2,000-page black and three 1,000-page colours: the colours therefore start from a reserve almost half the size of a replacement toner.

In practice: your first set of colours will come sooner than the machine's normal pace, and the next will last noticeably longer. Draw no conclusion about your real consumption before that second set.

What the 4-in-1 adds to consumption

The 4303fdw prints, copies, scans and faxes at 33 pages per minute in black and in colour alike. Three of its functions use toner without anyone deciding so:

• an incoming fax prints on its own, advertising included;
• automatic duplex puts two pages on each sheet — less paper, but just as much toner;
• the 50-sheet feeder makes copying a stack so easy that it gets done without a thought.

Scanning, on the other hand, uses nothing: when all you need is a file, scan rather than photocopy. The scanner in fact reads both sides in a single pass.

Moving to the 230X once the pace settles

The 230X rises to 7,500 pages in black (W2300X) and 5,500 per colour. On a machine whose recommended volume goes up to 4,000 pages a month, it is the format that saves replacing four cartridges every two months. The 4303dw takes exactly the same toners: only the office functions separate them.