What’s the difference between a toner cartridge code that ends in A or in X?

Let’s say you have an HP Laserjet Pro M402 printer. You need to buy a new cartridge. You can choose either the CF226A or the CF226X. What’s the difference? It’s page yield. This means the number of pages the cartridge will print, if all pages are only covered with 5% toner (see this blog post for details about how page yield is calculated).

The CF226A has a page yield of 3,100. The CF226X has a page yield of 9,000. Of course, the CF226X cartridge is more expensive, but in the long run, it’s your better deal. Your cost per page will be lower, and since toner is a powder, it has a long shelf life. Even if you don’t print a lot, it won’t dry up or go bad. So next time you have the choice, we recommend going for the X or high yield cartridge 🙂

Need supplies? We’re here to help 🙂