SpecsyModels and product details
Remember which cartridge your printer takes
Cartridge numbers are deliberately confusing. 305, 305XL and 305A are three different products and only some of them fit your machine.
- Black
- 305 or 305XL
- Colour
- 305 tri-colour
- XL pages
- About 240
- Last bought
- November, XL black
- Note
- Instant Ink not used
A numbering system designed to be got wrong
Printer manufacturers use short numbers that look almost identical, split them into standard and high yield versions, and change them between regions.
You print four times a year, which is exactly the interval at which nobody remembers anything. By the time the cartridge runs out you have forgotten the printer model too.
The result is an opened, non returnable cartridge that fits a printer you do not own.
What to write down
- The printer model, in full, from the front of the machine
- Every cartridge number it accepts, black and colour, standard and XL
- Page yield for each, so you can compare price per page rather than price
- Whether you are on a subscription ink plan, which changes what you should buy
- A photo of the old cartridge with the number visible
Why the letters matter
The exact suffixes differ by manufacturer, but the pattern is the same everywhere.
| Suffix | Usually means | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| No suffix | Standard capacity | Cheapest to buy, most expensive per page |
| XL | High yield | Same physical cartridge, more ink |
| A or region letter | Region specific version | May not work outside its region |
| Setup or starter | Shipped with the printer | Not sold separately, do not search for it |
Buy on price per page, not price
A standard cartridge at half the price of an XL is usually the more expensive choice, because the XL holds more than twice the ink.
Storing the page yield on the card turns that into a comparison you can do in ten seconds in the shop.
Questions people ask
Does Specsy check compatibility for me?
No. It stores what your printer actually took last time, which in practice is more reliable than a compatibility database.
Can I keep a note about third party cartridges?
Yes, and it is worth it. If a compatible brand worked, write the brand down. If one leaked, write that down too.
What about toner rather than ink?
Same card, same fields. Toner numbers are just as easy to confuse and a wrong one costs more.