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Disclosure: Clever Supplies sells compatible cartridges for all of these brands — which is exactly why we'd rather you buy the right number the first time than the wrong one twice. HP, Brother, Canon, Lexmark, Kyocera, Ricoh — every brand runs its own numbering system, and none of them explain it on the box. This is the complete decoder: how each brand names its cartridges, what the letters and numbers mean, and how to never buy the wrong one. The universal rule (all brands) Every ca

Disclosure: Clever Supplies sells compatible printer cartridges — which is exactly why we'd rather you buy the right number the first time than the wrong one twice. You don't need the manual, and you don't need to call anyone. The cartridge number is printed on the printer itself — or one menu away. Here are three methods, fastest first. Total time: about a minute. Why bother getting it exactly right? Because a wrong cartridge is a special kind of annoying: it doesn't fit, or it fits

Disclosure: Clever Supplies sells compatible Brother cartridges — which is exactly why we'd rather you buy the right number the first time than the wrong one twice. Brother's cartridge numbering looks random until you learn the system — then it reads like a spec sheet. This guide decodes every Brother toner and drum code you're likely to encounter, so you buy the right cartridge the first time. The two-letter system: TN vs. DR Every Brother laser consumable starts with two letters: