Frequently Asked Questions
What is MICR toner, and why do checks need it specifically?
MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. The line of numbers along the bottom of a check — the routing number and account number — is not read by eye or by scanner; bank equipment reads it magnetically, and it only registers if those characters were printed with toner containing magnetic material. This Canon 119II MICR cartridge (part number 3480B001AA) is filled with that magnetic toner. Print your checks with an ordinary cartridge and the checks look perfect — then the bank's reader cannot process them. That single job is what this cartridge exists for.
Why does it cost $148.75 when the standard 119II cartridge is $32.82?
We will give you the straight version: MICR toner is a specialist formulation made in small volumes for one narrow job, and at about 4.5 times the standard cartridge's price, you feel that in the number. Per page it is roughly 2.32 cents against 0.51 cents for the standard Canon 119II. Whether that premium is worth paying depends entirely on one question — do you print your own checks? If you do, the comparison is not against ordinary toner; it is against pre-printed check stock, an outside check-printing service, or checks your bank rejects. Against those, in-house MICR printing is usually the economical route. If you do not print checks, the premium buys you literally nothing — read the next answer.
Who should buy this cartridge — and who definitely should not?
Buy it if your business prints its own checks from blank check stock on an imageCLASS machine that takes the 119II — an LBP251dw, MF416dw or similar — and you want those checks to clear the bank's magnetic readers without drama. Do not buy it for everyday office printing: invoices, letters and reports gain nothing from magnetic toner, and at $148.75 you would be paying check-printing money for document-printing work. The standard 119II at $32.82 is the right cartridge for everything that is not a check.
Does the MICR version give up any page yield?
No. It carries the same high-yield rating as the standard cartridge: up to 6,400 pages at standard coverage. Translated into check runs, that is up to 6,400 checks if you print one check per page — most businesses print three checks to a page from standard check stock, which stretches the same cartridge across far more payments. At one check per page the toner cost works out to roughly 2.32 cents per check; at three per page, well under a cent each. Either way, the per-check toner cost is a small line next to the cost of the check stock itself.
Can I leave the MICR cartridge in the machine for normal documents too?
You can — it prints ordinary documents perfectly well, because MICR toner is still toner. It is just an expensive way to print a memo. Most check-printing offices keep the MICR cartridge for check runs and a standard Canon 119II (3480B001AA) for daily work, swapping between them; the cartridges share the same fit, so the changeover takes a minute. If your check volume is small and occasional, dedicating the MICR cartridge to a check day each week or month keeps the costly toner for the work only it can do.
What backing comes with a cartridge at this price?
The same as with every cartridge we sell, and at this price it matters: a 1-year warranty and 1-year free returns. If the MICR cartridge fails early, prints weakly or a unit arrives faulty, it is replaced or refunded — the premium buys specialist toner, not extra risk. Orders ship from our US warehouses in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia and California, the returns terms are on our shipping and returns page, and support answers Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST if you want to talk through your check-printing setup first.
About This Canon 119II High Yield MICR Black Toner Cartridge
This is a single compatible Canon 119II high-yield MICR black toner cartridge, part number 3480B001AA, rated for up to 6,400 pages and priced at $148.75. Its toner is magnetically readable, which makes it the cartridge for printing your own checks on imageCLASS machines such as the LBP251dw, LBP253dw, LBP6300dn, LBP6650dn, LBP6670dn, MF414dw, MF416dw and MF6160dw — and an unnecessary expense for anything else, as this page has said plainly. It is covered by our 1-year warranty and 1-year free returns. The standard cartridge and the rest of the family are on our Canon toner collection.
See Compatible Printers
Read more about our ink!
