Frequently Asked Questions

What is the point of a fifth cartridge in the set?

A spare. Four cartridges refresh the printer; the fifth sits ready for whichever color — or the black — runs out first. At $96.01 the set works out to $19.20 per cartridge, the lowest per-cartridge price in the TN310 family, so the spare is also the cheapest insurance you can buy.

Which printers does the five-pack serve?

It serves DCP-9050CDN, DCP-9055CDN, DCP-9270CDN, HL-4140CN, HL-4150CDN, HL-4570CDW, HL-4570CDWT, HL-4750CDW, HL-4750CDWT, MFC-9460CDN, MFC-9465CDN, MFC-9560CDW and MFC-9970, the Brother printers built for the TN310 family. Every cartridge in the box fits those same models.

How does the price compare with the four-color set?

The four-color set is $81.93, or $20.48 per cartridge. This five-pack drops that to $19.20 per cartridge — you pay $14.08 more than the four-set and get a whole extra cartridge that costs far less than any single in the family. For the full shelf, see our Best Brother TN310 Toner Cartridges guide: TN310 and TN315 singles, sets and packs are compared side by side on one price list, with the DR310CL drum covered as well — including how the per-page figures settle the choice between the two tiers.

Who typically buys five at a time?

Small offices and heavy home users who print in both black and color and cannot afford a stalled printer. If your machine is the only one in the building, having a full set plus a spare means no warning message can stop work.

What protection comes with the five-pack?

A one-year warranty on every cartridge and free returns for one year. If a cartridge fails, it is dealt with on its own, and the rest of the box is unaffected. The process is described on the shipping and returns page.

Will the spare cartridge go bad sitting on the shelf?

Sealed toner keeps well for a long time in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Order matters less than storage: keep it in its box, and it will be ready whenever the printer asks for it. The family singles, including the TN310BK black, are also available if you ever need just one.

When the set arrives, which cartridge should I install first?

Whichever one the printer is asking for. There is no required order in the TN310 five-pack: fit the cartridge whose slot is empty or warning, and leave the other four sealed in the box. Installing a cartridge early gains nothing, while a sealed one keeps indefinitely in a cool, dry place. Most owners fit one or two on day one and hold the rest, including the spare, in reserve.

Can this set be split between two printers?

Yes, as long as both machines are on the family's printer list. Every cartridge in the box is a standard TN310 unit, so the black can go into an HL-4150CDN while the colors refresh an MFC-9560CDW, for example. Many small offices with two listed printers buy the five-pack as a shared pool rather than stocking each machine separately, and simply draw cartridges from the box as either printer asks.

How do I keep track of the loose spare in the box?

Write the purchase date on the spare's box and keep it stored flat, sealed, and out of sunlight with the rest of the set. When you fit a cartridge, jot its color on the box flap as well. That small habit tells you at a glance which of the five is still unused months later, and a sealed TN310 cartridge kept that way loses nothing while it waits its turn.

What if one cartridge in the five-pack prints badly while the others are fine?

Judge each cartridge on its own output. Fit the suspect one, print a page that exercises its color, and check for banding or weak coverage. Coverage under the set is individual: each cartridge carries the one-year warranty and one-year free returns on its own, so a single poor performer is dealt with by itself and the remaining four cartridges, installed or still sealed, are unaffected.

About This TN310 Five-Cartridge Set

This is a five-cartridge set of compatible Brother TN310 toner for TN310-family printers — a complete refresh plus a built-in spare at the family's lowest per-cartridge price. It ships from IL, PA, GA, and CA warehouses, with support Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST.