Frequently Asked Questions

How long will 8,000 pages of magenta actually last in our 5100cn?

It depends on how much color the office prints. The 310-5809 is rated at 8,000 pages at 5% coverage, so a machine printing around 100 mixed pages a day works through it in roughly 80 working days, while a light-use 5100cn doing 25 pages a day can stretch the same cartridge close to a year. Heavy photo or brochure work shortens that; mostly-text work with occasional color stretches it.

The cartridge I removed just says 310-5809 — is this the same one?

Yes. Dell sells the 5100cn's high-yield magenta under the part number 310-5809, and this listing is that cartridge in compatible form. The number on the spent cartridge's label is the surest check there is: if it reads 310-5809, this is the magenta supply your printer takes, whatever name the old box carried.

Can I change only the magenta, or do all four colors go together?

Only the magenta. Each color in the Dell 5100cn is its own cartridge with its own yield counter, so a worn-out 310-5809 swaps on its own and the black, cyan and yellow stay in place until each one individually runs down. There is no need to replace a set, and no saving in doing so before the others are spent.

How should a spare 310-5809 be stored?

Keep it sealed in its bag, flat, at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Stored that way, a spare sits happily on the shelf until the installed cartridge fades, and having one ready turns a toner change into a two-minute job instead of an emergency order. Avoid garages and hot storage rooms, where heat ages toner even inside a sealed cartridge.

What does the magenta in this listing cost per page?

The cartridge is $45.79 rated at 8,000 pages, so the arithmetic lands at roughly 0.57 cents per page at the standard 5% coverage. That is the figure to budget with for mixed documents; pages with big color areas use proportionally more, and pages of plain black text use none of this cartridge at all.

What happens if the cartridge gives trouble?

It is a compatible cartridge rather than a Dell original, backed by a one-year warranty and one-year free returns, with the details set out on the shipping and returns page. Stock ships from warehouses in IL, PA, GA and CA, support is staffed Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST, and the wider Dell toner range covers the rest of the 5100cn's supplies if you are stocking up in the same order.

About This Dell 5100cn Magenta Toner Cartridge (310-5809)

Listed under the printer it serves, this compatible cartridge is the high-yield magenta supply for the Dell 5100cn: Dell part number 310-5809, $45.79, rated at 8,000 pages. It suits the office that wants the number settled before ordering — the part number on the cartridge coming out of the machine is the part number on this listing. One cartridge, changed on its own when reds start to drift, at about 0.57 cents per rated page.