Frequently Asked Questions

What does one printed page cost with this cartridge?

The single cartridge is $40.94 and carries a rated yield of 11,000 black pages, which comes to roughly 0.37 cents per page. That rating assumes standard 5% page coverage, so dense text, forms with heavy blacks, or graphics will use toner faster; treat 0.37 cents as the planning figure for everyday office documents, not a promise for every sheet.

How long is 11,000 pages in real office terms?

It depends entirely on volume. An S3840 printing 500 pages a month works through one cartridge in close to two years; at 2,000 pages a month — a busy shared workgroup machine — the same cartridge lasts about five and a half months. The 11,000-page rating is the fixed yardstick; your monthly page count decides the calendar.

Which printer does the 593-BCBC fit?

It is the black toner cartridge for Dell's S3840 series. The part number to match is 593-BCBC: pull the cartridge you are replacing and check its label — if it reads 593-BCBC, this listing is the same supply. The S3840 takes this one black cartridge; there are no color positions to sort out on a monochrome machine.

Is this a genuine Dell cartridge?

No — this is a compatible cartridge built to the 593-BCBC specification, not a Dell original. It installs in the S3840 the same way and is rated to the same 11,000-page figure quoted for this part. The difference is who made it and what it costs, and the compatible route is what brings the per-page figure down to about 0.37 cents.

How will I know it is time to replace it?

Black print that turns gray, streaks or faded bands running down the page, and the printer's low-toner warning are the usual signals. Gentle rocking of the cartridge can redistribute the last toner for a short run of extra pages, but that is a stopgap — once output fades at this cartridge's scale, ordering the replacement the same day keeps the machine out of trouble.

What warranty and return cover is included?

This compatible cartridge carries a one-year warranty and one-year free returns; the full terms are on the shipping and returns page. Orders ship from warehouses in IL, PA, GA and CA, and support runs Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST if you want a hand confirming the part number through the Dell toner range before you order.

How should a spare 593-BCBC be stored while it waits to be fitted?

Leave it sealed inside its box, lying flat in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight and heat. A monochrome machine gives a spare a quiet life — nothing about storage needs to be elaborate — but an unopened box is what guarantees the cartridge arrives at the slot in the condition it was shipped in. When the working cartridge finally fades, the swap itself takes only a couple of minutes.

Why might this cartridge finish well short of 11,000 pages?

The rating is measured at standard 5% page coverage, which describes a typical text page. Documents that lay down far more toner per sheet — dense reports, forms with heavy black panels, graphics and charts — draw the supply down faster, sometimes much faster. If your S3840 mostly prints that kind of work, plan your reorder around the pages you actually got from the last cartridge rather than the figure on the box.

What is worth checking in the first few minutes after fitting a new cartridge?

Two things. First, before the new unit goes in, confirm the label on the cartridge you just removed reads 593-BCBC — that match is the whole compatibility check on this machine. Second, run a handful of ordinary pages and look at them: black should be solid and even from edge to edge. Clean output on those first pages means the cartridge has seated properly and the question is settled.

What happens to the old cartridge once it comes out?

Set it straight into the packaging the replacement arrived in, so a spent unit is never sitting loose on a shelf where it can be mistaken for stock. From there it leaves with your office's normal toner recycling or disposal route. Keeping the empty boxed and clearly separate from the sealed spare also protects you from the classic mistake of refitting a dead cartridge during a busy morning.

About This Dell S3840 Black Toner Cartridge (593-BCBC)

This single compatible black cartridge is the one-at-a-time buy for a Dell S3840: $40.94 for a rated 11,000 pages, about 0.37 cents a page. It suits offices that order on demand rather than stocking shelves — one cartridge covers months of ordinary monochrome work, and a sealed spare ordered alongside it means a toner-out moment is a two-minute swap instead of a delivery wait. Match the 593-BCBC part number on the cartridge you remove and you have the right supply.