Frequently Asked Questions

How can I confirm TK18 is the cartridge my printer takes?

Pull the current cartridge out and read its label — if it says TK18, this single cartridge is the direct replacement. The same code appears in your printer's supply information, so you can check without opening the machine. This one cartridge is $63.26.

Which machines use this cartridge?

It serves the FS-1018MFP along with the FS-1020D, FS-1118MFP, KM-1500, KM-1815, KM-1818 and KM-1820. These are older workgroup models that all share the same TK18 black cartridge.

How long will 7,200 pages last in a small office?

At a few dozen pages a day, that rating stretches across many months of letters, invoices and everyday reports. Dense pages with heavy graphics use toner faster, so treat 7,200 as the standard-coverage benchmark rather than a promise for every print job.

Do I need a technician to install it?

No. Open the printer, slide the spent cartridge out, seat the TK18 until it locks, and close the cover. The whole swap takes a couple of minutes and needs no tools.

What should I do if the first prints look faint?

Remove the cartridge and rock it gently from side to side to level the toner inside, then run a few test pages. If output still looks wrong, you are covered by a 1-year warranty and 1-year free returns, and our support team answers Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST.

How fast does a single cartridge ship?

Orders leave from our warehouses in IL, PA, GA and CA, whichever is nearest to you. Delivery timing and the return process are spelled out on our shipping and returns page.

How should I store a TK18 bought ahead as a spare?

Keep it sealed in its box, indoors, away from heat and direct sunlight, and it will wait on the shelf without any attention. There is nothing to charge, top up or maintain. When its turn comes, take it out, give it a gentle side-to-side rock so the toner inside is leveled, and fit it as normal. A spare stored that way behaves like one that arrived yesterday, which is the whole point of buying ahead on a machine you cannot afford to have idle.

What should I do with the empty cartridge after the swap?

Set the spent TK18 into the new cartridge's box so loose toner stays contained, and send it out through your local route for spent toner cartridges. Keep it for a few days first, until the replacement has printed a run of clean pages — if anything about the new cartridge needs a support conversation, having the old unit on hand makes the comparison easy. After that, there is no reason to keep it on the shelf.

The printer says toner is low, but my pages still look fine — is it really empty?

Probably not yet. The low warning arrives while a reserve is still in the cartridge, so acceptable-looking pages after the warning are normal. Output quality is the honest test: when text starts fading evenly across the whole page, the TK18 is truly at its end. The practical move is to plan the swap before an important run rather than during one, because the fade tends to show up mid-job, not politely between jobs.

A single dark streak repeats down every page — is that the cartridge running out?

No — that pattern means something different. A cartridge at the end of its toner fades uniformly; it does not draw one repeating mark in the same place on every sheet. A fixed streak points to a seating or distribution issue first: remove the cartridge, rock it gently side to side, reseat it firmly and print again. If the identical streak survives that, talk to support — they are available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST — rather than ordering another cartridge on a guess.

About This Cartridge

This is one Kyocera-Mita TK18 black toner cartridge, sold on its own for $63.26 — the right-sized buy when a single FS-1018MFP, FS-1020D, FS-1118MFP, KM-1500, KM-1815, KM-1818 or KM-1820 has run empty and you simply need it printing again. It is rated at 7,200 pages, drops in without tools, and is backed by a 1-year warranty with free returns for a full year.