Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I confirm that TK3182 is the code my printer is asking for?

Read it off the printer itself. The supplies status on the panel, or the label on the cartridge you pull out, will show TK3182 — if that is the code there, this single black cartridge at $61.33 is the one to order. The part number settles it; no measuring, no photo matching.

What does a 21,000-page rating look like on a hard-working departmental printer?

The rating is measured on standard test pages at ordinary text coverage. On a printer that turns out reports, invoices and packet printouts all day, one cartridge covers a long stretch of that work; dense graphics-heavy pages will shorten it. Either way, this is a change you make and then forget about for a good while.

Can I swap it myself in the middle of a print run, or does it need a technician?

You can do it yourself in about two minutes. Open the front cover, slide the spent unit out, seat the new one until it clicks, and close up. No tools, no settings to change, and the printer picks the interrupted job back up on its own.

The first few pages after installing look lighter than the pages before. Should I worry?

No — toner settles and compacts in transit. Take the cartridge out, rock it gently from side to side a few times to redistribute the powder, and print a short stack of ordinary pages. Print density normally evens out within the first small run.

How quickly will one cartridge get to me?

Orders ship from whichever of our four warehouses — IL, PA, GA or CA — is closest to you, which keeps the trip short. The full delivery and returns picture is on our shipping and returns page.

What cover stands behind this cartridge once it is in the printer?

A 1-year warranty and free returns for that whole first year. If the unit misbehaves at any point in that window, reach us Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST, and we will put it right.

Can I buy this cartridge ahead of time and keep it until the current one dies?

Yes — that is a sensible way to run a departmental printer. Keep the TK3182 sealed, flat, in a cool dry cupboard away from sunlight and heat vents. Stored that way it waits in full working order, and when the installed cartridge finally fades the change is a planned two-minute swap instead of an order placed under pressure.

What kind of printing shortens the 21,000-page rating most?

High-coverage printing. The rating comes from standard test pages at ordinary text coverage, and a TK3182 printing plain reports tracks it fairly; pages carrying solid logos, shaded form fields, dense tables or big graphics spend toner far faster per sheet. A department whose output leans toward packet printouts and presentation pages should expect a shorter run from the same cartridge.

How do I know the cartridge is really finished rather than just settled?

Even fading across the whole page is the settled-toner signature. Take the TK3182 out, rock it gently from side to side a few times to level what remains, refit it, and print a short run. If density comes back, there were pages still in reserve; if output stays pale after rocking, the cartridge has genuinely reached the end of its toner.

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

Slide it into the bag and box the new TK3182 arrived in, so residual toner stays contained, and put it through your office's cartridge recycling stream instead of the general trash. Keeping the packaging until the new unit has printed a handful of clean pages is a good habit — everything stays together if you need to talk to support about the change.

About This Cartridge

This is a single compatible Kyocera-Mita TK3182 black toner cartridge for the ECOSYS P3055dn. It is the plain, get-printing-again purchase: one unit, a 21,000-page rating, a $61.33 price, a two-minute swap you do yourself, and a full year of warranty and free-return protection behind it.