Frequently Asked Questions

Which cartridges are in this box?

One of each color the printer uses: a TK5242K black, a TK5242C cyan, a TK5242M magenta and a TK5242Y yellow. Every unit carries its code on the label, so what arrives is a complete round of toner — all four slots can be refreshed from a single delivery.

Why is black rated at 4,000 pages when the colors are 3,000?

That is how this family is rated cartridge by cartridge: the TK5242K black at 4,000 pages, and the TK5242C, TK5242M and TK5242Y colors at 3,000 pages each, all at standard coverage. Text-heavy work runs mainly on black, so black holds the longer rating of the four.

Only one slot is flashing empty — do I have to fit the whole set?

No. Fit the slot the printer is asking for and leave the other three sealed in the box. Nothing is gained by retiring a cartridge that still has toner in it; the point of the set is that the remaining replacements are already on the shelf when their turn arrives.

How should I keep the cartridges I am not fitting yet?

Sealed in their boxes, flat on a shelf away from radiators and direct sun. Toner keeps well that way for a long time, and when a slot finally runs dry the swap takes a couple of minutes instead of a delivery wait.

Are these the full-size versions or the small units bundled with a new printer?

Full size. Each cartridge in the box carries its complete rating — 4,000 pages for the black, 3,000 for each color — identical to the same codes bought one at a time. There are no reduced-fill starter units in this set.

What cover does the set come with?

Every cartridge is covered on its own by a 1-year warranty with 1-year free returns — the details are on our shipping & returns page. If a single color ever faults within the year, that cartridge alone is sent back free and the other three carry on unaffected.

What does each cartridge in the set effectively cost?

The set is $78.46 for four full cartridges, which works out at roughly $19.62 per cartridge. Bought singly, the TK5242K black alone is $29.99, so the round-together price is where this set earns its keep — and every unit inside is the complete standard fill, 4,000 pages for black and 3,000 for each of TK5242C, TK5242M and TK5242Y, not a reduced version.

How long should one full round last a small workgroup?

Work it from the ratings and your own volume. The set puts 4,000 black pages and 3,000 pages of each color on the shelf; a workgroup printing a few hundred pages a week, mostly text with some color, will measure that in months rather than weeks. Color-heavy weeks draw the 3,000-page colors down faster than the black, so expect the colors to ask for attention first.

After fitting a cartridge from the set, how do I verify that slot is healthy?

Print a test page and look at that slot's band: it should come out solid and even from the first pages. Comparing the fresh band against the other three is the quickest health check there is — if the new band matches the established ones, the swap is done. If it prints pale, lift the cartridge out, rock it gently to level the toner, and seat it firmly again.

What should be done with the empty cartridges the set replaces?

Place each spent cartridge into the box its replacement came out of and route it through office recycling or an e-waste collection rather than general trash. Boxing keeps residual toner contained and the old unit's code readable — handy if you ever need to confirm which code came out of which slot. With four slots cycling at different rates, the habit keeps empties from piling up unlabelled.

About This TK5242 Four-Color Set

The full toner round for the Kyocera ECOSYS M5526cdw at $78.46: one TK5242K black rated at 4,000 pages alongside TK5242C cyan, TK5242M magenta and TK5242Y yellow at 3,000 pages apiece. It is built for the moment a small workgroup machine has worn all four colors down in step and one order should put every slot right again, each cartridge fitted only when its slot calls for it. From our compatible Kyocera-Mita range, shipped from our IL, PA, GA and CA warehouses, with support Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST.