Cross-reference: Ricoh 888308, the Type 145 high-yield black print cartridge (15,000 pages; the standard-yield black cartridge is 888276, at 5,000 pages). This cartridge fits the Ricoh Aficio CL4000DN, SP C410DN, SP C411DN and SP C420DN — the CL4000DN was also sold as the Savin CLP26DN, Lanier LP126cn and Gestetner P7425dn; the SP C410DN as the Savin CLP27DN, Lanier LP226CN and Gestetner C7526DN; the SP C411DN as the Savin CLP31DN, Lanier LP231CN and Gestetner C7531DN; and the SP C420DN as the Savin CLP131DN and Lanier LP331CN.

Frequently Asked Questions

I print mostly color documents — so why is the black cartridge the one that's empty?

Because "color documents" still lean heavily on black: every line of text, every gray shadow, and the black layer inside most images comes from this cartridge, not from cyan, magenta, or yellow. Add the purely black work the machine does — mono copies, faxes, and plain reports — and black is touched by far more pages than any single color. On a CL4000DN, black emptying first is not a fault; it is the normal pattern of how the machine prints.

What happens when black runs out in the middle of a color job?

The machine will pause work that needs black until the cartridge is replaced — and since text is part of almost everything, that effectively means the job stops. Swapping in a fresh 888308 takes a couple of minutes and the queue resumes. Offices that cannot afford the pause keep one spare black on hand precisely because it is always the first to go.

Is this the right black cartridge for my machine?

If your machine belongs to the Aficio CL4000DN platform family, yes — the 888308 black serves every model in Aficio CL4000DN, Aficio SP C410DN, Aficio SP C411DN and Aficio SP C420DN LP226cn. This page's listing highlights the CL4000DN by name, but the cartridge itself covers the whole family, so do not let a different model badge on your machine talk you out of the correct cartridge. Match your model against that list and you have your answer.

Is a 15,000-page rating realistic for mixed color work?

The rating assumes 5% page coverage, which suits text-led office pages. A month heavy on full-page color graphics will pull the real number down, because those pages ask black to lay down far more than 5% coverage in shadows and dark areas. A month of reports and correspondence can meet or beat the rating — black yield follows what you actually print, not the brochure mix.

What does black cost per page when I buy it one cartridge at a time?

This single is $103.91, which at the rated yield comes to about 0.69 cents per page — modest, and it buys you zero commitment to stock you may not need. If you find yourself reordering often, the multipacks of this same cartridge cut the per-cartridge price noticeably. Start here if you are unsure of your volume; the numbers will tell you within a cartridge or two.

What if the cartridge prints poorly or gives up early?

It is protected by a one-year warranty, and you have a full year of free returns if it does not perform — see the shipping & returns page for exactly how that works. If the first pages look wrong, stop and call support (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM CST) before running more of the job. Early contact makes any replacement straightforward.

About This Ricoh 888308 Black Cartridge

A single 888308 black cartridge for the Ricoh Aficio CL4000DN color platform, rated at 15,000 pages and priced at $103.91. On a color machine, black quietly does the text, the shadows, and all the mono work — which is why this is the cartridge you will replace most often, and the one worth understanding. Its colors and multipack siblings are gathered on our Ricoh toner page.