Frequently Asked Questions

What is this cartridge for, on a LaserJet M201dw?

Printing checks. This is the MICR build of the M201dw's 83A cartridge — CF283A loaded with magnetic toner — so the numbers along the bottom of each check carry the magnetic signal bank readers need. Everything else about the cartridge is the standard fit that printer takes.

Does the M201dw's duplex feature matter for checks?

Checks print one-sided, so set the job to single-sided when check stock is loaded. Save the automatic two-sided printing for reports and letters on a standard cartridge; a check that comes out printed on both sides is stock wasted.

How do I verify my bank will read the checks?

Print a small test batch first and have the bank confirm the MICR line scans correctly. Acceptance rests with the bank, your stock and your printer together — no toner seller can guarantee it, and the test is quick insurance before payroll depends on it.

What yield should a home office expect?

The rating is 1,500 pages, and checks are light-coverage pages, so a home office running its own payroll and paying its bills by check gets many months from one $82.58 cartridge before the low warning appears.

Can this cartridge stay in while I print normal pages wirelessly?

It can print them — the output looks like any black toner page — but every letter printed is magnetic toner spent on a job that did not need it. Most M201dw owners load it for check sessions and keep the standard cartridge in for daily wireless printing.

What stands behind the purchase?

A 1-year warranty and 1-year free returns, and people to talk to Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM CST.

How can I set up a check session to start in one trip?

Keep a single labeled box holding this CF283A MICR cartridge and the blank check stock together. When a check run is due, the box comes to the M201dw, the cartridge goes in, the stock goes in the tray, and nothing has to be fetched from two different cupboards mid-task.

What should I look at before releasing a full check run?

The first check off the pile. Print one, hold it up, and read the magnetic line along the bottom for darkness and alignment before letting the rest follow. That single sheet is the cheapest inspection in the process; a fault found there costs one check, a fault found after the run costs the batch.

How do I learn how many check cycles one cartridge gives me?

Note the date on the carton each time the CF283A MICR goes into the machine and each time it comes out. After a few cycles the notes show your real rhythm — how many payrolls and payable runs one cartridge covers in your office — and reordering stops being a guess.

What needs resetting after a check session?

The printer's habits, mainly. Checks print one-sided, so if you set the M201dw to single-sided for the run, put its automatic two-sided printing back on for the reports and letters that follow. Leaving the check settings in place quietly wastes the duplex feature the machine was bought for.

About This M201dw MICR Cartridge

A single CF283A MICR cartridge for the HP LaserJet M201dw, rated at 1,500 pages, for the work-from-home bookkeeper or small firm that prints payroll and payable checks from blank stock instead of buying them pre-printed.

Orders are sent from our warehouses in IL, PA, GA and CA. The shipping & returns page explains how delivery works, and the broader family range sits under HP.

It is the same unit across LaserJet MFP M125nw, LaserJet MFP M127fw, LaserJet MFP M225dn, LaserJet Pro MFP M127fw, LaserJet M201dw and LaserJet M201n. The same cartridge is also sold as the CF283A MICR single (83A). It also comes as the CF283A MICR 5-pack (83A).