Color 3500

The HP Color 3500 belonged to the early-2000s wave that made color laser printing practical for ordinary businesses — proposals, charts and presentations came off it in full color instead of being sent out. It prints from four cartridges: a black, the 309A (Q2670A), and three colors that this page stocks as one combined set — Q2671A cyan, Q2672A magenta and Q2673A yellow. Black is bought on its own schedule; the colors travel together.

A machine like the 3500 earned its place by being the office's single color resource — the printer everyone walked to when a document had to look like it meant business. That shared-duty pattern shapes its toner buying to this day: black drains steadily with everyday documents, while the color set lasts until the first of its three cartridges gives out. Owners who understand that rhythm keep a black on the shelf at all times and treat the color set as the occasional, planned purchase.

Toner Cartridges for Color 3500

Which cartridge should you buy?

The buying decision on this page has exactly two parts. The black is a single cartridge — the Q2670A — replaced whenever the printer reports it low, on its own timetable. The three colors are stocked here only as the combined 3 Color Set, so when one color is exhausted the set is the replacement unit this shelf offers; there are no individual color singles on this page. If your 3500 mostly prints black documents with occasional color pages, your money rhythm is simple: blacks as needed, a set when a color finally fades. Either way, match the code on the cartridge you pull out before ordering.

Chip, toner and everyday use

Each cartridge in the 3500 carries a chip the printer reads for supply estimates, and the compatible cartridges here are built to be recognized the same way. Install one cartridge at a time so colors never swap positions, pull the sealing tape fully, and let the machine calibrate before judging the first page. Yields assume 5% coverage; the charts and filled graphics this printer was bought for use toner considerably faster than plain letters. When one color starts printing thin, resist shaking the whole set — check the levels first, because the honest fix is the position that is actually empty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cartridges fit the Color 3500?

Four codes: black Q2670A, plus Q2671A cyan, Q2672A magenta and Q2673A yellow. The black is a single cartridge on this page; the three colors are stocked together as the 3 Color Set.

Can I buy just the one color that ran out?

Not from this page — the colors are stocked as the combined set, so the set is the replacement when a color position empties. The black, by contrast, is always bought separately as the single Q2670A.

Is it safe to run compatible toner in a printer this age?

Yes — a compatible cartridge built to this family's specification seats and prints the same way as the original, and using one does not void the printer's hardware warranty on its own. Clever Supplies compatibles carry a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns.

Why does the low-toner warning show so early?

The printer estimates remaining toner from page counts, and the warning is deliberately conservative. Keep printing while output stays clean, and replace the cartridge when the printer reports it empty or the color visibly fades.

More printers that use the same cartridges

The same four cartridges serve the wider 3500/3550/3700 color family — every category below draws on this 308A/309A-era shelf: COLOR LASERJET 3700DN, COLOR LASERJET 3700DTN, COLOR LASERJET 3700N, Color 3500N, Color 3500dn, Color 3500dtn, Color 3550, Color 3550N, Color 3700, Color 3700DN, Color 3700DTN, Color 3700N, Color 3750, Color 3750DN, Color 3750DTN, Color 3750N, Color LaserJet 3500, Color LaserJet 3500N, Color LaserJet 3500dn, Color LaserJet 3500dtn, Color LaserJet 3550, Color LaserJet 3550N, Color LaserJet 3700, Color LaserJet 3750, Color LaserJet 3750DN, Color LaserJet 3750DTN, Color LaserJet 3750N, HP 308A-309A, HP 308A-311A.