Color 3700
The HP Color 3700 stepped up from the 3500 generation with faster color output aimed at busy offices, keeping the approachable design while moving more pages through the engine. Its black cartridge is the Q2670A (HP 308A), sold on this page as the Compatible HP 309A (Q2670A) Toner Cartridge Black listing. This model's own colors, though, are the 311A line — Q2681A cyan, Q2682A yellow and Q2683A magenta — and that distinction decides what you should and should not order below.
The 3700 was bought by offices whose color volume had outgrown the smaller machines: more pages per minute, the same four-cartridge layout, and output that could face clients without apology. Machines from this generation are still in daily service in plenty of workplaces, which makes getting the cartridge codes right — rather than guessing from the family resemblance — the whole game when reordering.
Toner Cartridges for Color 3700
| Cartridge | Color | Page Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Q2671A / Q2672A / Q2673A — 3 Color Set | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow | See product page |
| Q2670A | Black | See product page |
A frank note on this page's color stock: the color listing stocked here is the Compatible HP 3550 (Q2671A Q2672A Q2673A) Toner Cartridge 3 Color Set — the 309A color set built for the 3500/3550 line. It is listed on this page as an also-stocked shelf item, but it is NOT the color set for the 3700: this printer's colors are the 311A cartridges Q2681A, Q2682A and Q2683A, which are not stocked on this page. Check the code on the cartridge you are replacing before ordering color for this model.
Which cartridge should you buy?
For this model the decision splits cleanly in two. Black is easy: the Q2670A on this page is the correct cartridge, it is the one a busy 3700 burns through fastest, and keeping a spare beside the machine is the single most useful habit you can build. Color needs more care. The 3700 takes the 311A color cartridges — Q2681A cyan, Q2682A yellow, Q2683A magenta — and those are not the set stocked on this page, so do not let the shared family looks talk you into the 309A box. Order color by the code printed on the cartridge coming out of the machine. Compatible black cartridges here carry a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns.
Chip, toner and everyday use
Four separate cartridges mean four separate low warnings, and on a fast machine they can arrive close together. The chip in each cartridge reports its own level, so replace colors individually as they fade rather than changing the set — a magenta warning says nothing about the cyan. When fitting any cartridge, pull the seal completely, seat it until it clicks, and run a calibration page if colors look off afterward. Keep the spare black sealed and upright; on a high-throughput machine the black spare is the one that saves a deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which cartridges does the Color 3700 actually use?
Black is the Q2670A (HP 308A). The colors are the 311A cartridges: Q2681A cyan, Q2682A yellow and Q2683A magenta. Those color codes — not the 309A codes of the 3550 line — are what this printer accepts.
Will the 3550 color set on this page fit my 3700?
No. That set carries the 309A color cartridges for the 3500/3550 models. The 3700's color slots are built for the 311A line, so match Q2681A, Q2682A or Q2683A when you buy color for this machine.
Is there a separate drum to replace on the 3700?
No separate drum unit is listed for this model on this page — the ordering decision here is toner only: the Q2670A black and the three 311A colors.
My 3700 warns about one color but prints still look right. What now?
Keep printing and use the warning as your order point. The chips report early by design; swap the named color only when its output actually starts to fade.
More printers that use the same cartridges
The models below sit in the same cartridge family — useful if you run more than one of them or are comparing a sibling machine:
COLOR LASERJET 3700DN, COLOR LASERJET 3700DTN, COLOR LASERJET 3700N, Color 3500, Color 3500N, Color 3500dn, Color 3500dtn, Color 3550, Color 3550N, 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