Color LaserJet 3500N

Shared color printing over the network defined the HP Color LaserJet 3500N — in the early 2000s it gave a whole workgroup an affordable path to full-color laser output from one machine on the network. The consumables are the family four: black Q2670A, cyan Q2671A, yellow Q2672A and magenta Q2673A. HP calls the black the 308A and the colors the 309A series; singles for every slot and two four-color set packagings are stocked.

A networked printer's toner story is written by its queue. Different users want different things from the same machine — one prints black documents all week, another drops a forty-page color deck on it Friday afternoon — and the cartridges drain in whatever pattern the team's work dictates. The 3500N's four independent slots suit that reality well: no user's habits force a full-bay replacement, and the color that a big job empties can be swapped alone before the next person prints.

Toner Cartridges for Color LaserJet 3500N

Single cartridges:

Q2670A — black
Q2671A — cyan
Q2672A — yellow
Q2673A — magenta

Four-color sets:

HP 308A/309A 4 Color Set (Q2670A, Q2671A, Q2672A, Q2673A) — all four colors
HP 3500N 4 Color Set — all four colors

Which cartridge should you buy?

Singles first is the rule that keeps a shared 3500N cheap to run: the printer reports each color on its own, so replace the empty slot and leave the rest. The moment for a set is when the queue's history catches up with the whole bay — two or three colors low together — or when the office wants a full refresh ahead of a heavy stretch. Both set packagings carry the same four codes, the family 308A/309A set and the set named for the 3500N; pick either with confidence. For a shared machine, the smartest purchase is often not a cartridge at all but a reserve: one full set, kept sealed, so an empty slot on a deadline day is a short swap instead of a wait for shipping.

Chip, toner and everyday use

Shared machines get their cartridges changed by whoever walks up first, so make the swap foolproof: the new cartridge seats with a firm, even push, the door closes fully, and the printer gets a moment to recognize the cartridge before the next job in the queue is judged against it. The low-toner alert on this generation is an estimate from page counts — treat it as the signal to check the spare shelf, not as a stop order; printing can continue until the output itself fades. Keep the reserve set sealed and stored where the team can find it, out of direct light, and rotate it so the oldest stock is used first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the 3500 and 3500N cartridges interchangeable?

Yes. The networked and base models draw on exactly the same four codes — Q2670A for black and Q2671A, Q2672A, Q2673A for the colors — so cartridges and sets move freely between a 3500 and a 3500N.

Which cartridge does a shared 3500N usually empty first?

Black, in most offices — everyday documents dominate the queue and they are black work. A color-heavy team can flip that pattern, which is exactly why the levels are worth a glance before ordering: replace what the printer says is low, not what habit suggests.

The 3500N warns about low toner — should the team swap right away?

Order, do not swap. The warning is an early estimate, and pulling a cartridge with real life left in it is the most common way shared printers waste toner. Swap when prints fade or streak; by then the replacement ordered at warning time is already on the shelf.

Family set or the 3500N set — is one a better fit?

Neither; both contain Q2670A, Q2671A, Q2672A and Q2673A, and the printer reads codes, not box art. The 3500N-named set is simply the bundle labeled for this model.