HP Color LaserJet 5500N Toner Cartridges

COLOR LASERJET 5500N

The HP Color LaserJet 5500N shared its wide-format color output across the office network — for early-2000s departments needing A3 color, it was the practical shared solution. It runs HP 645A toner: black C9730A alongside cyan C9731A, yellow C9732A and magenta C9733A. The family's singles, multi-packs and sets are all listed below.

The N configuration put the 5500's A3 engine on the network without the duplexer of its DN sibling: one machine, many desks, all of them able to send a poster or an oversized spreadsheet to the same output tray. Shared machines develop shared habits — and a shared appetite for black toner in particular.

Toner Cartridges for COLOR LASERJET 5500N

Cartridge	Color	Page Yield
645A 4 Color Set (C9730A, C9731A, C9732A, C9733A)	Black, cyan, yellow and magenta	See product page
C9730A	Black	See product page
C9731A	Cyan	See product page
C9732A	Yellow	See product page
C9733A	Magenta	See product page
4 Color Set (C9730A, C9731A, C9732A, C9733A)	Black, cyan, yellow and magenta	See product page
C9730A — 3 Black pack	Black	See product page
C9730A	Black	See product page
C9732A	Yellow	See product page
645A 3 Color Set (C9731A, C9732A, C9733A)	Cyan, yellow and magenta	See product page
642A (C9733A)	Magenta	See product page

The same shelf also carries listings labeled for the sibling models in this family — the cartridges are the same, and each listing below is the one it names:

Which cartridge should you buy?

Think of this printer's toner in two streams. Stream one is black: everyday office documents, sent by everyone, empty the C9730A long before any color — the 2-black and 3-black listings exist so the shared machine never waits on a single cartridge order. Stream two is color: project work arrives in bursts, and a burst usually burns one color hardest, so keep the C9731A, C9732A and C9733A singles as the targeted replacements. The 4 Color Set is the reset button for the whole family when quality across all colors starts to slide, and the 3 Color Set refreshes just the color trio. Owning the reserve yourself beats discovering an empty color the morning a presentation is due.

Chip, toner and everyday use

Because a networked printer serves people who are not in the room, leave it ready: after a cartridge change, confirm the panel shows the new cartridge recognized and the supply level updated. Seat the cartridge firmly so its chip makes contact the first time. A spare that has been shelved for a while prints more evenly after a gentle shake redistributes the toner. Store reserves sealed, flat and away from windows; heat and light are the two enemies of a cartridge waiting its turn.

Frequently Asked Questions

What toner fits the Color LaserJet 5500N?

HP 645A — C9730A black, C9731A cyan, C9732A yellow, C9733A magenta. The same family covers every 5500 and 5550 model.

The printer says a color is empty but I only print documents — why?

Shared machines print everyone's work, including color jobs from other desks. The empty color's single is all you need to replace.

Singles or the 4 Color Set for a shared printer?

Singles for the color-by-color reality of shared use; the set when the whole family is aging together and you want one maintenance moment instead of four.