Color LaserJet CM6040F MFP

Print, scan, copy and fax — the Color LaserJet CM6040F MFP is the full-suite 2008-era color multifunction for high-volume offices, the step up for departments that handle documents end to end. It feeds on the 823A-824A cartridge family: compatible black CB380A with cyan CB381A, yellow CB382A and magenta CB383A. HP names CB390A as the model's original black code in its documentation; the compatible black stocked here is sold as the CB380A, listed first in the table.

A department that handles documents end to end — receiving them by fax, scanning them into the system, copying them for the meeting, printing them for the file — concentrates all of that traffic into one set of cartridges. The F model's workload is therefore broader than a printer's: its black cartridge serves the fax line at night and the print queue by day, and its colors serve everyone who walks up with a chart to copy.

Toner Cartridges for Color LaserJet CM6040F MFP

Code	Color	Yield
Black — CB380A	Black	See product page
Cyan — CB381A	Cyan	See product page
Yellow — CB382A	Yellow	See product page
Magenta — CB383A	Magenta	See product page
Four-color set — CB380A / CB381A / CB382A / CB383A	Black, cyan, yellow, magenta	See product page
Premium four-color set — CB380A / CB381A / CB382A / CB383A	Black, cyan, yellow, magenta	See product page
CM6040f mfp 4 Color Set	Black, cyan, yellow, magenta	See product page

Which cartridge should you buy?

Match the order to the traffic. Black leads on this configuration by a wide margin, so the black single is the standing order; colors follow the copying and printing mix and are best bought one at a time as each level falls. When a general refresh is due, the 823A-824A 4-color set and the premium 4-color set both put the same four codes into the machine in one visit — choose either over four separate emergency orders. No high-yield variant is listed for this family here, so economy comes from grayscale defaults for drafts and from never retiring a cartridge on a warning alone. Compatibles carry a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns.

Chip, toner and everyday use

When the panel reports a cartridge as very low, read it as the machine's estimate, not a measurement — it counts pages and coverage rather than weighing toner. Keep printing while the replacement ships; fading output, not the warning, is the real signal to swap. At the swap, rock the new cartridge gently side to side first — toner that settled in the box prints unevenly until it is redistributed — then slide it in until it clicks and allow the calibration to finish. Rated yields assume about 5 percent coverage, so on a machine copying dense forms and fax traffic, expect real life to vary from the figure and judge cartridges against each other, not against the rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

What toner does the Color LaserJet CM6040F MFP take?

All four cartridges of the 823A-824A family must be installed: CB380A black, CB381A cyan, CB382A yellow and CB383A magenta in the compatible range sold here. HP documentation lists CB390A as the original black code for the model; the compatible black on this page is the CB380A.

The CM6040F MFP says a cartridge is 'very low' — how urgent is that?

It is a heads-up, not a stop sign. The printer estimates toner rather than measuring it, so printing can usually continue for a while; order the matching cartridge now and swap it in when quality fades or the machine stops on that color.

Will compatible toner cartridges work in the CM6040F MFP?

Compatible cartridges built for this model's cartridge family are made to fit and print like the originals. Match the exact codes — CB380A, CB381A, CB382A, CB383A — rather than a look-alike number, and each cartridge is recognized on its own chip like any other.

Does the fax side of the machine use the color cartridges?

No. Received faxes print from the black cartridge alone. The colors are consumed by color printing and copying, so on this full-suite machine the black level is the one to watch most closely.