Color Pro MFP 3301cdw

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301cdw

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301cdw is the multifunction workhorse of HP's 218-cartridge line: it prints, scans, and copies in color, with automatic two-sided printing and wireless connectivity for a small office that wants one machine to do the daily paperwork. Because an MFP typically prints more than a desktop printer — copies and scanned-to-print jobs add up — the 3301cdw is where the choice between the two 218 yield classes matters most. The standard-yield 218A cartridges keep the purchase price low for lighter use; the high-yield 218X cartridges cut the per-page cost close to half for offices that print every day. Both classes fit the same four slots, and every cartridge listed here is a Clever Supplies compatible fitted with a new, current-generation chip.

Choosing Between 218A and 218X for the 3301cdw

Look at your change interval. If a black cartridge lasts the office most of a year, stay standard: W2180A black at $60.48 (about 1,300 pages) and the color singles W2181A, W2183A and W2182A at $60.48 each (about 1,200 pages per color). If you change black every few months, go high-yield: W2180X black at $77.92 (about 3,200 pages) and W2181X, W2183X and W2182X at $77.92 each (about 2,500 pages per color). Yields are HP's ISO/IEC 19798 ratings. Nothing stops you mixing: a high-yield black for the copy workload with standard colors is a rational, common setup.

Sets and Packs for the MFP 3301cdw

When two or more cartridges are low together, the sets beat the singles. The 218A 4-color set is $199.92 ($42.00 below the four singles); the 218X 4-color set is $269.68 (also $42.00 below its singles). Black-heavy MFPs have two more options: the W2180X black 2-pack at $141.84 keeps a spare black on the shelf, and the 218X 5-pack at $333.60 pairs the full high-yield set with that spare. Standard-yield versions of both packs exist as well — the W2180A black 2-pack and the 218A 5-pack.

Cost per Page on the 3301cdw

Standard yield: black about 4.7 cents a page, colors about 5 cents each. High yield: black about 2.4 cents, colors about 3.1 cents each. Copying spends toner exactly like printing, so on an MFP the high-yield saving shows up faster than the page counts suggest — a copied color page costs the same four-cartridge total as a printed one (about 19.6 cents at standard yield, about 11.7 cents at high yield). That arithmetic, not the sticker price, is how to choose the class for a machine that copies daily.

Chip and Firmware Notes

Our 218 cartridges ship with new, latest-generation chips fitted — the supplier lists them as "New Chip" — so each swap is install-and-print with no chip transfer from the empty cartridge, and the store has had no chip problems with these cartridges. Toner levels report normally. The honest boundary, true for every compatible cartridge: no seller can guarantee that a future HP firmware update will never prompt; the chip supplied here is the up-to-date generation.

The Rest of the 218 Family

The 3301cdw shares cartridges with the print-only Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw and the sibling MFPs MFP 3301fdw and MFP 3301sdw — one cartridge shelf serves the whole line. Clever Supplies compatible toner carries a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns; support runs Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST.

Frequently Asked Questions

What toner cartridges does the MFP 3301cdw take?

The 218 family: W2180A/W2181A/W2183A/W2182A at standard yield or W2180X/W2181X/W2183X/W2182X at high yield. Both classes fit, and they can be mixed across the four slots.

Does copying use more toner than printing?

No — a copied page spends the same toner as the same page printed. What changes is volume: MFPs usually print and copy more pages in total, which is why high-yield cartridges pay off sooner on this model.