Laserjet 1010

Few personal printers have sold like the Laserjet 1010: launched in 2003, this compact monochrome laser gave home offices and students true laser quality at an inkjet-era price, a formula that moved millions of units. It prints from HP's 12A cartridge — order code Q2612A — and the same bay accepts the high-yield 12X (Q2612X) when standard capacity runs out too quickly. Above both sits the jumbo Q2612AJ, a compatible cartridge built for owners who would rather change toner as rarely as the machine allows.

The 1010 earned its sales honestly: it is small enough for a dorm desk, simple enough to need almost no attention, and cheap to feed because a single black cartridge is its only consumable. Owners tend to keep these machines for years, which is why the shelf below runs from single cartridges to ten-packs — a student replacing one cartridge a year and a household running a small business from the same model are both shopping here.

Toner Cartridges for Laserjet 1010

Which cartridge should you buy?

Match the tier to your real volume rather than your busiest week. Light, occasional printing — a few pages when you need them — is standard 12A territory, and there is no prize for toner capacity you may take years to use. Steady weekly printing points to the 12X: fewer swaps, a lower cost for each page, and the same one-minute install. The jumbo Q2612AJ is the pick for the 1010 that never rests, the one printing course packs, contracts or a mail-order business's labels day after day. Multi-packs of any tier suit homes and offices running more than one 12A printer, since every model in the family below drinks from the same shelf. Compatible cartridges here carry a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns.

Chip, toner and everyday use

The 1010 is forgiving about low toner: when the toner light comes on, the printer keeps going, often for quite a while. Take the cartridge out and rock it gently from side to side to redistribute the powder, and you can usually coax out many more pages before quality truly fades — but order the replacement when the light first appears, not when pages turn pale mid-job. New cartridges need their sealing tape pulled before they go in, and a firm push until the unit seats. Store spares in their bags, out of direct sun, and they will wait patiently; toner does not dry up the way ink does.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the Q2612A and Q2612X cartridges for the Laserjet 1010?

The Q2612A is the standard-yield HP 12A cartridge and the Q2612X is the high-yield HP 12X; both were made for this printer and install the same way. If you print regularly, the Q2612X usually means fewer cartridge swaps over the life of the machine.

Can I keep printing after the toner light comes on?

Yes — the Laserjet 1010 will keep printing after the toner-low light appears, often for quite a while. Rocking the cartridge gently redistributes what toner is left; replace the 12A when print quality fades rather than when the light first shows.

Does the Laserjet 1010 print in color?

No. The Laserjet 1010 prints black and white only, from one black cartridge. That single-cartridge layout is exactly why toner costs on this model stay low compared with color lasers.

Is there a MICR version for printing checks?

There is: the shelf includes a MICR build of the standard cartridge, formulated for the magnetic characters on checks. Pick it only for check printing — for everyday documents the regular listings do the same job for less.

More printers that use the same cartridges

Every printer in the 12A family below takes the same cartridges, so a spare bought for the 1010 fits them all: Laserjet 1022NW, Laserjet 1022N, Laserjet 1022, Laserjet 1020, Laserjet 1018, Laserjet 1015, Laserjet 1012, LaserJet M1319F MFP, LaserJet M1319F, LaserJet M1319, LaserJet M1005MFP, LaserJet M1005 MFP, LaserJet M1005, LaserJet 3055, LaserJet 3052MFP, LaserJet 3052, LaserJet 3050Z, LaserJet 3050MFP, LaserJet 3050, LaserJet 3030MFP, LaserJet 3030, LaserJet 3020MFP, LaserJet 3020, LaserJet 3015MFP, LaserJet 3015, LaserJet 1030, LaserJet 1022NXI, LaserJet 1018S, LaserJet 1010W, LaserJet 1010, HP Q2612A.