Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know this set matches the cartridges my printer asks for?
Match the four part numbers, not the box artwork. This set holds one cartridge of each color for the TK-542 family: black 1T02HL0US0 (TK-542K), cyan 1T02HLCUS0 (TK-542C), magenta 1T02HLBUS0 (TK-542M) and yellow 1T02HLAUS0 (TK-542Y). If those codes match the labels on the cartridges coming out of your printer — or the supply screen on the machine itself — this is the right set.
What exactly is in the box?
Four individually sealed cartridges: one black, one cyan, one magenta and one yellow, priced at $152.84 for the set. Each unit is sealed on its own, so a cartridge you are not installing yet stays factory-fresh in its packaging until the day its slot runs dry.
Why is the black rated at 5,000 pages when each color is 4,000?
That split is how Kyocera rates this family. The black cartridge (TK-542K) is rated at 5,000 pages and each color cartridge at 4,000 pages, all measured at the standard 5% page coverage. In everyday office printing, black does most of the work — text, forms, invoices — so the family gives it the larger rating.
Do I have to install all four cartridges at the same time?
No. Every color sits in its own slot and runs out on its own schedule. Swap only the cartridge the printer flags as empty and leave the other three sealed in the box. There is no benefit to replacing a half-full cartridge early, and the sealed spares keep perfectly well on the shelf.
How should I store the cartridges I am not installing yet?
Keep them flat in their sealed packaging, in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight and away from heaters. Stored that way, a spare cartridge is ready to go months later with no loss of print quality — just give it a gentle side-to-side rock before installing to loosen the toner inside.
What happens if one cartridge in the set turns out to be faulty?
Coverage is handled per cartridge, not per box: a faulty unit is dealt with on its own, without sending back the three good ones. Every cartridge in this set is covered by a 1-year warranty and 1-year free returns, and the full conditions are spelled out on our shipping & returns page.
What is the average cost of one cartridge in this set?
The set is $152.84 for four cartridges, an average of about $38.21 a unit. The split behind the average differs by slot — the black 1T02HL0US0 (TK-542K) is rated at 5,000 pages and each color at 4,000 — so treat the figure as the set's budgeting line rather than a per-slot price. Against buying the four cartridges one at a time as each slot empties, the set keeps the whole family covered in a single order.
Two colors flag empty on the same day — how should I handle the swaps?
One at a time, with a test page between them. Fit the first cartridge — say the TK-542C — print a page and confirm the output looks right, then fit the second. Swapping two slots simultaneously makes any remaining fault impossible to assign: a streak could belong to either fresh cartridge or to neither. Sequential fitting costs a couple of extra minutes and keeps every cartridge's debut verified on its own.
How can the printer's supply screen guide which sealed cartridge I open?
The same supply screen that confirms the codes — TK-542K, TK-542C, TK-542M and TK-542Y — shows each slot's remaining level. Before opening a sealed spare, read the levels: the slot the machine flags is the one to serve, and near-empty readings on other slots are your early warning to plan the next order. The sealed cartridges you do not open stay factory-fresh, so there is never a reason to break a seal ahead of the flag.
What should happen to the empty cartridges as the set gets used up?
Each spent unit goes back into the packaging its replacement came out of, which keeps toner dust contained and the empty protected. Gather the boxed empties in one place and pass them to a local recycling collection in a batch rather than binning them one by one. If a cartridge failed early or printed badly from the start, keep that one separate — it is the unit its per-cartridge cover will be discussed around.
About This TK-542 Four-Color Set
This four-color set refreshes every slot of the Kyocera FS-C5100 in one order: black TK-542K plus the TK-542C, TK-542M and TK-542Y colors, each cartridge individually sealed so you can install what is empty today and shelve the rest. It is a compatible set built to the original TK-542 specifications and sold under our Kyocera Mita compatible range. Orders ship from our warehouses in IL, PA, GA and CA, and if you want a hand confirming the codes before you order, our support team is available Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST.
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