MC573

The Okidata MC573 is a color multifunction printer for workgroups that want printing, scanning, copying and faxing in one compact unit. Its high-capacity toner set is the one stocked here: black 46490604 at around 7,000 pages and cyan 46490603 at around 6,000 pages as single cartridges, with magenta 46490602 and yellow 46490601 — also around 6,000 pages each — supplied on this page as part of the 4 Color Set. The machine's standard-capacity set, numbered 46490504, 46490503, 46490502 and 46490501, is not what is listed here.

An MFP earns its place differently from a plain printer: it is the machine a small team walks to all day, for signed contracts going out, paperwork coming in as scans, and quick copies in between. Color quality matters because copies and prints often go to customers, yet most of the volume is still everyday documents. That mix is why supplies planning here is about readiness — when the MC573 stops for toner, it takes the scanning and copying down with it.

Toner Cartridges for MC573

On this page, magenta and yellow are stocked in the 4 Color Set rather than as single cartridges.

Which cartridge should you buy?

For a workgroup MFP, the high-capacity set is the sensible default: black 46490604 runs to roughly 7,000 pages, so the hardest-working cartridge needs the least attention. Teams that print black heavily can hold the black 2 Pack as shelf stock. Cyan is available on its own when only cyan runs down; magenta and yellow come in the 4 Color Set on this page, which also covers a general refresh when several colors are low at once. Replace colors individually rather than as a set whenever only one is empty — there is no reason to discard toner that is still printing well. These compatible cartridges are covered by a 1-year warranty and 1-year returns.

Chip, toner and everyday use

The MC573 reads each cartridge's chip to track its level, and a correctly seated cartridge is recognized as soon as the cover closes. Rock a new cartridge gently from side to side before installing it so the toner bed is level, and match the cartridge to its labeled color slot. Quoted yields assume 5% page coverage; color copies and full-page graphics draw toner far faster than office text, so real life from a color cartridge will be shorter than its rating suggests. Keep at least one spare on hand — with an MFP, an empty cartridge idles four functions at once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which toner cartridges does the OKI MC573 use?

The standard-capacity set is 46490504 (black), 46490503 (cyan), 46490502 (magenta) and 46490501 (yellow). The high-capacity equivalents sold on this page are 46490604 in black at around 7,000 pages, with 46490603, 46490602 and 46490601 for cyan, magenta and yellow at around 6,000 pages each.

Is the MC573 a laser printer?

Not exactly — it prints with LED printheads, which is OKI's standard approach, rather than a laser scanning unit. LED arrays have fewer moving parts, which helps keep the machine compact and quiet in an office. From the user's side the toner works the same way either way: one cartridge per color, changed when it runs out.

My copies have a line down the page, but prints from my computer are clean. Why?

That split points at the scanner, not the toner. A speck on the scanner glass — especially the narrow slit glass that the document feeder reads through — draws the same line down every copy and scan while prints stay perfect. Clean both glass areas and run a test copy before suspecting a cartridge.

Only magenta has run out. Must I buy the whole set?

Magenta is a separate cartridge and nothing forces you to change the other colors. On this page, though, magenta is supplied inside the 4 Color Set rather than as a single, so that set is the listing to order here; the remaining cartridges from it can be held as spares for when their colors run down.

More printers that use the same cartridges

These models share the MC573's cartridge family: MC573DN, C532, C532CD, C532DN.