B6500
The Okidata B6500 is a monochrome laser printer aimed squarely at high-volume offices, and its cartridge family is as simple as they come: two black options. The standard 52116001 is rated at 11,000 pages, while the high-yield 52116002 stretches to 18,000 pages between changes. This shelf stocks the high-yield side of the family, in singles and multi-packs built for heavy print rooms.
Volume is the whole story with this machine. A printer bought to produce thousands of pages a month punishes small cartridges: every swap is downtime, and the per-page cost gap between an 11,000-page and an 18,000-page cartridge compounds with every ream. The B6500 rewards the opposite habit — the biggest cartridge, bought in multiples, so toner stops being a recurring errand and becomes a stocked supply.
Toner Cartridges for B6500
| Cartridge | Color | Page Yield |
|---|---|---|
| B6500 Toner Cartridge (52116002) | Black | 18,000 pages |
| 52116002 High Yield Toner Cartridge | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 High Yield Toner Cartridge | Black | 18,000 pages |
| 52116002 High Yield Toner Cartridges — 3 Pack | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 High Yield Toner Cartridges — 3 Pack | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 Toner Cartridges — 2 Pack (52116002) | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 Toner Cartridges — 3 Pack (52116002) | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 Toner Cartridges — 5 Pack (52116002) | Black | 18,000 pages |
| B6500 Toner Cartridges — 10 Pack (52116002) | Black | 18,000 pages |
Which cartridge should you buy?
The arithmetic favors the high-yield cartridge almost everywhere this printer is used. Moving from the standard 52116001 at 11,000 pages to the 52116002 at 18,000 pages cuts cartridge changes by more than a third and lowers the cost of every page the machine prints. For a single B6500 with a steady workload, a high-yield single plus one spare is the practical setup. For print rooms and departments, the multi-packs on this page — up to ten cartridges at a time — exist so that a busy month never pauses for a toner delivery.
Chip, toner and everyday use
Page yields are quoted at the industry-standard 5% coverage, and dense documents — forms, statements, reports with heavy tables — will land below the headline figure, so judge a cartridge by your own cost per page over a quarter rather than by the box number. When output fades toward the end of a cartridge, rock it gently side to side to redistribute the toner and finish the run. Install replacements promptly when the machine calls for one; pushing a spent cartridge hard on a high-volume engine only spreads thin, gray output across more pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which toner does the Oki B6500 use?
The B6500 takes two black cartridges: the standard 52116001, rated at 11,000 pages, and the high-yield 52116002, rated at 18,000 pages. The listings above are the high-yield options stocked for this model.
Is the high-yield cartridge worth it for the B6500?
For this printer, yes — it was designed for volume. The 52116002 prints roughly 7,000 more pages than the standard cartridge, which means fewer swaps and a lower cost per page.
My prints have faded text on the left side only. What is wrong?
One-sided fading usually means the toner is sitting unevenly in the cartridge. Remove it and rock it gently side to side; if the fade persists, the LED array on that side may need cleaning.
Can the B6500 print envelopes?
Yes — feed envelopes through the multipurpose tray and select envelope as the media type. Envelope printing uses the same 52116001 and 52116002 toner as ordinary pages.
More printers that use the same cartridges
The duplex, tray-loaded and networked builds of this engine take the same two cartridges: