W2023A magenta · standard

W2023A is the standard magenta in the 414A set for the Color LaserJet Pro M454dw and the MFP M479fdw, rated at 2100 pages for around $95.00, or 4.52c a page.

A full set of standard 414A cartridges lists at about $375.00, against roughly $765.00 for the four high yield ones. That is the real reason people buy the smaller size, and it is a legitimate reason: it is a lot of cash to commit to a printer in one go. The trade is a four colour page at about 17.32c instead of 12.20c, so the standard set costs around 30 percent more for every colour page you print with it.

If the outlay is the obstacle, split the difference. The black cartridge is where most of the saving sits, so buying the high yield black and leaving the colours standard captures the bulk of it for one cartridge's worth of extra spend. The printer does not object to a mixed set, and nothing in the firmware treats one differently.

HP publishes its dynamic security notice for the M454 and M479 series, so a compatible W2023A can be refused after a printer update rather than when it is fitted. A cartridge rejected the instant it goes in, which then prints once the contacts are wiped and it is reseated, was never a firmware problem.