HP 58A black · standard

HP 58A is the standard size black toner for HP's M404 and M428 mono lasers. In our catalogue it fits four machines: the LaserJet Pro M404dn and M404dw, and the LaserJet Pro MFP M428fdn and M428fdw. Its high yield twin is the 58X, and choosing between the two is most of the cost decision on this family.

At 3000 rated pages for $94.99 the 58A prints at 3.17c a page. The 58X is rated 10000 pages for $178.99, which comes to 1.79c, so the bigger cartridge is about 43 percent cheaper for every page it prints and costs roughly $84.00 more at the till. The small one earns its place on a machine that prints rarely, or when the cash matters more than the arithmetic.

One thing sets this family apart from most small LaserJets: the toner does not carry the imaging drum. HP's own replacement documentation for the M404 and M428 series lists the drum as a separate unit that outlives several toner cartridges. That changes what a repeating mark means. Streaks, or a defect that recurs at a fixed interval down the page after a fresh 58A has gone in, point at the drum, and swapping cartridges will not clear them.

What you can buy is constrained from two directions. HP's data sheet for the M404 series carries a dynamic security notice, so the printer is intended to work only with cartridges carrying a new or reused HP chip, and a firmware update can block a compatible 58A that had been working. HP also cautions in the same replacement guides that cartridges are for distribution and use within their designated region only and will not work outside it, which is usually what explains a genuine cartridge bought abroad being refused.