What do the numbers mean on boxes of toner?

Factual Questions
1

I hope this question is not too dumb, but I haven’t been able to find the answer on my own.

I have a cartridge box here. In bold, large letters at the top of the label, it says: 304A

Off to the side, small and demure: CC533A

Down at the bottom: CP2025, CM2320 mfp

So which is the “real” number? I have to assume it’s the 304A. But then what are these other numbers on there for? I’ve noticed when ordering that I can use any of them.

2

304A is the toner cartridge “model”. Multiple printers may use the same model, in this case both the CP2025 and CM2320 series printers use 304A cartridges.

CC533A is a specific part number. In this case it refers to a magenta cartridge. CC530A is black, CC531A is cyan, CC532A is yellow. All are 304A, and all work with those printers.

3

Thank you! And I think I’ve figured out that the numbers at the bottom might be machines those are compatible with (only it doesn’t always seem to be true).

4

If tomorrow they come out with a new model printer that uses 304A cartridges they’ll start putting that on newly manufactured toner cartridge boxes, but obviously none of the existing boxes in the supply chain will list it and it may take a while to clear them out.

5

Perhaps because the marking scheme you identified applies to Hewlett-Packard supplies. I wouldn’t count on Canon or Xerox using the same scheme on their boxes. Or at least, with the same information in the same relative places on the boxes. Certainly, the part and model numbers would’t look similar to the HP ones.