Lexmark CX735 Return Programme toner cartridge, yellow, 16,200 pages

16,200 pages is a large yield for a yellow toner. The less often you change the cartridge, the less often a long print job stops halfway and the smaller the stock you need to keep in the cupboard. The page yield is the manufacturer's figure: the real number depends on how much of each page is covered. Documents with logos, charts and photos use toner faster than plain text.

The cartridge is made by Lexmark itself and carries the CX735 model designation. The manufacturer lists the Lexmark CX735adse as the compatible printer. With an original cartridge there is no guessing whether the printer will recognise it or whether the yellow shade will match the printer's other cartridges. Colours on your prints stay consistent even when cartridges are replaced at different times.

The name refers to Lexmark's return programme: an empty cartridge is meant to go back to the manufacturer for reuse or recycling instead of ending up in general waste. If your company tracks its waste or environmental footprint, a returnable cartridge is an easy way to reduce it. In the printer it works exactly like a regular toner cartridge; the difference only comes into play once it is empty.

A colour laser printer builds its shades by mixing several toners, and yellow is one of them. When yellow runs out, greens, oranges and skin tones look wrong even if the other cartridges are still full. That is why it pays to keep a spare yellow cartridge at hand, especially if you print presentations, marketing materials or colour spreadsheets.

The cartridge is meant for Lexmark CX735adse owners who print a lot in colour and prefer an original consumable with a high page yield. It suits an office where the printer is shared and yellow toner is used steadily, and a company that wants to send empty cartridges back to the manufacturer. Other printer models need the cartridge designed for them.