HP Toner Cartridges That Also Fit Canon Printers

A Cross-Reference Guide

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If you own or manage a Canon laser printer, there's a good chance you've come across toner cartridges labelled with both an HP and a Canon part number sitting side by side on the same shelf. That's not a coincidence, and it's not a mistake either. It comes down to how printer engines are built and licensed — and for buyers, it can mean more flexibility and better prices when sourcing toner.

This guide breaks down exactly which HP toners cross over to Canon printers, which Canon models they fit, and what to keep in mind before you buy.

Why HP and Canon Toners Can Be Interchangeable

Canon and HP have, over the years, shared print engine technology on several entry-level and mid-range laser printer lines. When two printers are built on the same core engine, the drum unit and toner cartridge housing are often physically identical — only the branding, part number, and sometimes the cartridge chip differ.

This is why you'll see compatible/remanufactured toner suppliers listing a single cartridge as fitting both an HP LaserJet model and a Canon LBP or MF model. It's not that HP toner "also works" in Canon printers by coincidence — it's that the cartridge itself was engineered for a shared underlying design.

Two things are worth understanding clearly before going further:

●        This cross-referencing applies mainly to the compatible and remanufactured toner market — third-party manufacturers building cartridges to match a specific engine's spec. HP and Canon do not publish official cross-brand compatibility statements.

●        A genuine, retail-boxed HP cartridge generally won't drop straight into a Canon printer because of chip and firmware differences — even when the physical cartridge shell would otherwise fit. The compatible cartridges sold for cross-use are built and chipped specifically for the target printer.

The HP-to-Canon Toner Cross-Reference

Below is a practical cross-reference table showing which HP toner cartridges correspond to which Canon cartridge numbers, and the printer models that commonly use them.

HP Printer Models That Share These Cartridges

Each of the HP toner numbers above isn't limited to a single HP printer — most were used across a wide range of HP LaserJet models before Canon adopted the equivalent engine. Here's where each toner originates on the HP side:

HP 12A (Q2612A) was one of HP's most widely used monochrome cartridges, fitted across the HP LaserJet 1010, 1012, 1015, 1018, 1020, 1022, 1022n, 1022nw, 3015, 3020, 3030, 3050, 3052, and 3055 series, plus the M1005 and M1319 MFP lines. On the Canon side, the same engine shows up in the LBP2900, LBP2900B, and LBP3000.

HP 35A (CB435A) and HP 36A (CB436A) were built for HP's compact P1000-series LaserJets (P1005, P1006 for the 35A; P1505, M1120, M1522 for the 36A), which correspond to Canon's LBP3010/3100 and LBP3250 families respectively.

HP 78A (CE278A) shipped with the HP LaserJet Pro P1560, P1566, P1600, P1606dn, and M1536dnf MFP — machines that share their engine with Canon's LBP6000/6020/6030 and MF3010 range, which is why CRG-728 is the direct Canon equivalent.

HP 85A (CE285A) is closely related in lineage, originally used in the HP LaserJet Pro P1102, P1102w, and M1132/M1212 MFP series, again overlapping with the same Canon LBP6000/6020/6030 and MF3010 family through CRG-725.

HP 83A (CF283A) comes from the HP LaserJet Pro M125, M127, M201, and M225 series, corresponding to Canon's LBP151dw and related imageCLASS models via CRG-737.

HP 05A (CE505A) and HP 80A (CF280A) both map to Canon's CRG-719 line. The 05A originates from the HP LaserJet P2035 and P2055 series, while the 80A comes from the HP LaserJet Pro 400 M401 and M425 MFP series — both landing on Canon's LBP6300/6650 and related 719-compatible machines.

HP 49A (Q5949A) was used in the HP LaserJet 1160 and 1320 series, aligning with Canon's LBP3300/3360 family through CRG-708.

HP 53A (Q7553A) shipped with the HP LaserJet P2014, P2015, and M2727 MFP series, corresponding to Canon's LBP3310/3370 family via CRG-715.

HP 305A is a full-colour set (black, cyan, yellow, magenta), originally used across the HP LaserJet Pro 300 and 400 colour M351, M375, M451, and M475 series. On Canon's side, this maps to the CRG-718 colour set used in the LBP7200/7600 family and related Canon colour laser printers.

What This Means If You're Buying Toner

If you're running a Canon printer and struggling to find stock locally, checking the HP equivalent can open up more sourcing options — and vice versa if you're running one of the HP models listed here. This is especially useful in markets where compatible cartridge suppliers stock broadly by engine type rather than by brand.

That said, always confirm two things before purchasing: the exact printer model (not just the series), and whether the cartridge you're buying is chipped for your specific brand and model. The same underlying engine can still ship with different chip firmware depending on whether it's labelled for HP or Canon, so a cartridge built for one won't always be recognized by the other without the correct chip variant.

Need Help Sourcing the Right Cartridge?

At Aco toner, we stock compatible and OEM toner cartridges across both HP and Canon model lines, cross-referenced against the printer models above. If you're not sure which cartridge your machine needs, reach out with your printer model number and we'll confirm the right match — whether you're buying retail or sourcing as a reseller.