Black does most of the work in any colour laser printer. Text, tables, totals, and signatures all draw from this one cartridge, so it empties first in most offices. The HP 117A Black Toner keeps pharmacies, hardware shops, church offices, and home businesses printing clean invoices and letters every day. When the black runs out, the HP Color Laser 150 and MFP 178 printers stop, even with colour toner still full. A spare HP 117A Black Toner on the shelf prevents that shutdown during busy weeks, such as month-end statements or school-fee season in January.

Unlike other electronics retailers in Kenya, Mascom International stocks the full HP 117A set, so black and all three colours come from one counter in one order. At Mascom International, we're seeing small businesses in Westlands, Kilimani, and Nairobi CBD replace black more often than any single colour, which matches HP's higher black rating. Customers across Nairobi report steady, crisp text right through the final pages of each HP 117A Black Toner. Walk in to compare cartridges, or order by WhatsApp for pay-on-arrival delivery. The HP 117A Black Toner reaches every Kenyan county.

The HP 117A Black Toner fits the HP Color Laser 150 series and the Color Laser MFP 170 series. In Kenya, that usually means the Color Laser 150a, 150nw, MFP 178nw, and MFP 179fnw. These compact printers use four separate toner cartridges plus one imaging drum. Check the old black cartridge label for 117A or W2070A before ordering. If your printer is a LaserJet Pro, it needs a different cartridge entirely.

Most office pages are mainly black text, even when they carry a coloured logo or heading. An invoice with a small red logo uses black for 90% or more of its printed area. That is why HP rates the black cartridge higher, at about 1,000 pages, against about 700 for each colour. Many offices buy two black cartridges for every one colour cartridge. Planning purchases that way avoids emergency trips across town.

Only for a short while, and not reliably. The HP Color Laser 150 and MFP 178 series are built to run with all four cartridges installed and recognised. A missing, faulty, or non-HP cartridge in any slot stops printing. When a colour reaches its very-low level, the printer warns you, and pages printed past that point can fade or streak. Keeping one spare of each colour avoids surprises, though black remains the most important spare for receipt-heavy shops.

At KSh 9,300 for about 1,000 pages, a standard black text page costs close to KSh 9.30 in toner. That figure assumes roughly 5% coverage, such as a typed letter or simple invoice. Dense pages with tables, bold headings, or scanned documents use more. Setting the printer to grayscale for internal documents keeps colour toner untouched. That habit alone can stretch each colour cartridge across several extra weeks of use.

A shop printing 30 black pages a day will finish one cartridge in about 33 working days, roughly six weeks. A home office printing 10 pages daily can expect about three months. HP recommends 100 to 500 pages a month for these printers, so heavier users should keep a spare ready. Busy periods such as school opening, end-of-month statements, and tax deadlines push usage higher. Buying two cartridges at once saves a second trip.

Yes. The HP Color Laser 150 and MFP 178 series use a separate HP 120A imaging drum, part number W1120A. That drum is rated for about 16,000 pages and outlasts many toner cartridges. When you change the HP 117A Black Toner, the drum stays in place. If prints show repeating marks or faded bands despite fresh toner, the drum may be near its end, and Mascom International can supply it.

Installation takes about two minutes. Open the front door, pull out the toner tray, and lift the empty black cartridge from its slot. Shake the new cartridge gently five or six times to loosen the toner. Remove the protective tape and cover, then drop it into the black slot until it seats. Push the tray back in and close the door. The printer recognises the new cartridge and resets its toner gauge automatically.

Start with the carton. HP originals carry a security label that you can scan with your phone camera to check authenticity. The box should be sealed, and the cartridge should arrive in an unopened protective bag. Once installed, the printer should show no non-HP supply warning. At our Kimathi Street counter, you can inspect the seal before paying, and delivery customers inspect the carton on arrival before handing over payment.

Not while it stays sealed. HP rates the cartridge for storage from minus 20°C to 40°C and 10% to 90% humidity. That range covers Mombasa, Malindi, and Kisumu storerooms through the wettest months. Once installed, the printer works best at 20% to 80% humidity, which normal indoor offices meet. Keep paper sealed as well, because damp sheets cause more print problems in coastal offices than the toner does.

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Every cartridge is covered by the 6-month warranty detailed above, with claims handled at our Nairobi CBD service desk.

Small businesses across Kenya count on Mascom International for sealed HP toner, clear model matching, and quick delivery whenever a printer runs dry.