HP 5KZ38A Genuine Laser Toner Collection Unit for HP Color Laser 150a, 150nw, MFP 178nw, 178nwg, 179fnw, 179fwg

The HP 5KZ38A Toner Collection Unit is the genuine HP replacement container that collects the surplus toner cleaned off the drum and transfer system during printing, rated at an HP-defined end-of-life point rather than a published page count, for the HP Color Laser 150 and Color Laser MFP 178/179 series.

It is the part to order when your printer reports that the waste toner unit is near full or full. HP's own guide for these printers is clear: when the collection unit reaches the end of its life it must be replaced, otherwise the printer stops printing.

• 1 × genuine HP 5KZ38A Toner Collection Unit (part 5KZ38A)

• The printer counts what goes into the unit and warns you when it is nearly full; once it is full, printing is blocked until a new unit is fitted, so ordering at the first warning avoids downtime.
• Rated an HP-defined end-of-life point rather than a published page count. Real life depends on your coverage, the mix of colour and mono pages, job length and how often the printer runs calibration and cleaning cycles — short jobs and frequent colour calibration fill it faster.
• Replacement is a user task on the listed models: the unit is accessed from the printer, the full one is removed and the new one clicked in, with no tools or service engineer needed.
• A full unit holds loose toner powder. Keep it upright, seal it (the new unit's packaging is ideal) and recycle it.

• Printers that are not on the compatibility list below — waste toner units are shaped and chipped for specific engines and are not interchangeable between series, even within HP.
• It is not a toner cartridge, drum or transfer belt: it adds no toner and will not fix faded, streaked or blank prints on its own.
• Emptying and refitting a full unit — it is a single-use consumable; reusing it risks toner spilling inside the printer and the printer may still report it as full.