What Toner Does the Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw Use?
Last Updated:Quick answer: the Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw (and the later LBP246dw II) uses Canon Cartridge 070 toner, or the high-capacity Canon 070 H. There are only those two tiers, and there is no separate drum unit — Canon 070 is an all-in-one cartridge with the imaging drum built in, so there is no drum part number to order.
The wrong answers to watch for are Canon 057 / 057H (that is the LBP226dw and MF445dw generation), Canon 052 / 052H (LBP214dw), and Canon 071 / 071H (MF272dw and LBP122dw). You will also find aftermarket listings inventing a drum unit for this printer. There isn't one.
CastleScore · October 2026
85/100 — Highly Recommended
Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw
| Pillar (weight) | Score | What it is based on |
|---|---|---|
| Owner ratings (28%) | 86 | 4.40★ average across 115 ratings at Walmart (4.7), Amazon (4.1) |
| Expert reviews (20%) | 80 | PCMag 4.0/5 |
| Cost per page (18%) | 96 | About 1¢ per page all-in with our compatible 070H toner (10,200 pages; drum built in). |
| Reliability (18%) | 90 | No recurring hardware or connection complaints in owner reviews. |
| Features (11%) | 63 | Auto two-sided printing, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, fast (20+ ppm). No document feeder, no fax, no touchscreen. |
| Value (5%) | 91 | Running cost and owner satisfaction |
Succeeded by the LBP246dw II. Canon now lists the LBP246dw II as its current version, and it takes the same Cartridge 070 and 070 H toner.
CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked October 10, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.
The toner, pictured
Canon 070H TonerOur own compatible toner, photographed in-house.
Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw toner at a glance
| Consumable | Part Number | Canon SKU | Approx. Yield | Castle Ink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toner (standard) | Canon 070 | 5639C001 | 3,000 pages | $75.95 compatible |
| Toner (high capacity) | Canon 070 H | 5640C001 | 10,200 pages | $105.95 compatible |
| Drum | — | — | Built into the cartridge | — |
Both figures are Canon's own ISO ratings. The gap between them is large — 10,200 pages against 3,000 — which makes the high-capacity cartridge the obvious buy for anything beyond very light use.
What it actually costs to run
Castle Ink's compatible 070H is $105.95 for 10,200 pages, which works out at roughly 1.04 cents per page — and because the drum is inside the cartridge, that is the whole consumable cost. There is nothing else to buy.
That sticker price puts people off, and it should not. A cartridge that covers 10,200 pages is doing the work of roughly four entry-level laser cartridges or dozens of inkjet cartridges. Compare it against your own volumes with the ink cost calculator.
All-in-one cartridge: the trade-off
Canon builds the drum into the toner cartridge on this model. The upside is simplicity — one part number, nothing else to track, and print quality resets completely with every cartridge. The downside is that you pay for a new drum every time you replace toner, even though the drum had plenty of life left.
Printers with a separate drum, like Brother's TN/DR pairings, work out cheaper per page over a machine's life for exactly that reason. Our drum unit guide explains the difference and when each design wins.
About the Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw
The LBP246dw is a print-only monochrome laser — no scanner, no copier. 42 pages per minute, automatic duplex, gigabit Ethernet plus Wi-Fi, a 250-sheet cassette expandable to 900 sheets, and a 5-line LCD that is not a touchscreen.
Canon later released the LBP246dw II. Canon lists the same core specs for it and the same Cartridge 070 and 070 H toner, so everything on this page applies to both models.
Common problems on this model
Toner cartridge not recognized
Almost always the chip contacts. Remove the cartridge, wipe the contact strip with a dry lint-free cloth, reseat firmly, and power-cycle the printer with the cable out for 60 seconds.
Grey background or repeating marks
Because the drum is inside the cartridge, both symptoms mean the cartridge is at end of life rather than a separate drum needing replacement. Fitting a new 070H resolves both.
Prints stop with the toner still reporting life
Check the paper path first — on this model a sensor fault reports as a generic stop. Our paper jam guide covers phantom jams.
What imageCLASS LBP246dw owners ask
These are the questions that come up most for this printer on retailer Q&A pages, Canon's support community and owner reviews, answered in our words.
Does the printer come with a full cartridge?
Canon lists the cartridge in the box at 3,000 pages, the same as a retail Cartridge 070. Your first replacement is the one where the 070H's extra capacity starts to pay off.
My printer shows a non-Canon cartridge message with a compatible 070. Can I keep printing?
Yes. Confirm the message on the control panel and the printer carries on. Cartridges without a chip also lose the toner gauge, which is why our 070 and 070H both come with a chip.
Can I add more paper capacity?
Yes. The standard 250-sheet cassette and 100-sheet multipurpose tray hold 350 sheets. An optional 550-sheet feeder takes the total to 900.
How does it connect?
Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and USB 2.0. Canon's newer LBP246dw II adds Microsoft Universal Print to the AirPrint, Mopria and Canon PRINT support.
imageCLASS LBP246dw quirks worth knowing
- Two-sided printing barely slows it down. Canon rates it at 35 pages a minute duplex on letter paper against 42 one-sided.
- Canon rates the maximum monthly duty cycle at 80,000 pages, and the printer has 1 GB of memory. That is a lot of headroom for a small-office printer.
- The 070H holds more than three times the toner of the standard 070 (10,200 pages against 3,000) but costs well under twice as much, so the standard cartridge only makes sense if you print very little.
FAQ
What toner does the Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw use?
Canon Cartridge 070 (3,000 pages) or Canon 070 H (10,200 pages). Nothing else fits. The LBP246dw II takes the same two cartridges. We sell compatible versions of both, with a chip.
Does the LBP246dw have a separate drum unit?
No. The drum is built into the Canon 070 cartridge. There is no drum to buy separately.
Does it use Canon 057 or 071 toner?
No. 057 fits the LBP226dw and MF445dw; 071 fits the MF272dw and LBP122dw. This printer is strictly 070 series.
Which other printers use Canon 070?
Canon lists the LBP246dw and LBP246dw II, LBP247dw and LBP247dw II, MF462dw and MF462dw II, and MF465dw and MF465dw II.
Does the LBP246dw scan or copy?
No, it is print-only. The MF462dw and MF465dw are the all-in-one equivalents on the same toner.
Other printers that use Canon 070 toner
Canon imageCLASS MF465dw · Canon imageCLASS MF462dw
More Canon ink guides: Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw · Canon imageCLASS D530 · Canon imageCLASS MF272dw · find any printer
Replacing it? Our highest-rated alternatives
- Brother HL-L2460DW — CastleScore 90
- Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw II — CastleScore 86
- Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II — CastleScore 85
Sources
Ratings and prices were checked on October 10, 2026 and will change over time.
Need replacement Canon toner cartridges? Shop Canon toner cartridges at Castle Ink. Compatible, up to 70% less than OEM, and shipped the same day when you order by 4 PM ET.