Best Compatible Toner Cartridges for Canon imageCLASS MF445dw 🖨️
The Canon imageCLASS MF445dw punches well above its weight for an Australian office laser. It's a fast, reliable mono all-in-one with a 50-page automatic document feeder, duplex printing, and a clean touchscreen interface. Where it falls short? The price of genuine Canon toner. 🐾
A genuine CART-057H will set you back around $289 at most Australian retailers. That's a lot of treats for a toner cartridge. The good news: quality compatible CART-057H cartridges deliver the same 10,000-page yield for roughly $49 — an 83% saving — without compromising print quality.
Ollie's done the sniffing. Here's everything you need to know.
Which Toner Does the Canon imageCLASS MF445dw Use?
The MF445dw takes two Canon toner cartridges from the CART-057 family:
| Cartridge | Part Number | Page Yield | Best For | |-----------|-------------|------------|----------| | CART-057 Standard Yield | CART-057 | ~3,100 pages | Light office use | | CART-057H High Yield | CART-057H | ~10,000 pages | Busy offices, best cost-per-page |
The same cartridges also fit the Canon imageCLASS MF445dw (Wi-Fi model), the MF446x, and the LBP223dw — useful if you're standardising cartridges across a mixed Canon fleet.
Genuine vs Compatible: The Cost Breakdown
Let's make the cost comparison concrete:
| Cartridge | Type | Price | Page Yield | Cost Per Page | |-----------|------|-------|------------|---------------| | CART-057 | Genuine | ~$135 | 3,100 | ~4.4¢ | | CART-057 | Compatible | ~$28 | 3,100 | ~0.9¢ | | CART-057H | Genuine | ~$289 | 10,000 | ~2.9¢ | | CART-057H | Compatible | ~$49 | 10,000 | ~0.5¢ |
At 0.5 cents per page, the compatible CART-057H is one of the lowest per-page costs of any laser printer in Australia. For an office printing 3,000 pages per month, that's around $180 per year in toner versus $1,044 with genuine cartridges. That's a saving of $864 per year. Per printer.
Why Canon Is a Smart Choice for Compatible Toner
Canon deserves credit here: unlike HP, Canon doesn't use aggressive firmware updates to block compatible cartridges. The MF445dw may flash an informational prompt the first time it sees a non-genuine cartridge, but that's a one-time acknowledgement — just tap OK and keep printing.
This makes the Canon imageCLASS range one of the most compatible-cartridge-friendly in Australia, which is part of why we recommend it alongside Brother for offices watching their printing costs.
What Makes a Quality Compatible CART-057H?
The difference between a $15 generic from a marketplace and a quality compatible from a specialist like FetchInk:
Chip Accuracy
The MF445dw communicates with its cartridge via a chip that reports toner levels and cartridge status. Cheap compatibles often use mismatched chips, leading to false "low toner" warnings or error messages. Quality compatibles use precisely matched chips that report correctly throughout the cartridge's life.
Toner Formulation
Canon's CART-057H uses a fine-particle toner optimised for the MF445dw's fuser temperature and drum design. The wrong toner formulation produces grey backgrounds, faded text, or toner smearing. Our compatible CART-057H cartridges are spec-matched to avoid these issues.
Sealed Packaging
Toner is sensitive to humidity and UV exposure. Quality cartridges arrive in sealed foil bags with desiccant — not loose in a cardboard box. This matters especially in Australian conditions where humidity varies significantly by region.
Installing Compatible Toner in Your Canon MF445dw
The MF445dw makes cartridge replacement straightforward:
- Open the front cover by lifting the panel at the bottom front of the printer
- Grasp the toner cartridge handle and pull it straight out
- Unpack the new compatible CART-057H from its sealed bag
- Remove the orange sealing strip — pull the tab firmly and smoothly along the full length of the cartridge
- Rock the cartridge gently 5–6 times side to side to distribute toner evenly
- Slide the cartridge in along the guides until it clicks firmly into place
- Close the front cover — the printer will initialise
If the printer displays a message about a non-genuine cartridge, tap OK or Continue. This is a one-time prompt and does not affect print quality or functionality.
MF445dw vs Other Canon imageCLASS Models
The imageCLASS MF445dw sits in the mid-range of Canon's mono laser lineup. Here's how it compares to other common Australian models:
| Model | Key Difference | Uses Same Toner? | |-------|---------------|-----------------| | MF445dw | Wi-Fi + Ethernet, duplex, ADF | ✅ Yes (base model) | | MF446x | NFC + faster processing | ✅ Yes | | LBP223dw | Print-only, no scanner | ✅ Yes (CART-057/057H) | | LBP226dw | Higher speed, print-only | ✅ Yes | | MF455dw | Successor model, added features | ❌ No (uses CART-071 series) |
If you're buying for a fleet with a mix of these models, check compatibility carefully — the MF455dw uses a different cartridge family.
The MF445dw as a Home Office Choice
The imageCLASS MF445dw hits a sweet spot for Australian home offices:
- All-in-one — print, scan, copy, fax in one unit
- 50-page ADF — scan documents without babysitting
- Automatic duplex — saves paper without thinking about it
- Mobile printing — Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Canon PRINT app
- Fast — 38 pages per minute for documents
Paired with compatible CART-057H toner at 0.5¢/page, the total running cost of this printer is genuinely impressive.
Summary: Is the Canon MF445dw Worth It?
If you're looking at a mono laser all-in-one under $500 for an Australian home or small office, the MF445dw is a strong contender. The combination of:
- Reliable, well-reviewed hardware
- No aggressive cartridge blocking
- Exceptional per-page cost with compatible CART-057H
- Feature set that covers the typical office workflow
...makes it a very compelling package. And with compatible toner from FetchInk, you're not locked into the expensive genuine cartridge cycle that makes some printer purchases a false economy.
Browse compatible CART-057 and CART-057H cartridges at FetchInk — Australian-warehoused, same-business-day dispatch, and shipped flat-rate Australia-wide. Noodle approves. 🐾