Final update: April 23rd. Starter cartridge finally says it's run completely out (though it still seems to print). That's a total of about 200 pages since I first got a message. The 3-times-Go printout shows a total of 730 pages - roughly what the starter cartridge is supposed to have, and I've now installed the hi-capacity cartridge
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Update. It's now April 11th. I've printed at least another 100 pages and things are still going well. But I've discovered another feature. In addition to the 7-times-Go (described below), there's a 3-times-Go that will print a three page report showing everything you ever wanted to know about your printer, including the amount of toner actually left. (Note that I have a Brother HL-2270DW. The cartridge also fits other machines that may have a different way of getting the same info.)
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Like others I started getting a 'toner-low' message after maybe 450 or so pages. In looking for a way to trick the printer, I read the manual(!). It said to press the Go button seven times in a row to clear the toner-low lockout, and that once that was cleared the cartridge would continue to print until the toner was actually gone.
Worked like a charm. I'll update this when the thing actually runs completely out.
Understanding this, the way they do it makes sense: really early warning that you should order another cartridge - and a lockout that you can't ignore, keeping you from having a really bad day in the future.
Also: How to Install a Brother TN-450 Toner Cartridge
