The cheapest printer at checkout is not necessarily the cheapest printer to own. Before buying a low-priced inkjet, identify the exact replacement cartridge numbers, black and color page yields, whether the color figure is a composite result, and the current replacement price in your market. Then compare those running costs with your actual mix of black-only and color pages, while also checking quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency.
Start with the cartridge bill, not the printer sticker price
A printer’s purchase price is a one-time expense. Ink is a repeat expense, and the cartridge system determines how often that expense arrives. Two printers sold for similar prices can have very different ownership costs because their replacement cartridges, yields, and color configurations differ.
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Do not choose a model because a listing says it is “cheap to run” or because the printer itself is discounted. Build the comparison from the supplies for the exact model you would buy. A cartridge number that looks similar may belong to a different printer, region, or capacity. Record the manufacturer’s supported cartridge numbers and use those numbers when checking prices.
The minimum information to collect for every candidate is:
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- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 120 pages black, 100 pages tri-color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
- Exact black-cartridge number and published black yield.
- Exact color-cartridge number or numbers and published color yield.
- Whether the printer uses one combined color cartridge or separate cyan, magenta, and yellow tanks.
- Whether the published color yield is a composite figure for all three colors.
- Current replacement price for the complete set in your country or market.
- Whether the cartridges supplied in the box are introductory cartridges.
Only after those details are known can you estimate a meaningful cost per page.
Check whether the included cartridges are introductory
The cartridges in the box may not have the same capacity as the normal replacement cartridges. Some introductory cartridges contain less ink, and printer setup can consume ink before you print a document. That means the first set may produce fewer pages than the replacement set you later buy.
Look for wording such as “introductory,” “setup,” or “in-box” cartridge in the printer’s specifications or packaging. Treat a first-cartridge page count as a separate fact from the yield of the standard replacement cartridge. If the documentation does not identify the in-box cartridge as a normal-capacity replacement, do not use the first set to forecast your long-term cost.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteSetup can also affect the first pages from a full replacement cartridge. The printer may use ink to charge the print system, clean the nozzles, or complete an initialization routine. Those operations are part of owning an inkjet, but they are not represented by the number of pages in your documents.
Understand the cartridge configuration
Separate black and color cartridges
Many inkjets report one yield for black and another for color. Keep those figures separate because black-only documents draw primarily from the black cartridge, while color pages draw from the color supplies. A household that prints mostly text can have a very different running cost from one that prints photos, charts, or school projects even when both use the same printer.
Combined color versus individual color tanks
A combined color cartridge contains cyan, magenta, and yellow in one unit. When one color is exhausted, you may have to replace the whole cartridge even if the other chambers still contain ink. Individual color tanks let you replace a depleted color separately, but the manufacturer may still publish one composite color yield for the three colors together.
Do not interpret a composite color yield as the number of pages each individual cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridge can print. It is a combined result for the color system. Record the configuration and the way the manufacturer reports the yield before comparing it with another printer.
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Write down the exact cartridge identifiers, including any capacity or regional suffix. Check compatibility against the printer’s precise model designation, not merely the product family name. This prevents a low advertised price for a cartridge that does not fit your machine or has a different capacity from the one used in the published yield.
What an ISO page yield actually means
Applicable inkjet yield figures are commonly based on ISO/IEC 24711. HP describes a test in which a standard five-page suite is printed continuously until the cartridge reaches end of life. The resulting figure provides a standardized baseline for comparing cartridges under the same type of test.
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- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: OfficeJet 9122e; HP OfficeJet Pro 9110b, 9125e, 9128e, 9130b, 9135e; OfficeJet Pro Wide Format 9730e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 1,450 pages black, 800 pages per color
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP Ink cartridges and other everyday products
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 936 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
That procedure is useful, but it is not a promise that your cartridge will print exactly that many pages. HP’s page-yield guidance states: “ISO standard page yields should be used only as a starting point for comparison purposes and not to predict the actual yield you will get from your HP printer and cartridge.”
The distinction matters because your pages and your printing pattern are unlikely to match the laboratory-style sequence. A page containing a small paragraph uses much less ink than a page covered with a dense image. A full-color presentation slide, a photo, and a lightly shaded spreadsheet each consume ink differently. Yields also change when you print a few pages at a time instead of running a continuous batch.
Why your pages may differ from the published number
- Coverage: More text, graphics, shading, or photographs place more ink on each sheet.
- Color balance: A document that uses one color heavily can empty that color sooner than a balanced test suite.
- Print frequency: Long gaps between jobs can lead to maintenance cycles when the printer is used again.
- Setup and maintenance: Initial charging and nozzle-cleaning operations consume ink without creating a finished page.
- Paper and quality settings: Media type and print-quality choices can change how much ink the printer lays down.
- Cartridge status: An introductory cartridge may contain less ink than its standard replacement counterpart.
Use the standardized yield to compare like with like, then treat your own usage as the deciding factor.
How to estimate your real ink cost
A useful comparison separates black-only printing from color printing. Start by finding the current price of each compatible replacement cartridge or replacement set in your market. Use the published yield for the same cartridge capacity. Do not combine the price of a high-capacity cartridge with the yield of a lower-capacity version.
Black-only pages
For a black cartridge, divide the replacement price by its published black yield to obtain a baseline black cost per page:
Black cost per page = black-cartridge price ÷ published black yield
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This is a comparison figure, not a guarantee. If the printer uses color ink for maintenance or for pages that appear black but contain color elements, your actual result can be higher.
Color pages
For color printing, use the price of the color supply or the complete color set and the corresponding published color yield. If the manufacturer reports one composite yield for cyan, magenta, and yellow, use that composite figure as a single comparison baseline rather than assigning the same yield to each color.
Color cost per page = relevant color-cartridge cost ÷ published composite color yield
Rank #3
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY Inspire 7955e, 7958e; ENVY Photo 6220, 6222, 6230, 6232, 6252, 6255, 6258, 7134, 7155, 7158, 7164, 7830, 7855, 7858, 7864; Tango; Tango X
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 200 pages black, 165 pages tri-color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 64 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP Ink cartridges and other everyday products
With individual tanks, calculate the cost of the set required for the comparison and note whether replacing one depleted tank changes the economics. If your documents use colors unevenly, a composite result may not mirror your experience; one color can run out while the others remain.
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Mixed printing
Estimate how many pages you print in each category over a normal month or year. Apply the black baseline to black-only pages and the color baseline to color pages. This weighted view is more useful than quoting one universal “cost per page,” because the printer’s ongoing cost depends on your print mix.
Keep the assumptions visible in your notes: the cartridge numbers, prices, yields, page categories, and whether the color yield is composite. If any of those inputs changes, recalculate rather than carrying an old headline figure forward.
Do not compare printers by ink volume alone
Cartridge capacity is sometimes expressed in milliliters, but volume by itself does not tell you how many pages a printer will produce. Different print systems can meter and place ink differently. HP recommends considering volume only alongside page yield.
A cartridge with more liquid ink is not automatically the better value if the printer uses that ink less efficiently or if the cartridge costs substantially more. Yield is the more practical starting point for a comparison, provided the yields refer to compatible cartridges and the same type of test. Volume can add context, but it should not replace yield and price.
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Look beyond ink: quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency
Ink cost is only one part of the buying decision. HP identifies quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency as additional factors to weigh for individual needs.
Quality
Consider whether the printer’s output suits your documents. A low running cost is not useful if text is difficult to read, color graphics look poor, or the printer cannot handle the paper sizes and media you need. Check the manufacturer’s specifications for supported media and print modes, then judge samples or independent evidence when available.
Reliability
Think about how the printer behaves between jobs and how easy it is to recover from a clogged nozzle, an empty color, or a paper feed problem. A model that frequently requires intervention can cost time and wasted sheets even when its calculated ink cost is low.
Productivity
Match the printer’s speed, input capacity, duplex features, and connectivity to your workload. A person printing occasional forms has different needs from someone producing many color pages each week. A slower model may be acceptable for light use but frustrating for recurring batches.
Rank #4
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: DeskJet 1255, 2710e, 2720e, 2721e, 2722, 2722e, 2723e, 2724, 2725, 2732, 2742e, 2752e, 2755, 2755e, 4110e, 4120e, 4121e, 4122e, 4123e, 4130e, 4132e, 4152e, 4155e, 4158e; DeskJet Plus 4122, 4132, 4155
- Works with these HP Printers: ENVY 6010e, 6020e, 6022e, 6030e, 6032e, 6034e, 6050e, 6052e, 6055, 6055e, 6075, 6075e, 6420e, 6422e, 6430e, 6432e, 6450e, 6452e, 6455e, 6458e, 6475e; ENVY Pro 6455, 6458, 6475
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 240 pages
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 67XL Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
Efficiency
Efficiency includes how much ink is consumed during setup and maintenance, how often cartridges need replacement, and whether the cartridge arrangement lets you replace only the depleted supply. These practical details affect waste and interruptions in addition to the price printed on a cartridge listing.
A step-by-step buying method
- Define your print profile. Estimate the number of black-only pages and color pages you expect in a typical month. Note whether you print in short, occasional jobs or in large batches.
- List candidate printer models. Use the exact model names and regional versions. Do not compare a product family name with a differently configured model.
- Find the supported cartridge numbers. Record black and color identifiers and whether the system uses a combined color cartridge or separate tanks.
- Record the manufacturer’s yields. Capture the black yield and the color yield exactly as published. Mark a color figure as composite when it represents cyan, magenta, and yellow together.
- Check the box contents. Determine whether the supplied cartridges are introductory and whether setup consumes ink before normal printing begins.
- Check current local prices. Price the compatible replacement cartridge or set in the market where you will buy supplies. A price from another country or an old listing is not a valid current ownership cost.
- Calculate separate baselines. Divide black-cartridge cost by black yield and the relevant color cost by the applicable color yield. Keep black and color results separate.
- Apply your print mix. Weight the two baselines according to your expected use. Revisit the calculation if your documents change from mostly text to mostly graphics.
- Review non-ink requirements. Compare quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency before making a final choice.
- Save the assumptions. Keep the cartridge numbers, yields, prices, and date of the comparison. Replacement prices and availability can change, so a future purchase should be checked again.
Use a comparison sheet that exposes hidden differences
| Check | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Printer identity | Exact model and market version | Cartridge compatibility and specifications can vary by model. |
| Black supply | Cartridge number, replacement price, published black yield | Supports a black-only cost-per-page baseline. |
| Color supply | Combined or individual tanks, cartridge numbers, replacement price, published color yield | Shows how color replacement works and whether the yield is composite. |
| Box cartridges | Standard or introductory status | The first set may print fewer pages than a normal replacement. |
| Usage profile | Expected black pages, color pages, and job frequency | Connects standardized yields with your actual print pattern. |
| Ownership factors | Quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency requirements | Ink price alone does not determine suitability. |
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Using the printer’s purchase price as the verdict
Problem: A discounted printer appears cheaper even though its replacement supplies cost more or yield fewer pages.
Correction: Compare the purchase price and the recurring cartridge cost separately. Use the same expected print mix for every candidate.
Assuming the first cartridges represent normal ownership
Problem: Introductory cartridges and setup ink make the first run look unusually short.
Correction: Base long-term estimates on standard replacement cartridges and identify the first-set caveat separately.
Treating a composite color yield as three identical yields
Problem: A reported cyan-magenta-yellow composite number is read as the output of each individual color.
Correction: Keep the composite figure intact and record how the printer replaces color supplies.
Dividing milliliters by price without a yield
Problem: More ink volume is assumed to mean lower cost per page.
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Best Value
- HP Ink Cartridges for HP printers are engineered to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- Works with these HP Printers: OfficeJet 8122e; OfficeJet Pro 8135e, 8138e, 8139e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 500 pages black, 400 pages per color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: HP 923 Ink Cartridges are perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs
- HP has kept over 2,300 metric tons of plastic out of our world’s oceans to be upcycled into HP 923 color ink cartridges for HP printers and other everyday products
Expecting the ISO number on every cartridge
Problem: A buyer treats the standardized result as a guarantee for photos, dense graphics, or intermittent printing.
Correction: Use the ISO/IEC 24711 result for comparison, then allow for page coverage, print frequency, setup, and maintenance.
Comparing prices without checking capacity
Problem: A lower-priced cartridge is paired with a different capacity or an incompatible model.
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How many pages will an ink cartridge print?
The published figure is the manufacturer’s standardized yield for a particular cartridge and test method. For applicable inkjet figures, HP describes continuous printing of a standard five-page suite until end of life. Your actual page count can be lower or higher because document coverage, color balance, job frequency, setup, and maintenance differ from that test.
For that reason, answer the question with the yield for the exact cartridge, not a generic number for the printer brand or product family. If the printer uses separate color tanks, also check whether the published color figure is a composite result.
How much do replacement ink cartridges cost?
There is no single price that applies to every market or date. The relevant figure is the current price where you will buy the cartridge for your exact printer model. Record whether the price is for one cartridge, a color set, or a high-capacity version, and pair it with that item’s own published yield.
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When a cheap inkjet can be the sensible choice
A low-priced inkjet can make sense when its cartridge configuration fits your workload, replacement supplies are available at acceptable prices, and the printer meets your quality and productivity needs. It is especially important to model color use separately if you print graphics or photos, because a black-only estimate can understate the cost of a color-heavy routine.
Conversely, a cheap printer is a poor bargain when its supplies are difficult to find, its introductory cartridges create a misleading first impression, or its quality and reliability cause repeated reprints. The right decision is the model that delivers acceptable output and dependable operation at a running cost supported by your actual print profile.
Quick Recap
Final pre-purchase checklist
- Have you written down the exact printer model and market version?
- Do you know the exact black and color cartridge numbers?
- Are black and color supplies separate, or is color combined?
- Is the published color yield a composite cyan-magenta-yellow figure?
- Are the in-box cartridges standard or introductory?
- Did you check current replacement prices in your market?
- Did you pair each price with the yield for that same cartridge capacity?
- Did you calculate black-only and color costs separately?
- Did you adjust the estimate for your expected print mix and job frequency?
- Did you consider quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency as well as ink?
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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