HP Printer Ink
 

I have been using HP printer ink.

Have any of you used the not HP ink?

do you mean generic compatible?

or do you mean other brands of printer?
mine are all canon, so no HP ink for me. :p

It did not happen specifically with HP... I ordered online ink that claimed to be compatible with my machine. I did not try it right away. By the time I discovered that it was not compatible, it was too late for a return!

I mean HP compatible, but not the HP brand.

I also mean HP printer model compatible, too. ;)

I've used the Staples/OfficeMax store brand always in my HP printer. Zero problems. They used to give a ream of paper when returning them for recycling.

I buy my HP ink at Walmart.

I have used the refilled cartridges before and it sometimes seems like they run out faster. I just bite the bullet and purchase the HP XL cartridges at Office Depot. I am on their mailing list and look for sales and freebie offers. Last time, there was a weird little device that allows for controlling a lamp remotely. It might come in handy one day.

I do too. I only use HP ink in my HP printer.

I use a lot of ink and on occasion I have decided to buy 'compatible' or 'reinked' cartridges. Each time I could kick myself for doing it! They run out quickly, the gunk up, they are just not worth the couple dollars difference. I buy my ink online thru HP and always get a 10% coupon for next purchase and it is delivered next business day free. So, it really isn't worth messing with off brands.

My mother bought the compatible ink but apparently her printer recognizes that it isn't the "correct" cartridge and constantly has pop ups telling her that. She's decided the aggravation of being nagged at by her computer is not worth the savings.

HP has a program called HP instant ink. Its really a good solution. You never have to buy ink cartridges again, I pay $2.99 a month and they monitor the ink levels in my cartridge on line and send a replacement cartridge when the ink gets low. The monthly cost depends on how many pages you print a month. Its really a money saver and I never have to buy expensive cartridges again. Check it on their website.

I participate in the program too. Ink delivered in a timely manner. The yearly cost is less than a pack of cartridges depending on use. You can choose different levels according to the number of pages printed.

I buy mine at Office Depot, too. They send out coupons and specials.

I only use HP ink and never refilled ones. some people do fine trying other things though.

I got a laser printer several years ago and never looked back. One cartridge lasted me over 2 years, and I do a lot of printing. And it only costs about $20 each. Of course it is only B&W, not color, but that is fine for my needs.

I have an HP printer. I got tired of the price. I bought HP compatible online. It was working just fine. All of the sudden it decided it wasn't compatible and refused to work any more. Of course this was the day I was trying to print out my resume for a job interview the next morning. Luckily my DD printer was working.
I now have mine refilled at Costco. They are working fine so far. Walgreens refilled them year ago, I don't know if they still do.

I have an HP officejet desktop. I have purchased generic (reman) cartridges and they have worked fine; got them from 1ink.com.

I have used cartridges from ebay and Meijer brand (big box store). They all worked as advertised and the Meijer ones last an unbelievably long time. Current printer is a HP.

I have had several different brands of inkjet printers. The newer ones will not work with the generic brands 95% of the time. When I get low on ink I buy another of the brand I'm using and forget it. Download the Econo font. It will save you 50% of ink with each print job.

I have an HP Office Jet & signed up for the instant ink. Best thing ever. I don't have to remember to buy ink. It has been delivered way before I need to change.

I also have an HP Office Jet & signed up for Instant Ink after forgetting to buy ink & running out. Best thing ever. You receive the ink needed in the mail before you run out.

Like Feffertim above says.. Try the Instant Ink. I use the HP Instant Ink too, but I pay about $4.99 a month. My printer is connected to my internet so when I get low, a pkg arrives right about the time my printer says change ink. I send the old ones back in the return bag they provide. Easy Peasy AND it's way cheaper than buying at a store locally.
Its really a good solution.

We have not tried the generics for HP, but had bad experiences with them for earlier printers. We have an HP now and signed up for their ink program where you pay a monthly fee and they send ink cartridges when you need it. My husband was complaining because we went more than a year before these special cartridges ran out and he thought we were being gouged, but I sat down and did the research on the price at various places and we are definitely coming out ahead.

We have an HP OfficeJet 8600 InkJet machine and we refill our black and color cartridges at Costco (see their Photo Center) for a fraction of the cost of new cartridges. We have two sets of cartridges and refill the empties after swapping out with the full and we're never without.

I'm having the same experience as klswift. If I buy non-HP ink, my printer knows the difference and keeps telling me that it won't' work. They have you no matter which way you turn.

Same here!

I've bought the generic cartridges for years for my HP. I've never had a problem with them. I do get a message they aren't HP cartridges when I first install them but that's the only time. It's well worth the difference in cost to me. I buy mine from 4inkjets.com. Much less than the HP cartridges. (And I used to work for HP.)

Thank you for your responses.

Now - I have another question.

There is an expiration date on the boxes - will the printer accept "outdated" cartridges?

I only use HP printer ink. I've tried generic in the past and also refills, but not as good as HP printer ink.

I would think it would accept outdated cartridges. I've been advised not to buy too many ink jet cartridges at one time as if you don't use them up, the back-up cartridges could dry out.

As far as buying a non-HP brand printer ink, I haven't done that. However, I used the Costco 'refill your HP printer ink' and I ended up having to buy another printer. It leaked all over my printer and destroyed the printer head. What a mess.

I haven't experienced it with our current printer, but there is a chip in the cartridges of at least some brands which tell the printer to reject them after the expiration date. Modern appliances have been created to outsmart us. If you go on youtube there may be some clever people who will tell you how to defeat these tricky things. It doesn't really have anything to do with the ink drying out, because that would vary greatly depending on storage conditions.

Instant Ink works by HP having remote computers that can track how many pages you have printed. I have the minimal plan, and if I go over 50 pages in a month, I get an email telling me that I will be charged an extra dollar for up to the next 15. My pet peeve is documents that seem to be organized to have wasted pages in them, such as the tail end of a recipe I can print off of some sites that will have nothing on it but a single line that says something like "Serves 6". You have to be constantly vigilant and use the print preview or you wind up with lots of scratch paper.

I sometimes do a lot of printing - and sometimes I have a lot of "scratch paper" - intentional or not! so I think I will just buy the HP cartridges.

I, too, get annoyed at the "useless" info that the printer spits out at times.

I've used compatible for yrs in my HP photosmart & they've worked well. I hardly use any color but when black gets low or out, it won' print at all. I always try to have an extra on hand....

We have Cartridge man here, I've worked at the hospital for 18 years and we use them here so I started buying them for my HP. I've never had any problems and I was told that if I ever did they'd back their warranty. They used to be Rapid Refill.

No, the HP printers will not accept an expired cartridge. I don't know about other brands. I tried an expired cartridge in one of my HP's and it wouldn't accept it.

I have an HP 8600 and use a set of ink jets every other month. Use the refills I buy online at 1ink and they work fine.
Peace, Brenda