XL computer ink

sunrise27_2

I have a HP printer and I remember when I bought it the man said something about XL ink cartridges
I think he said they're about 3 times the size of a normal cartridge
I've never used them but am now wondering if they are worth investing in

John_Gray

Giving the model number of the HP printer would help!

I think the chap must have meant "three times the capacity of ordinary cartridges" - if they were three times the size they wouldn't fit!

It's a trade-off - if you print lots then the higher capacity cartridge might work out cheaper since you would probably pay proportionally less for the ink;
if you don't print much then probably the larger-capacity cartridge would just dry up, and you'll have wasted most of the money you paid for it.

sunrise27_2

its an F2480 and takes the 300 series cartridges
I knew what I meant about 3 times the size lol

John_Gray

<chuckle!>

From this supplier it seems that you pay just under twice the price for 3 times the capacity (black) or 2⅔ times the capacity (colour), so it's really down to how much you print. Have you run out of ink on any cartridges yet?

Also bear in mind that remanufactured or refilled or otherwise 'non-genuine' cartridges can be cheaper but could cause trouble, and probably wouldn't be worth compromising your warranty, if the printer is fairly new.

heather_p03

I bought a HP Deskjet F4580 on 4 March 2010. It came with 1 x 300 Black, 1 x 300 Colour (non-XL)
I also ordered 2 x 300XL Black and 2 x 300XL Colour.

29 May 2010 ordered another 1 x 300XL Black and 1 x 300XL Colour. This was 12 weeks after last order.

20 August 2010 - another 2 x 300XL Black, again just 12 weeks (we were away for 2 of these weeks too!)

7 October 2010 - another 2 x 300XL Black, just 7 weeks between orders!

I had been meaning to look into how quickly I needed to replace the ink cartridges and reading this thread has stirred me into action.

We are a family of 4 with relatively heavy use of the sole printer but if I am supposed to be getting 600 sheets per cartridge, that means that I am printing 1200 in 7 weeks or 25 sheets every single day.

Next time I will buy the non-XL ink and compare the length of time between changes.

At the moment, I would strongly recommend that you should try the non XL as I haven't found the Black XL cartridges to be long lasting. I still have 2 Colour cartridges remaining.

Ink_Guru

Its always worth checking and trying the compatible inks if you find one that works with your printer, might take a bit of trial and error but you could save alot of money in the long term. From what i can see Black and colour XL inks original are filled to approx 12ml and 11ml capacity and the standard inks are 4ml each which is only roughly half the price, so you are getting better value with the XL.

The compatibles generally are filled to XL capacity and the black has approx 17ml and colours 14mls (obvioulsy varies with different companies but these are rough estimates) which are slighty more expensive than the standard capacity which are only filled to 4ml. Worth a try unless you are printing high quality photo's and could save you alot of money in the long run (approx about £10 a cartridge ish!!!)

santer_2

With XL cartridges you would also save ink by not changing cartridges as frequently, thereby avoiding the priming routine when a cartridge is installed, though as mentioned, it depends on how much you use the printer.

If the savings of XL cartridges are worthwhile to you, you could always print a single page, mixed colour document each week to keep the printer ready.

andy2004

looking at the amount your using the printer I would suggest buying an epson printer and using compatibles from decent sellers.
last time i bought cartridges i got 14 for £10, and each one has at least 18ml of ink. printer was only £42 at the time i bought it epson sx200