HP 952XL | Ink Cartridge | Cyan | L0S61AN

HP cartridges seem to work well and have not had problems with this one or once purchased in the past. Will order again when needed.

works

When I originally purchased ink for the first time for my HP 8740 printer, I went with the 956XL black cartridge, since I print in black more than color, but with regular HP 952 color cartridges, since I thought it would be a while before I used that. To my surprise, the color ink printed very few pages before the cyan cartridge indicated it was empty. The black still indicates over 75 percent full. Whether the color cartridge was defective, only partially filled, counterfeit or something else, I don’t know. Considering I purchased it direct from AMZ and not a third-party seller, it was a surprise. The XL cartridges are supposed to last more than double the standard cartridge, but I think this is just a way for HP to squeeze out extra money from its customers. I got this CYAN XL direct from Amazon. The date on the cartridge I received was August 2022, with Singapore stamped on it. My one complaint is that HP ink cartridges tend to be expensive, no matter whether you buy in a combo pack or individually. These days HP tend to lock down their printers with ink cartridges that have a chip that basically forces you to use only their cartridges. It is very difficult to get third party inks to work with HP printers, the 8740 especially so. Keep that in mind when shopping for ink as off brand inks may or may not work and may mess up the printer. Once I inserted into the printer, the cyan now indicates completely full on the printer, something, the regular cartridges did not. Being a larger capacity, or more likely just being filled completely, I am hopeful that it will last longer than the regular sized cartridges. When buying ink cartridges, especially with HP, make sure you get OEM and new products and not the outdated and remanufactured type. The cartridges should be in a box like the one shown, have an expiration date on both the box and the cartridges. It appears that HP is no longer sealing the cartridges in foil as mine just came in a Hp box. The boxes should have printed on them the cartridge type, color and place of manufacturer. If they come in a soiled box or one that looks like it had a hard life, comes in a plastic bag or in any other box other than HP boxes then these are likely either counterfeit or used/remanufactured/refurbished or expired cartridges. If they don't come in the original packaging either inside or out, then I would also be wary of the cartridges. And most importantly if they don't have an expiration date, you can't read the expiration date or the date is expired or close to expiring when you get them, I would return them as these are likely not new. With any ink cartridges it is important to check the expiration date to make sure these are fresh and recently manufactured. Mine had the date (August 2022) both on the HP box and on the cartridges. The printer recognized the cyan ink cartridge as genuine and prints just fine with no issues. I use to not worry about cartridges direct from Amazon but after buying the regular cartridges that didn’t last, I am concerned that HP is ripping people off with the amount of ink it is selling. It is important though to check to make sure the cartridges are real, especially if you are purchasing from third party sellers. In addition to your printer validating them, along with the information above, there is also a QR code that you can scan on the cartridge as well to check to make sure this is a valid HP cartridge. If those things are lacking or the QR code is invalid, then the cartridges are not HP ink cartridges. My biggest complaint with the HP print cartridges is the cost with the amount of ink you get. The ink amount in the XP cartridges is what you use to get in regular cartridges. HP restricts you from other brands, making it difficult to buy other brands, but if you get full cartridges from HP, they do work reliably and print well. I am hoping that these color ink last longer than the regular HP952 cartridges. Color ink tends to not last as long, especially if you print photos or don’t use grayscale. To make it last longer, I usually select black ink only for most printing jobs as HP printers tend to use color ink even when you don’t have a color project to print. If the XL’s don’t print for a large number of print jobs, I will be updating my review. 3 stars

Works great

HP ink is stupid expensive but amazon sells it for a cost similar to what the box store charges and as a bonus I don't have to go to the box store. Would recommend if you need it but would highly suggest you get a printer that uses the refillable liquid ink bottles instead!