Why Buy Original HP Printing Supplies FAQs

Original means authentic HP. Original HP is our seal of approval, signifying that the cartridge is brand new and designed to work optimally with HP printers. Original HP inks, toners and print cartridges are the product of vigorous research, development and testing, and consistently exceed HP’s quality requirements.

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Compared to alternatives, Original HP supplies might be more expensive to buy, but many customers find they’re less expensive to use. Not just in money spent, but in time, aggravation and wasted paper. With Original HP supplies, not only do you get reliable, trouble-free printing, but you get the ease-of-use and great, consistent print quality that you have come to expect from HP. And you can save time and money overall.

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Compatible inkjet print cartridges may offer print quality that is acceptable in some situations, but they’re not reliable. Tests conducted by Innovationstechnik, a leading European research lab, confirm that when you use a new, Original HP cartridge in your HP printer, there’s virtually no chance it will fail; but if you use a non-HP cartridge, on average, there’s a better than one in five chance it will be dead on arrival or fail prematurely. That’s because even though they look new, they have been used, refilled, and repackaged¹.

¹ Based on results of brands tested in 2006/2007 by Innovationstechnik GmbH. Test commissioned by HP. Testing performed on HP 45A, HP 78A, HP 56 and HP 57 Inkjet Print Cartridges. Individual results may vary. See the Innovationstechnik study @ www.hp.com/uk/inktest for full details.

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Tests conducted by Innovationstechnik¹, a leading European research lab, revealed that Original HP inkjet cartridges deliver 34% more pages and prints than compatible cartridges² – and 69% more pages than cartridges refilled at refill stations³

¹ Based on results of brands tested in 2006/2007 by Innovationstechnik GmbH. Test commissioned by HP. Testing performed on HP 45A, HP 78A, HP 56 and HP 57 Inkjet Print Cartridges. Individual results may vary. See the Innovationstechnik study @ www.hp.com/uk/inktest for full details.

² Confronted with different comparative advertisement rules within the EMEA region, the percentage HP communicates across EMEA is based on German comparative advertisement legal rules that bind HP to communicate the result compared to the best German tested brand with 34.6%, instead of the average test result of 79.5%

³ Confronted with different comparative advertisement rules within the EMEA region, the percentage HP communicates across EMEA is based on German comparative advertisement legal rules that bind HP to communicate the result compared to the best German tested brand with 69.1%

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If a retailer offers a branded, compatible ink or toner cartridge, it may be a used cartridge — possibly more than once. And the ink inside could have come from anywhere. If it’s a toner cartridge, it’s probably used. It’s never Original HP. HP does not manufacture print cartridges for sale under any other brand.

Only with Original HP, do you have the peace of mind knowing your print cartridge is new, every single time, and that the ink or toner inside was designed specifically to work with their printer.

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Organizations that offer financial incentives for empty cartridges are not collecting them to recycle, but to sell to refillers, who refill the cartridges they consider reusable, and then sell them to consumers. The rest often end up in landfill. HP does not profit from the return of empties to the HP Planet Partners recycling program. Recycling is a voluntary, free service we offer to our customers.

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No. HP’s printing systems accommodate refilled and remanufactured inkjet or toner cartridges from third party suppliers. Printing systems manufactured for our customers do not incorporate so-called “killer chips” that prevent printing when non-HP cartridges are being used.

Some HP printing systems use integrated “smart chips” and those systems use them to provide special features, such as:

• Gauges to monitor ink and toner levels and provide alerts when levels are low or out.
• The ability to re-order supplies online by showing customers which compatible products are needed and how to order them
• Automatic print system calibrations that enable consistent, high quality print output over the life of the cartridge.

In some instances, the use of refilled or remanufactured cartridges can affect the availability or reliability of these features.

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No. The use of refilled print cartridges alone does not affect either the warranty or maintenance contract purchased from HP for its printing systems. However, if printer damage is found to be directly attributable to the use of a modified or refilled cartridge, the repair will not be covered under the warranty or by the maintenance contract. Standard time and material charges will be applied to service the printer for that particular failure or damage.

HP has no control over the design and compatibility of non-HP cartridges, ink or toner, manufactured by other companies. Defects can range from print quality issues such as spots, smears, or streaks, failed nozzles and excessive bleed to serious internal damage to the printer itself.

Only HP print cartridges are designed to work with HP printers as a single system, so the use of other cartridges may jeopardize the quality of the output and the reliability of the printer.

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The page yield, or the number of pages you can print with a particular Original HP cartridge, can be found at Page Yields. Page yield information is available for all HP printers introduced after June 2005.

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HP research shows customers who print occasionally are very sensitive to the price of the printer and cartridges. HP’s lower volume cartridges effectively address these everyday low-printing needs with high quality, reliable inkjet print cartridges at lower prices.

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Yes. HP has recycling programs for printer supplies and computer hardware. For more information, visit the Product Recycling section.

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HP’s Planet Partners program is available in over 40 countries. It is a free and easy way to return your empty HP inkjet and LaserJet print cartridges for recycling. HP includes pre-addressed, postage paid recycling envelopes and labels with many Original HP print cartridges. They’re also available for free. Find out more.

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HP’s Planet Partners program makes it easy to recycle used print cartridges by including pre-addressed, postage paid recycling envelopes and labels with many Original HP print cartridges. They’re also available for free. Find out more.

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No. HP's unique recycling process is sensitive to material contamination and we cannot take back and recycle cartridges from other manufacturers.

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HP takes environmental responsibility seriously:

• Through HP’s Design for the Environment program, HP Print supplies are made using fewer materials, designed to consume fewer resources and are easier to recycle at the end of their use.
• HP’s Planet Partners recycling program offers FREE pre-addressed, postage-paid shipping labels and envelopes within Original HP packaging or online. Find out more.

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No. In most circumstances, there is still a significant difference between the price of the printer and the price of the cartridges. In cases where customers are considering purchasing a new printer rather than the necessary replacement cartridges, we encourage them to ensure that a new printer would better meet their printing needs. We believe that those whose current needs are being met would opt for buying new toner cartridges due to convenience.

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• Multi-packs - HP offers convenient, cost-effective multi-packs, allowing you to purchase two or more print cartridges for less than it costs to purchase each cartridge separately.
• HP Photo Value Packs - affordable solutions for printing store-quality photos at home for a great low price. With HP Photo Value Packs, you get a wide range of choices — all the ink and paper you need to affordably print professional-looking, vibrantly colored 10 x 15 cm photos.
• High-volume printing - If you’re someone who prints a lot, high-capacity HP inkjet and LaserJet print cartridges are designed for you. Original HP X or XL print cartridges are designed for high-volume printing. Reduce your printing costs while consistently getting professional results.
• Save ink and toner - HP has a range of other cost saving features on its printers, including:
  • Print Cancel – stop an unneeded print job to avoid wasting ink/toner
  • Two-Sided Printing – conserve paper
  • Automatic media-type detection – avoid reprinting due to printing at wrong print settings

To find out which HP print cartridge solutions are available to you, click here.

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• Poor or inconsistent quality
  • Poor or inconsistent print quality is a primary indicator of non-original counterfeit products.
  • HP's print cartridges are among the most reliable in the world. The failure rate is less than 1 in 100.
  • Suspiciously Low Prices
  • If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. HP does not “fire sale” print supplies or sell “factory seconds.”
• Packaging
  • Non-standard packaging or packaging that appears to have been opened can be an indicator of counterfeit products.
  • Security labels can be found on HP LaserJet print cartridge packages and many ink cartridges in certain countries.
• Deceptive marketing
  • Telemarketers may represent themselves as an HP employee, or an affiliate of HP. HP does not sell supplies directly via telemarketing.
  • Watch for offers of “a free evaluation” or new products offered exclusively from the caller's company.
  • Free product offers are many times followed by a requirement to purchase extras.
  • Be wary of telemarketers that are unwilling to provide customer references.

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Please use one of the following options to report suspicious products or activities:

• U.S. or Canada may phone toll free at 1-877-219-3183
• Europe, Middle East and Africa toll free numbers or send an email to emea.anti-counterfeit@hp.com
• Mexico, Central America and South America toll free numbers
• China, India, Asia Pacific toll free numbers
• Online Report Form in English

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