Best Compatible Ink for HP 63 & 63XL (2026): Remanufactured vs Genuine Compared

Last updated: October 28, 2026.

Quick answer: HP is phasing out the original HP 63 cartridges in favor of a merged "HP 63/65" SKU, and the new black XL (B7RT5AN) is rated 300 pages at $46.99, down from 480 pages for the old 63XL. That makes a remanufactured 63XL the only way left to get the full 480-page fill. Our remanufactured HP 63XL black is $23.49 for 480 pages, about 4.9 cents a page, against $62.99 for the remaining genuine 63XL stock (13.1 cents) or 15.7 cents for HP's replacement cartridge. That is a 63% saving per cartridge versus the old genuine XL and 50% versus the new one. The caveat for this family is HP's 2018 chip revision, which can make newer printers reject cartridges built on old cores; buy from a seller who stands behind compatibility with post-2018 printers.

We'll say the obvious thing up front: we sell these cartridges, so take our recommendation for what it is. To balance that, the price table below includes LD Products, 4inkjets, Staples, CompAndSave and an Amazon marketplace brand alongside our own listing, and where someone sells for less than we do, we say so. This post covers which printers take HP 63, what the HP 63/65 change means for you, every option's cost per page as of October 2026, which Castle Ink cartridge we would buy, and the chip and printhead problems to watch for.

What printers use HP 63 ink?

HP 63 is the cartridge for a large generation of HP home printers sold from about 2015 onward. None of them are HP+ models, so the HP+ Original-ink-only lock that affects newer HP printers does not apply here.

• HP OfficeJet 3830, 3833, 4650, 4652, 5255 and 5258
• HP ENVY 4520, 4522 and 4512
• HP DeskJet 1112, 2130, 3630, 3634 and 3636

Each printer takes one black and one tri-color cartridge. The tri-color holds cyan, magenta and yellow in a single unit, so color printing stops when any one of them runs dry.

What happened to HP 63? The HP 63/65 merger

In 2025 HP consolidated HP 63 and HP 65 into a single cartridge line. HP's product page says it plainly: "HP 63 and HP 65 Ink Cartridges are now one cartridge: HP 63/65. Same printer compatibility" (hp.com). The new part numbers are B7RT2AN for tri-color and B7RT5AN for black XL. The fine print matters: HP rates the 63/65 tri-color at 100 pages, versus 165 for the old HP 63 tri-color, and the 63/65XL black at 300 pages, versus 480 for the old 63XL black. Staples now marks the original F6U61AN, F6U63AN and F6U64AN SKUs discontinued and redirects to the merged cartridges, and LD Products lists them as backordered. If you want 480 pages of black in your OfficeJet 3830, a remanufactured 63XL built on an original F6U64AN core is now the main way to get it.

HP 63 prices compared: OEM vs Castle Ink vs other sellers

Prices checked October 2026 at the sellers' sites; they change often.

On the black single, LD Products, 4inkjets and CompAndSave are all about $6.50 cheaper than we are. That is a real difference and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we offer instead is same-day shipping from Greenlawn, NY on orders placed by 4 PM ET Monday through Friday, a 1-year return window with a full refund, US phone support, and a flat promise to replace or refund any cartridge that arrives defective. We also tell you what you are buying: a genuine HP F6U64AN shell, cleaned, refilled, tested, with HP's original chip and printhead still attached. Staples' own remanufactured 63XL, by comparison, is nearly double our price, and the Amazon-style combo pack ships from overseas with no warranty terms.

Our pick: remanufactured HP 63XL black

The remanufactured HP 63XL black at $23.49 is the cartridge we would put in an OfficeJet 3830 or ENVY 4520 today. It is a 480-page cartridge for less than half the price of HP's new 300-page replacement, which works out to 4.9 cents a page against 15.7 cents. Our case for it is partly about price and partly about availability: as genuine HP 63XL stock disappears from Staples and LD, a remanufactured cartridge built on the original core keeps the 480-page fill alive. The honest trade-off is that if the lowest price is your only criterion, LD or CompAndSave will save you another $6.50 per cartridge.

If you print in color, the 63XL black and tri-color 2-pack at $45.95 covers both slots for less than one genuine 63XL black, at 5.7 cents a page across 810 rated pages. The single remanufactured HP 63XL tri-color is $24.49 for 330 pages. We also sell a 63XL MICR black for check printing, which is a different product for a different purpose.

The 2018 chip revision and the "protected cartridge" error

HP 63 is an integrated-printhead cartridge, so remanufacturers reuse HP's original chip rather than cloning one. HP's own policy says its printers are "intended to work only with cartridges that have new or reused HP chips" and that remanufactured cartridges keeping HP circuitry are "unaffected by dynamic security" (HP support forum, quoting HP's policy). Firmware updates are not the main worry here.

The family-specific wrinkle is older. In 2017 and 2018 HP quietly revised the HP 63 chip without changing the model number, and printers built after about May 2018 can refuse a remanufactured cartridge built on a pre-revision core with an "older generation cartridge" or "protected cartridge" message (Actionable Intelligence, August 2018; March 2018 report). The fix is not a different brand of ink; it is a cartridge built on a post-revision core, which is why the seller's compatibility guarantee matters on this family. If you hit that error with one of ours, our 1-year return window covers it.

The other common failure is the printhead itself. Because it is part of the cartridge, a core that has been recycled several times can streak, drop a color or trigger a "cartridge problem" message (HP community example). Our testing step is meant to catch worn printheads before they ship. Store spares sealed and upright, and run "Align Cartridges" from the printer menu after every swap.

How to choose an HP 63 cartridge

• Know what the HP 63/65 merger means: the new genuine black XL holds 300 pages, not 480, so a remanufactured 63XL on an original core now outlasts the genuine replacement.
• Always buy the XL. Genuine 63 black runs about 17 cents a page, genuine 63XL about 13 cents, and remanufactured 63XL under 5 cents.
• Make sure the seller guarantees compatibility with post-2018 printers; the chip revision is the usual cause of "older cartridge" rejections.
• Prefer a US-based seller with written warranty terms; several Amazon and Newegg combo packs ship from overseas with none.
• Store spare cartridges sealed and upright, since the exposed printhead dries out if left open.
• Run the alignment routine after each swap to avoid banding.

HP 63 Compatible Ink FAQs

The bottom line

With genuine HP 63 giving way to a lower-yield HP 63/65 replacement, the remanufactured HP 63XL black at $23.49 for 480 pages is the cartridge we would buy, and the 63XL 2-pack at $45.95 if you need color. LD Products and CompAndSave sell the black for less, and we have shown their prices so you can weigh them against our shipping, return and support terms.

Related reading: best compatible ink brands, HP 63 vs HP 63XL, compatible vs OEM HP ink, best compatible ink for HP 67, and our HP ink cartridge collection.