Best Compatible Ink for HP 952 & 952XL (2026): Remanufactured vs Genuine Compared

Last updated: October 28, 2026.

Quick answer: For an OfficeJet Pro 8710, 8720 or 7740, the set we would buy is our remanufactured HP 952XL 4-pack with original HP chips at $64.95 for black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Four genuine 952XL cartridges bought singly run about $229 at Staples, so the pack saves roughly 72%, and at a rated 5,350 pages it works out to 1.2 cents a page against about 3.6 cents for genuine. The caveat that matters on this family is the chip, not HP+: HP 952 printers have their printhead built into the printer, so every third-party cartridge needs a chip of its own, and HP's firmware updates target non-HP chips. The OEM-chip version is the one HP's own policy says is unaffected; our new-chip 4-pack is the same price and the alternative if you keep auto-updates off.

We'll say the obvious thing up front: we sell these cartridges, so our recommendation is not neutral. To make up for that, the table below puts LD Products, 4inkjets, Staples, CompAndSave and a marketplace brand next to our own prices, and on this family several of them are a lot cheaper than we are. We explain why, and you can decide whether the difference is worth it. This post covers which printers take HP 952, what every option costs per page as of October 2026, which chip version to buy and why, and the firmware history that makes this cartridge different from the HP 63 or 67 in a DeskJet.

What printers use HP 952 ink?

HP 952 and 952XL are the cartridges for HP's 2016-generation OfficeJet Pro line. None of these printers are HP+ models, so the Original-ink-only lock on newer HP printers does not apply.

• HP OfficeJet Pro 8710, 8715, 8720, 8725, 8730 and 8740
• HP OfficeJet Pro 8210 and 8216 (print-only)
• HP OfficeJet Pro 7720 and 7740 Wide Format
• HP OfficeJet 8702

Each printer takes four separate cartridges, one per color, feeding a permanent printhead inside the printer. That design is why a worn-out cartridge does not degrade print quality the way it does on an integrated-printhead cartridge, and also why the chip on each cartridge matters so much. For the full model list, see what HP printers use 952 and 952XL ink.

HP 952 prices compared: OEM vs Castle Ink vs other sellers

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

The numbers are not close. LD Products, 4inkjets and CompAndSave sell a 952XL 4-pack for $40 to $44, which is $21 to $25 less than ours, and their single black is less than half the price of our new-chip single. If price is the whole decision, they win and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The difference is in the Type column: those cartridges are compatibles, newly built with new shells and new non-HP chips (LD says so on its page: "built with all brand new parts"). Ours are remanufactured: genuine HP 952XL shells, cleaned, refilled, tested, and in the OEM-chip version, fitted with the original HP chip harvested from a used cartridge. On an OfficeJet Pro, that chip is the whole ballgame, as the next sections explain. Beyond the chip, you get 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 promise to replace or refund any cartridge that arrives defective.

Our pick: remanufactured HP 952XL 4-pack with original HP chips

The 952XL BCMY 4-pack, OEM chip at $64.95 is the set we would put in an OfficeJet Pro 8710 that gets left on and connected to the internet, which is most of them. HP's own policy statement says its dynamic security blocks "cartridges using non-HP chips or modified or non-HP electronic circuitry" while cartridges with "new or reused HP chips" are unaffected. A reused HP chip is exactly what this pack carries. At $64.95 for a rated 5,350 pages it is 1.2 cents a page against about 3.6 cents for four genuine XLs, and it costs the same as our new-chip pack. The trade-off is plain: it is $21 to $25 more than the compatible 4-packs from LD or CompAndSave, and if you are disciplined about keeping firmware updates switched off, those cheaper packs may serve you fine.

The other Castle Ink HP 952 options: the 952XL 4-pack with new aftermarket chips ($64.95), and new-chip singles at $29.95 each in black, cyan, magenta and yellow. The singles are not a bargain next to the pack; buy them only to replace one color between full sets, and keep the chip generation consistent when you do. We also stock a 952XL MICR black for check printing.

Dynamic security, the 2016 firmware lock-out and which chip to buy

HP 952 is a separate ink-tank cartridge; the printhead lives in the printer. A third-party cartridge therefore needs its own chip to talk to the printer, and that chip is what HP's dynamic security inspects (HP support forum, quoting HP's policy). This is the family that made dynamic security famous. In September 2016 an HP firmware update disabled clone-chip 952 cartridges across the OfficeJet Pro 8710, 8720 and 7740 line with a "cartridge problem" error; HP apologized and released an opt-out firmware (HotHardware), then pushed dynamic security updates again in 2018 (Born's Tech and Windows World). Owners still report "cartridge problem," "one or more cartridges are missing or damaged" or "non-HP chip" messages after an automatic update (HP community thread).

That history is why we sell two chip versions and why we recommend the OEM-chip pack by default. A reused HP chip is not a clone, so there is nothing for a firmware update to detect. A new aftermarket chip is what those updates look for, which is why nearly every seller of compatibles, including the marketplace listings that promise compatibility "with the newest firmware" without naming a version, also tells you to turn off automatic updates (CompAndSave's guide). If you buy a new-chip cartridge from anyone, do that first.

One more failure mode specific to this design: because the printhead is permanent, a leaking, poorly built cartridge can foul it and produce "ink system failure" errors that are far more expensive than a cartridge. A tested, genuine HP shell is part of the reason we stick with remanufactured here. If a cartridge of ours ever throws a chip error, reseat it and power-cycle the printer; if the error names a non-HP chip, the answer is the OEM-chip version, not another cartridge of the same type, and our 1-year return window covers the swap.

How to choose an HP 952 cartridge

• Decide on the chip first. An OEM-chip remanufactured 952XL is covered by HP's own statement that reused HP chips are unaffected by dynamic security; a new-chip cartridge is cheaper elsewhere but is what firmware updates target.
• Turn off automatic firmware updates in the printer's settings before installing any third-party 952 cartridge, and read the seller's firmware note.
• Skip standard-yield 952. The XL black holds 2,000 pages versus about 900 to 1,000, and from third-party sellers the XL costs barely more.
• Buy the 4-pack. Our BCMY set is $64.95 against roughly $229 for four genuine XLs.
• Replace all four colors with the same brand and chip generation; mixing OEM and clone chips is a common cause of intermittent errors.
• If the printer reports "cartridge problem," power-cycle and reseat before anything else.

HP 952 Compatible Ink FAQs

The bottom line

For an OfficeJet Pro 8710, 8720 or 7740, the remanufactured HP 952XL 4-pack with original HP chips at $64.95 is the set we would buy: about 72% less than four genuine XLs, with the one chip HP says its firmware leaves alone. LD Products and CompAndSave sell new-chip compatible packs for $21 to $25 less, and if you keep auto-updates off they are a fair option; we have shown their prices so you can make that call yourself.

Related reading: best compatible ink brands, what HP printers use 952 ink, compatible vs OEM HP ink, best compatible ink for HP 910, LD Products vs Castle Ink, and our HP ink cartridge collection.