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Is it worth buying XL ink cartridges?

by William Elward
XL ink cartridgesYes!  There are many reasons why using extra large ink cartridges in your printer make sense:

            • They hold more ink meaning you will have to replace them less often
            • The cost per fluid ounce is actually lower than standard ink cartridges, so your cost per printed page is lower
            • The environmental impact is slightly better 

Here is a quick example to illustrate the cost savings of using XL toner cartridges.

The HP 87X (which is a high yield or XL version of the HP 87A) has a page yield of 18,000 pages, while the HP 87A has a page yield of just 9,800 pages. Based on Castle Ink's current pricing, which is $74.95 for the HP 87A and $85.95 for the HP 87X, the per page cost of the standard yield toner cartridge is almost double that of the XL version!

It works out to be $.0047 per page for the XL (so about half of one cent per page) and $.0085 per page for the standard (so almost 1 center per page).  That's a pretty big cost difference and a great reason to always purchase the XL version of a toner or ink cartridge if your printer is compatible. 

Happy printing!

About William Elward

Founder of Castle Ink, William Elward has 20 years experience in the printer industry. He's been featured on CNN Money, Yahoo, PC World, Computer World, and other top publications and frequently blogs about printers and ink cartridges. He's an expert at diagnosing printer issues and has published guides to fixing common printer issues across the internet. A graduate of Bryant University and Columbia's Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program, he's held various leadership positions at The College Board, Bankrate, Zocdoc, and Everyday Health. Follow him on Twitter at William Elward's Twitter Profile


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