What Ink Does the HP Envy 5052 Use?

The HP Envy 5052 uses HP 65 cartridges, one black and one tri-color. In 2026 HP began selling them as HP 63/65 (tri-color B7RT2AN, ~100 pages; XL black B7RT5AN, ~300 pages), and older HP 65 and HP 65XL cartridges still work. It is part of HP's Envy 5000 series, which means the same cartridges fit the 5000, 5010, 5052 and 5055. That helps, because "5052" turns up far less often in cartridge listings than "5055" does.

The cartridges, pictured

• HP 65XL 2-packBlack + Tri-color
• HP 65XL BlackN9K04AN · ~300 pages
• HP 65XL Tri-colorN9K03AN · ~300 pages

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

HP Envy 5052 Ink Cartridges at a Glance

Yields are the manufacturer's published estimates at roughly 5% page coverage — a normal text page. Photos, graphics and heavy colour fills will use considerably more than that, so treat these as a planning number rather than a promise.

About the HP Envy 5052

• Wireless all-in-one: print, scan and copy
• Automatic two-sided printing
• Borderless photo printing up to 8.5x11
• 100-sheet input tray — larger than the DeskJet range
• Flatbed scanner, no automatic document feeder

A 100-sheet tray and automatic duplex make the Envy 5052 a genuine light-office machine rather than a photo toy, and its ink usage reflects that: black tends to run out first. If that describes your printing, buy black XL cartridges two at a time and a single tri-color, rather than the balanced pairs most retailers push.

Standard or XL — Which HP 65 Cartridge Should You Buy?

The high-yield cartridge is almost always the cheaper way to print, because you are paying once for the shell, the chip and the shipping regardless of how much ink is inside it. If you want to see the difference for your own volume, run the numbers through our Printer Ink Cost Calculator.

One catch with HP's new 63/65 line: there is an XL black but, in the U.S. listings we checked, no XL tri-color. The 65XL tri-color (~300 pages) gives about three times the pages of the new 63/65 tri-color (~100), and it still fits.

How to Replace the Ink in the HP Envy 5052

1. Turn the printer on — the carriage will not move to the access position if it is powered off.
2. Open the cartridge access door and wait for the carriage to slide to the centre and stop.
3. Press down on the old cartridge to release it, then pull it toward you and out.
4. Unwrap the new cartridge and peel off the protective tape. Do not touch the copper contacts or the nozzle plate.
5. Slide the new cartridge into its slot at a slight upward angle and press until it clicks firmly into place.
6. Close the door and let the printer run its alignment page. Skipping alignment is the most common cause of banding people blame on the cartridge.

Troubleshooting the HP Envy 5052

Paper pulled crooked from a full tray. The 5052's 100-sheet tray tends to skew when it is loaded past the fill line. Keep it to around 80 sheets and square the side guide against the stack.

Print quality drops off after the printer sits unused. Print one colour page every couple of weeks. It costs almost nothing and it keeps the nozzles from drying, which is far cheaper than the deep cleaning cycles required to recover them.

The ink gauge reads low on a brand-new cartridge. Ink level reporting is an estimate, and on remanufactured and compatible cartridges it can read low, unknown, or not at all. Judge by print quality, not by the gauge.

Cartridges That Do Not Fit the HP Envy 5052

These come up constantly in mistaken orders. None of them will work in an HP Envy 5052:

• HP 67 / 67XL — newer DeskJet 2700e / 4100e / Envy 6000e models
• Old-stock HP 63 / 63XL made before 2026 — DeskJet 2130 / Envy 4520 / OfficeJet 3830. The newer combined HP 63/65 cartridges do fit the 5052.
• HP 62 / 62XL — Envy 5540 / OfficeJet 200 series
• HP 305 / 304 — European equivalents that will not chip-match a U.S. printer

What Envy 5052 owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer on retailer Q&A pages, HP's support forum and owner reviews, answered in our words.

HP 65 seems to have disappeared from stores. What do I buy now?

Buy HP 63/65 tri-color (B7RT2AN) and HP 63/65XL black (B7RT5AN), which HP lists for the Envy 5000 series. Remanufactured HP 65XL cartridges, like ours, still fit too.

Will my leftover HP 65 cartridges still work?

Yes. HP says the new cartridges keep the same printer compatibility and no hardware change is needed, so use up the 65s you have.

Why won't my third-party cartridge work after an update?

HP says this printer uses dynamic security to block cartridges with non-HP circuitry. Only cartridges with a new or reused HP chip are accepted, which is why our remanufactured 65XL keeps the original HP chip.

Can I set it up and print from my phone?

Yes. It has Bluetooth Smart for phone setup and printing, as well as dual-band Wi-Fi.

HP has discontinued the 5052. Will my ink work in the replacement?

No. HP points buyers to the Envy 6055, which uses HP 67 cartridges, so spare 65 or 63/65 cartridges won't carry over.

Envy 5052 quirks worth knowing

• The Envy 5052 (M2U92A) is a retail variant of the Envy 5055 with the same hardware. Drivers, manuals and cartridges for the 5055 all apply.
• The setup cartridges in the box are rated for only about 115 pages black and 100 color, so the first replacement comes soon.
• The new HP 63/65 tri-color is rated at about 100 pages, the same as the old standard HP 65 tri-color. In the U.S. listings we checked there is no 63/65XL tri-color, only the XL black.
• It prints borderless up to 8.5 x 11 in, but the output tray holds only 25 sheets, so collect long jobs as they print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Envy 5052 use the same ink as the Envy 5055?
Yes. The whole Envy 5000 series takes HP 65 and 65XL, now also sold as HP 63/65.

Is 65XL worth it over standard 65?
Almost always. The XL prints about 300 pages versus 120 for black at a much lower cost per page.

Can I print with only the black cartridge installed?
No. The Envy 5052 expects both cartridges present, even for black-only documents.

Why does the printer keep cleaning itself?
The Envy 5000 series runs an automatic maintenance cycle on wake. Leaving the printer powered on rather than unplugging it between uses actually reduces total ink spent on cleaning.

Does the 5052 support HP Instant Ink?
It is Instant Ink eligible. If you are enrolled, cartridges are supplied by HP and third-party ink will not be recognised until you leave the programme.

Does it print double-sided automatically?
Yes — automatic duplex is standard on the Envy 5000 series.

Is shipping free?
U.S. orders placed by 4 PM ET ship the same day, with free shipping on orders over $50 and a 1-year guarantee on every cartridge.

Same ink, other models: the HP DeskJet 2622 uses the same HP 65 and 65XL cartridges.

Other printers that use HP 65

HP Envy 5000 · HP Envy 5055 · HP DeskJet 2652 · HP DeskJet 2655 · HP Deskjet 3755 · HP DeskJet 3752 · HP DeskJet 2600

More HP ink guides: HP OfficeJet 3830 · HP OfficeJet Pro 8610 · HP DeskJet 4100 · find any printer

Replacing it? Our highest-rated alternatives

• Epson EcoTank ET-2980 (cheapest to run) — CastleScore 90
• HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw (laser) — CastleScore 82
• HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e — CastleScore 79

Sources

Ratings and prices were checked on October 7, 2026 and will change over time.

• HP Envy 5055 product page (specs and dynamic security; same hardware)
• HP Envy 5052 product page (discontinued)
• HP explainer: the HP 63/65 cartridge change
• Staples HP 63/65 tri-color listing (yield, compatible printers)
• Walmart Envy 5055 ratings