What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet 250 Use?
Last Updated:The HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile All-in-One uses HP 62 and HP 62XL ink cartridges — one black and one tri-color. It takes the same ink as the OfficeJet 200 Mobile and the Envy 5540 / 7640 range, which makes replacements easy to find on the road.
HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile Ink Cartridges at a Glance
| Cartridge | Color | Approx. Yield |
|---|---|---|
| HP 62 | Black | ~200 pages |
| HP 62 | Tri-Color | ~165 pages |
| HP 62XL | Black | ~600 pages |
| HP 62XL | Tri-Color | ~415 pages |
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 OfficeJet 250 Mobile
- Battery-powered portable all-in-one: print, scan and copy
- 10-page automatic document feeder
- Wireless direct printing without a router
- 50-sheet input tray
- Runs on a removable rechargeable battery
A mobile printer has one ink problem the desktop machines do not: it sits idle in a bag for weeks at a time, and idle is what kills inkjet nozzles. If you use the OfficeJet 250 for site visits or trade shows, print a single colour test page the day before you travel. It costs a page and it is far more reliable than discovering a blocked tri-color in a client's car park.
Standard or XL — Which HP 62 Cartridge Should You Buy?
| Cartridge | Approx. Yield | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HP 62 (standard) | ~200 black / ~165 color | Very light use or a spare in the bag |
| HP 62XL (high yield) | ~600 black / ~415 color | 3x the black pages — the obvious pick for regular use |
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.
Save on HP 62 / 62XL for the HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile
Castle Ink's compatible cartridges for the HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile are built to the same page yields as the originals and are covered by a one-year guarantee. If a cartridge does not work in your printer, we replace it or refund it — no argument.
U.S. orders over $50 ship free, and orders placed by 4 PM ET Monday through Friday go out the same day.
How to Replace the Ink in the HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile
- Turn the printer on — the carriage will not move to the access position if it is powered off.
- Open the cartridge access door and wait for the carriage to slide to the centre and stop.
- Press down on the old cartridge to release it, then pull it toward you and out.
- Unwrap the new cartridge and peel off the protective tape. Do not touch the copper contacts or the nozzle plate.
- Slide the new cartridge into its slot at a slight upward angle and press until it clicks firmly into place.
- 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 OfficeJet 250 Mobile
Printer refuses to print on battery. The OfficeJet 250 blocks printing below roughly 10% battery to protect the printhead park cycle. Plug it in for a few minutes and it will resume.
Faded output after storage. Store the printer flat with cartridges installed. Removing cartridges for storage exposes the nozzle plate and is the fastest way to dry them out.
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 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 OfficeJet 250 Mobile
These come up constantly in mistaken orders. None of them will work in an HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile:
- HP 63 / 63XL — Envy 4520 and OfficeJet 3830 series
- HP 65 / 65XL — DeskJet 3700 and Envy 5000 series
- HP 67 / 67XL — DeskJet 2700e and Envy 6000e series
- HP 302 / 304 — European part numbers
Official HP Resources
Bottom Line
The HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile uses HP 62 / 62XL. For anything more than occasional printing, buy the high-yield version — the cost per page is meaningfully lower and you change cartridges less often. Castle Ink stocks compatible ink for this printer with free U.S. shipping over $50 and a one-year guarantee, and you can find guides for every other model we cover on our Find Ink by Printer page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the OfficeJet 250 use HP 62 or HP 63?
HP 62. The 63 is used by the OfficeJet 3830 and Envy 4520 series.
How many pages does an HP 62XL black print?
About 600 pages at 5% coverage, versus roughly 200 for the standard 62.
Is the OfficeJet 250 ink the same as the OfficeJet 200?
Yes — both mobile models take HP 62 / 62XL.
Can I print without the battery?
Yes. The printer runs on mains power with the battery removed.
Why does my mobile printer dry out between trips?
Infrequent use. A single colour page every couple of weeks keeps the nozzles clear and costs far less than a cleaning cycle.
Does it scan double-sided?
No — the 10-page ADF is single-sided.
Is shipping free?
Yes — free U.S. shipping over $50 and a 1-year guarantee.
Shop Compatible Ink at Castle Ink
Save 50–70% on replacement cartridges for the HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile. Guaranteed to work, backed by Castle Ink's compatibility guarantee.
Prefer to buy elsewhere? Compare HP OfficeJet 250 Mobile ink on Amazon.
Not sure which printer you have? Start at our Find Ink by Printer guide.
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