What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet 6500 Use?

by Lauren Elward Last Updated: October 15, 2026

Quick answer: The HP OfficeJet 6500 (E709 series) uses four separate HP 920 cartridges: black, cyan, magenta and yellow. The high-yield HP 920XL versions fit too. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured 920XL Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and a 920XL 4-pack.

Don't confuse the 6500 with the later OfficeJet 6500A (E710). They're different printers, but both take HP 920 ink, so the same cartridges fit either one. European HP 920 cartridges end in 'AE' instead of 'AN' and are region-locked, so they won't work in a U.S. printer.

CastleScore · October 2026

69/100 — Situational

HP OfficeJet 6500

Pillar (weight)	Score	What it is based on
Owner ratings (28%)	—	No retailer rating with enough reviews to use.
Expert reviews (18%)	—	Reviewed by Computerworld Australia, without a numeric score we could verify.
Cost per page (24%)	91	About 2.5¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured 920XL (1,200 black / 700 color pages).
Reliability (13%)	74	Most-reported problems: 'Ink System Failure' and 0xc19a00xx error codes; printhead alignment failures; HP 920 cartridges not recognized, often European 'AE' versions; slow scanning
Features (12%)	72	Print, copy, scan, fax, document feeder, Ethernet, memory card slots. Wi-Fi and auto two-sided printing on the E709n only. Two-line text display, no touchscreen.
Value (5%)	80	Running cost and owner satisfaction

Limited data: We could not find enough owner ratings or published expert scores for this printer, so those weights are spread across the other pillars. With neither owner ratings nor a published expert score, we cap this printer at 69 (Situational) until better data is available.

Discontinued. HP announced the OfficeJet 6500 (E709) in March 2009 at $149 to $199 depending on the model. The OfficeJet 6500A (E710) followed it. HP 920 cartridges are still sold.

CastleScore is Castle Ink’s own editorial rating, built from retailer star ratings, expert reviews, real cost per page and owner complaint patterns, checked October 15, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.

The cartridges, pictured

Our own remanufactured cartridges, photographed in-house.

What Ink Cartridges Does the HP OfficeJet 6500 Take?

Cartridge	HP part no.	Approx. yield	Castle Ink option
HP 920 Black	CD971AN	~420 pages	—
HP 920 Cyan / Magenta / Yellow	—	~300 pages each	—
HP 920XL Black	CD975AN	~1,200 pages	Remanufactured 920XL Black
HP 920XL Cyan	CD972AN	~700 pages	Remanufactured 920XL Cyan
HP 920XL Magenta	CD973AN	~700 pages	Remanufactured 920XL Magenta
HP 920XL Yellow	CD974AN	~700 pages	Remanufactured 920XL Yellow

Yields are HP's ISO figures. The 920XL black holds almost three times the pages of the standard 920 black. HP says U.S. units shipped with standard HP 920 cartridges in the box.

Is HP 920XL Worth It?

Yes. On October 15, 2026, Staples listed HP's 920XL black at $69.09 (about 5.8¢ a page) and the 920XL cyan at $27.49, though the cyan was out of stock. Our remanufactured 920XL black is $9.95 (about 0.8¢ a page), each 920XL color is $9.95, and the 4-pack is $27.99.

How Do I Replace the Ink in the HP OfficeJet 6500?

With the printer on, open the ink cartridge access door and wait for the carriage to stop.
Press the tab on the front of the empty cartridge to release it, then pull it out.
Unwrap the new HP 920 or 920XL cartridge and remove the orange protective tape.
Slide the cartridge into the slot of the same color until it clicks into place.
Close the access door. Let the printer start up and print an alignment page if it asks.

Which Other Printers Use HP 920?

The OfficeJet 6500A and 6500A Plus. Seller listings also show HP 920 for the OfficeJet 6000, the OfficeJet 7000 Wide Format and the OfficeJet 7500A Wide Format.

What OfficeJet 6500 owners ask

These are the questions that come up most for this printer in HP's support community and owner reviews, answered in our words.

What does 'Ink System Failure' or error 0xc19a0013 mean?

The printer can't talk to its printhead. Unplug it from the wall (not a surge strip), take out the printhead and clean its copper contacts, then reseat it. If the error stays, it's usually a printhead or carriage failure.

Why does printhead alignment keep failing?

Usually clogged nozzles. Run the clean-printhead tool once or twice, load plain white letter paper and try the alignment again. Replace any cartridge that's low.

Is the 6500 the same as the 6500A?

No. The 6500A (E710) is a later model, but both use HP 920 and 920XL cartridges.

Does it print two-sided on its own?

Only the E709n wireless model has the built-in duplexer. The E709a doesn't.

OfficeJet 6500 quirks worth knowing

HP rates it at 7 ISO pages a minute in black and 6 in color, or up to 32 in draft mode.
The document feeder holds 35 sheets, and the paper tray holds 100.
Every model has Ethernet and USB, but only the E709n adds Wi-Fi and two-sided printing.
Computerworld Australia found scanning slow and the 37-button panel cluttered, with a two-line text display.

Frequently Asked Questions