What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet 6954 Use?

by William Elward Last Updated: October 14, 2026

Quick answer: The HP OfficeJet 6954 uses four separate HP 902 or high-yield HP 902XL cartridges: black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Castle Ink stocks remanufactured 902XL with original HP chips: 902XL Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.

The 6954 is part of HP's OfficeJet 6950 series and takes the same ink as the 6950 and 6958. The 906XL extra-high-yield black is listed for the OfficeJet Pro 6960/6970 models, not the 6950 series.

CastleScore · October 2026

69/100 — Situational

HP OfficeJet 6954

Pillar (weight)	Score	What it is based on
Owner ratings (28%)	—	No retailer rating for the 6954 itself with enough reviews to use.
Expert reviews (18%)	—	Expert Reviews covered the 6950, but we couldn't verify a numeric score.
Cost per page (24%)	78	About 4.6¢ per page blended (black + color) with our remanufactured 902XL (750 black / 825 color pages). Docked because the printer can reject cartridges without the maker's chip.
Reliability (13%)	72	Most-reported problems: 'problem with the printhead' errors; paper jam followed by printer failure 0x6100004a; black stops printing after the printer sits idle
Features (12%)	78	Print, copy, scan, fax, document feeder, auto two-sided printing, Wi-Fi. No Ethernet; small mono touchscreen.
Value (5%)	74	Low-cost all-in-one with affordable 902XL ink

Limited data: We could find neither enough owner ratings nor a numeric expert score for the 6954, so we cap it at 69 (Situational) under our methodology, matching the rest of the 6950 series.

No longer sold new. The 6954 was a retail variant of HP's OfficeJet 6950 series. HP 902 cartridges are still widely 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 14, 2026. It is not a customer review. See every ranked printer or how the score works.

The cartridges, pictured

Our own remanufactured cartridges, each reusing an original HP chip.

What Ink Cartridges Does the HP OfficeJet 6954 Take?

Cartridge	HP part no. (standard / XL)	Approx. yield (standard / XL)	Castle Ink option
HP 902 Black	T6L98AN / T6M14AN	~300 / ~750 pages	Remanufactured 902XL Black (OEM chip)
HP 902 Cyan	T6L86AN / T6M02AN	~315 / ~825 pages	Remanufactured 902XL Cyan (OEM chip)
HP 902 Magenta	T6L90AN / T6M06AN	~315 / ~825 pages	Remanufactured 902XL Magenta (OEM chip)
HP 902 Yellow	T6L94AN / T6M10AN	~315 / ~825 pages	Remanufactured 902XL Yellow (OEM chip)

HP has lowered its 902XL black rating from 825 to about 750 pages, and some retailers now list the XL colors at 750 too, so treat the color figure as an upper estimate. The setup cartridges in the box are rated about 265 pages black and 310 color. HP 903 and 907 are the European versions and won't work in a U.S. printer.

Is HP 902XL Worth It?

Yes. The XL cartridges hold more than twice the ink. On October 14, 2026, Staples listed Original HP 902XL black at $62.89 (about 8.4¢ a page) and each color at $37.99. Our remanufactured 902XL black with an original HP chip is $20.99 (about 2.8¢ a page), and each color is $15.99.

Dynamic security. The 6950 series blocks cartridges with non-HP chips, and HP's fix to switch that off applied only to printers made before December 2016. Remanufactured cartridges that reuse an original HP chip, like our OEM-chip 902XL, are the safe choice, and it's worth turning off automatic firmware updates.

How Do I Replace the Ink in the HP OfficeJet 6954?

Turn the printer on and open the cartridge access door.
Wait for the carriage to stop moving.
Press the tab on the front of the cartridge and pull it out.
Unwrap the new cartridge without touching the contacts and push it into its color-coded slot until it snaps.
Close the door and run alignment if the printer asks.

Which Other Printers Use HP 902?

The OfficeJet 6950, 6951, 6956, 6958 and 6962, and the OfficeJet Pro 6960, 6968, 6970, 6975 and 6978.

What OfficeJet 6954 owners ask

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

Will the 906XL fit?

It isn't listed for the 6950 series. HP and retailers list the 906XL for the OfficeJet Pro 6960/6970 models and the 6962. Use 902 or 902XL.

Will cartridges from Europe work?

No. HP 903 and 907 are region-locked to Europe, and a U.S. 6954 rejects them.

It says there's a problem with the printhead. What can I try?

Turn the printer off, unplug it for a minute, reseat the cartridges and clean their contacts. If the message returns, HP treats it as a hardware fault; the printhead isn't sold separately.

Black stopped printing after the printer sat unused. Is the cartridge bad?

Usually the nozzles have dried. Run the Clean Printhead tool two or three times, then print a quality report before replacing the cartridge.

Why are some third-party cartridges rejected?

Dynamic security blocks non-HP chips. Cartridges that reuse an original HP chip avoid it.

OfficeJet 6954 quirks worth knowing

HP rates it at about 16 pages a minute in black and 9 in color, with a 35-sheet document feeder.
It prints two-sided automatically and faxes in color.
It connects by Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct or USB; there's no Ethernet port.
It has a 225-sheet tray, and HP recommends 200 to 800 pages a month.

Frequently Asked Questions