What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 Use?
Last Updated:The HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 uses HP 902 and HP 902XL ink cartridges — four separate tanks in black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Because each colour is its own cartridge, you replace only the one that runs out, which is a meaningful saving over a tri-color printer.
HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 Ink Cartridges at a Glance
| Cartridge | Color | Approx. Yield |
|---|---|---|
| HP 902 | Black | ~300 pages |
| HP 902 | Cyan / Magenta / Yellow | ~315 pages each |
| HP 902XL | Black | ~825 pages |
| HP 902XL | Cyan / Magenta / Yellow | ~750 pages each |
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 Pro 6968
- Wireless all-in-one: print, scan, copy and fax
- 35-page automatic document feeder
- Automatic two-sided printing
- 225-sheet input tray
- Four individual ink cartridges rather than a tri-color
The 6968 is one of the models most affected by HP's dynamic security firmware. An update pushed to this printer can start rejecting non-HP chips overnight, on a cartridge that worked the week before. Turning off automatic firmware updates from the printer's embedded web server, before you install compatible ink, is the single most useful thing a 6968 owner can do.
Firmware and Non-HP Chip Warnings
HP ships firmware on this generation that can reject cartridges whose chip it does not recognise — a policy HP calls dynamic security. A cartridge that worked last month can start throwing a "Non-HP chip detected" or "Supply Problem" message after an automatic update, with no other change.
The fix is to get ahead of it: open the printer's embedded web server, turn automatic firmware updates off, and leave them off. Our guide on how to stop HP firmware updates from blocking your ink walks through it screen by screen. Do this before you install a compatible cartridge, not after.
Standard or XL — Which HP 902 Cartridge Should You Buy?
| Cartridge | Approx. Yield | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HP 902 (standard) | ~300 black / ~315 per color | Very light office use |
| HP 902XL (high yield) | ~825 black / ~750 per color | Nearly 3x the pages — the right choice for any real office volume |
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 902 / 902XL for the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968
Castle Ink's compatible cartridges for the HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 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 Pro 6968
- 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 Pro 6968
"Cartridge Problem" on one colour only. Swap that single cartridge rather than the whole set. On four-tank OfficeJets the error is nearly always specific to the chip on one cartridge.
Faint horizontal banding. Run the printhead alignment from the front panel, not just a cleaning. The 6968 uses a fixed printhead, so alignment drifts over time in a way tri-color printers do not.
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 Pro 6968
These come up constantly in mistaken orders. None of them will work in an HP OfficeJet Pro 6968:
- HP 952 / 952XL — OfficeJet Pro 8710 / 8720 / 8740 series
- HP 910 / 910XL — OfficeJet 8010 / 8020 and OfficeJet Pro 8020 series
- HP 962 / 962XL — OfficeJet Pro 9010 / 9020 series
- HP 906XL — a black-only variant that is not a drop-in for the color slots
Official HP Resources
Bottom Line
The HP OfficeJet Pro 6968 uses HP 902 / 902XL. 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 Pro 6968 use HP 902 or HP 952?
HP 902. The 952 belongs to the OfficeJet Pro 8710 / 8720 generation.
How many pages does an HP 902XL black print?
About 825 pages at 5% coverage, versus roughly 300 for the standard 902.
Can I mix standard and XL cartridges?
Yes. There is no problem running a 902XL black alongside standard 902 colours.
Why did my compatible cartridge stop working after an update?
HP's dynamic security firmware. See our guide on stopping HP firmware updates from blocking your ink, then disable automatic updates in the printer's settings.
Does the 6968 have a separate printhead?
Yes — the printhead is built into the printer, not the cartridge, so alignment matters more than on a DeskJet.
Can I print if one colour is empty?
Not reliably. The OfficeJet Pro range typically blocks printing until every installed cartridge reports ink, even for black-only jobs.
Is shipping free?
Yes — free U.S. shipping over $50 and a 1-year guarantee on every cartridge.
Shop Compatible Ink at Castle Ink
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Not sure which printer you have? Start at our Find Ink by Printer guide.
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