What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e Use?

Quick answer: The HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e uses HP 910 or HP 910XL ink cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow — four separate cartridges. The XL versions roughly triple the black yield and more than double the colors, so they are the cheaper way to run the printer. Important: this is an HP+ model, and if HP+ was activated at setup you are locked to Original HP ink — read the next section before ordering.

HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e Ink Cartridges at a Glance

The OfficeJet Pro 8028e is a four-cartridge all-in-one built around a separate, printer-mounted printhead — which is good news, because a clog is something you clean rather than something that scraps a cartridge.

One note on the numbers above: HP revised these yields downward. The 910 black was previously published at 300 pages and the 910XL at 825, and a lot of retailer listings still quote the older figures. The values in the table are HP's current ones.

Before You Buy: This Is an HP+ Printer

This is the single most important thing to understand about the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e, and it is not something HP puts in large type. The "e" on the end of the model name means it was sold as an HP+ printer, and HP+ is not just a software feature — it is a commitment.

If you activated HP+ during setup, HP's own terms require "exclusive use of Original HP Ink cartridges for the life of the printer," along with a permanent HP account and an always-on internet connection. In exchange you got extra warranty and some bundled Instant Ink months. HP publishes no way to undo that choice after the fact.

What this means in practice:

• If you enrolled in HP+, third-party cartridges will not work in this printer, and no compatible cartridge from us or anyone else will change that. Buy Original HP.
• If you declined HP+ at setup (you could opt out, and many people did), your printer behaves like a normal printer and compatible cartridges work fine.
• If you are buying this printer secondhand, ask the seller which way it was set up before you stock up on ink.

We would rather tell you this before you order than have a cartridge arrive that your printer refuses. If you are not sure which way your printer was set up, open the HP Smart app or the printer's information page and look for HP+ branding — an HP+ printer will say so.

Separately, and regardless of HP+: HP Instant Ink cartridges stop working the moment you cancel the subscription. HP's own support documentation says to use up the ink before unsubscribing, because the cartridge will not work afterwards. Those cartridges are rented, not bought.

Standard vs. XL: Which Should You Buy?

If your printer accepts compatible ink, the 910XL is the clear choice. Black goes from roughly 250 pages to 720 — nearly triple — and the colors from about 315 to 700 each, for a price nowhere near triple. The cartridges are physically interchangeable, so there is no trade-off beyond the higher up-front cost.

The one argument for standard 910 cartridges is a printer that sits mostly idle. Ink is a liquid and printheads dry out; if a cartridge would sit in the machine for a year or more, the smaller one wastes less when you eventually replace it. Run your own numbers with our Printer Ink Cost Calculator.

Dynamic Security. Like most current HP printers, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e ships with firmware that checks cartridge chips, and HP has been explicit that firmware updates "will maintain the effectiveness of these measures and block cartridges that previously worked." If you rely on compatible ink, turn off automatic firmware updates in the printer's embedded web server or HP Smart admin settings. Our guide on how to stop HP firmware updates from blocking your ink walks through it.

What Actually Ships in the Box

New HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e units come with setup cartridges, not full ones. HP publishes a support document confirming that in-box cartridges hold less ink than the standard versions sold at retail, though it does not publish an ISO yield for them. Expect the first low-ink warning sooner than the spec sheet suggests, and have replacements on the shelf before you need them.

How to Replace the Ink in the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e

1. Power the printer on and open the ink cartridge access door on the front. The carriage will move to the center and stop.
2. Press down gently on the cartridge you are replacing and pull it toward you to release it.
3. Take the new cartridge out of its packaging and remove the plastic tape from the contacts. Do not touch the copper contacts or the ink nozzles.
4. Slide the new cartridge into its color-coded slot at a slight upward angle, then press until it clicks into place.
5. Repeat for any other cartridges, then close the access door.
6. Let the printer run its short initialization. If prompted, print and scan the alignment page — it is worth doing after replacing more than one cartridge.

Keep the packaging for a few days in case a cartridge turns out to be faulty — most sellers, Castle Ink included, want it returned in its original box.

Troubleshooting Tips

"Cartridge problem" or "Incompatible cartridge": First check whether the printer is HP+ enrolled — that is the most common cause on this model, and no cartridge will fix it. If it is not HP+, power the printer fully off, reseat the cartridge, and power back on to force a re-read of the chip.

A cartridge that worked last week suddenly stopped: A firmware update almost certainly landed. Check the firmware date in the embedded web server and disable automatic updates.

Streaky or missing colors: Run Tools > Printhead Cleaning from the printer panel or HP Smart. On this series the printhead is separate from the cartridges, so a clog is fixable rather than fatal.

Printer reports low ink on a brand-new cartridge: HP's gauges estimate rather than measure, and they read compatible cartridges conservatively. Keep printing until quality actually degrades.

Wireless setup fails or drops: This series joins 2.4 GHz networks during setup. If your router broadcasts one combined SSID, temporarily separating the bands usually resolves it.

Which Other Printers Use the Same Ink?

The HP 910 / 910XL cartridge is used across a range of machines, which keeps compatible prices low and availability high. If you run more than one of these, a single cartridge type covers them all:

• HP OfficeJet 8010 / 8010e
• HP OfficeJet 8012 / 8012e
• HP OfficeJet 8014 / 8014e
• HP OfficeJet 8015 / 8015e
• HP OfficeJet 8022 / 8022e
• HP OfficeJet 8025 / 8025e
• HP OfficeJet 8028 / 8028e
• HP OfficeJet 8035 / 8035e
• HP OfficeJet Pro 8020 / 8020e / 8025e / 8028e / 8035e

Always check the number printed on the cartridge you are replacing before ordering — manufacturers reuse similar-looking numbers across families. You can also look your machine up in our Find Ink by Printer directory.

Compatible vs. OEM: What You're Actually Buying

An OEM cartridge is made by HP. A compatible is newly manufactured by a third party to the same physical and electrical spec. A remanufactured cartridge is an original shell that has been collected, cleaned, fitted with new wear parts and refilled. All three will print in a HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e; what differs is price, consistency, and who stands behind it.

Quality across the compatible market is genuinely uneven, which is why the seller matters more than the label. A no-name cartridge from a marketplace listing with no return path is a gamble. Castle Ink tests HP 910XL cartridges individually before they ship and backs every one with a replacement-or-refund guarantee.

And the warranty myth is just that: in the United States, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prevents a manufacturer from conditioning warranty coverage on the use of its own consumables. HP would have to show the third-party cartridge caused the specific failure being claimed.

How to Make Ink Last Longer on the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e

Manufacturer yields are quoted at 5% page coverage — a fairly sparse business letter. Real documents run denser, which is why cartridges so often feel like they run out early. A few habits genuinely stretch them:

• Print in draft/economy mode for anything internal. Reserve best quality for documents that leave the building.
• Leave the printer plugged in and powered. Inkjets run a small maintenance cycle on wake; unplugging between uses forces a full purge that costs more ink than the cycle it skipped.
• Print something at least every couple of weeks. Idle printheads dry out, and a clogged head burns far more ink in cleaning cycles than routine printing would have used.
• Skip the alignment page unless quality actually looks off. Those are high-coverage prints.
• Use a lighter font for drafts. Dropping from a 12pt heavy serif to an 11pt lighter face measurably cuts coverage over a long document.

Ignore advice about freezing cartridges or refilling them with syringe kits. Neither works reliably, and both are good ways to ruin a printhead.

Official HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e Resources

• HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e support page
• HP driver and software downloads
• HP+ program terms
• how to stop HP firmware updates from blocking your ink
• How to recycle used cartridges

Bottom Line

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e is a capable small-office all-in-one, and on 910XL ink the running costs are reasonable. The deciding factor is not really the cartridge — it is whether this particular unit was enrolled in HP+. Check that first. If it was not, compatible 910XL cartridges from Castle Ink cut your cost per page substantially. If it was, buy Original HP rather than finding out the hard way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ink does the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e use? HP 910 or HP 910XL cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow — four individual cartridges.

Can I use compatible ink in this printer? Only if it was not enrolled in HP+ at setup. HP+ printers require Original HP cartridges for the life of the printer. Units that declined HP+ accept compatibles normally.

How do I tell whether my printer is HP+? Open HP Smart or the printer's information screen — HP+ printers display HP+ branding. If you set the printer up yourself and declined the offer, it is not enrolled.

Is the 910XL worth it over the 910? Yes for almost everyone — roughly triple the black pages and more than double the color pages, for a much smaller price increase.

Why did the first set of cartridges run out so fast? The printer shipped with reduced-capacity setup cartridges rather than full ones.

What happens to Instant Ink cartridges if I cancel? They stop working. HP's support documentation is explicit that Instant Ink cartridges cease to function once you unsubscribe, so use the ink up first.

Does compatible ink void the warranty? No. US law prevents a manufacturer voiding a warranty purely because a third-party cartridge was used — though that is separate from HP+, which is a contractual term agreed at setup.

Written and reviewed by William Elward — Founder of Castle Ink, 20+ years in the printer and ink industry. Last updated August 2026.

Shop Compatible Ink at Castle Ink

Save 50–70% on replacement ink for the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e. Every cartridge is tested before it ships and backed by Castle Ink's compatibility guarantee — if it does not work in your printer, we replace it or refund you.

• HP 910XL compatible 4-pack (black, cyan, magenta, yellow)
• HP 910XL black (OEM chip)
• HP 910XL cyan (OEM chip)
• HP 910XL magenta (OEM chip)
• HP 910XL yellow (OEM chip)
• Shop all HP ink at Castle Ink

Buy the HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e on Amazon: HP OfficeJet Pro 8028e on Amazon

See also: Find Ink by Printer | Printer Ink Cost Calculator | Best Printers Buying Guide