What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e Use?
Last Updated:Quick answer: the HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e uses HP 923 ink — four individual pigment cartridges. The high-yield tier is spelled HP 923e. There is no such thing as an HP 923XL, and any listing selling you one is relabelling something else.
Worth knowing up front: the 8138e is a club-channel version of HP's OfficeJet Pro 8130e series, sold through Sam's Club and Best Buy rather than HP.com. The hardware is the 8130e; what differs between the 8135e, 8138e and 8139e is the bundled Instant Ink term, not the printer. All of them take the same cartridges.
HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e ink at a glance
| Cartridge | Family | Part Number | Approx. Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black (standard) | HP 923 | 4K0T3LN | ~500 pages |
| Cyan (standard) | HP 923 | 4K0T0LN | ~400 pages |
| Magenta (standard) | HP 923 | 4K0T1LN | ~400 pages |
| Yellow (standard) | HP 923 | 4K0T2LN | ~400 pages |
| Black (high yield) | HP 923e | 4K0T7LN | ~1,000 pages |
| Cyan (high yield) | HP 923e | 4K0T4LN | ~800 pages |
| Magenta (high yield) | HP 923e | 4K0T5LN | ~800 pages |
| Yellow (high yield) | HP 923e | 4K0T6LN | ~800 pages |
Those are HP's own ISO figures. The 923e tier roughly doubles both the black and the colors, which is a bigger jump than most HP families offer and makes it the obvious choice if you print steadily.
Four individual cartridges: why it matters
This printer uses one cartridge per color rather than a combined tri-color. When magenta runs out you replace magenta, not a three-color block with usable cyan and yellow still inside it. Over a year of mixed printing that is one of the largest savings a printer design can offer.
All four are pigment inks, which is why plain-paper output looks crisp and resists smudging and highlighter better than dye-based ink. It is also why this class of machine suits documents rather than glossy photos.
Read this before you buy third-party ink
The 8138e is an HP+ eligible printer and ships bundled with Instant Ink months. If you accepted HP+ during setup, HP requires Original HP cartridges to operate the machine and compatible cartridges will not work. HP+ printers also need an active internet connection to print. If you declined HP+, compatibles work normally. Our guide to printers that do not lock you into OEM ink covers the trade-off.
Castle Ink recommendation
Castle Ink stocks compatible HP 923 cartridges in all four colors, each with an OEM chip so the printer reads levels correctly, and each guaranteed for a year:
Straight answer on the high-yield tier: we do not currently stock a compatible 923e. If you want the 1,000-page black you will need the OEM cartridge for now. We would rather tell you that than sell you a standard cartridge described as high-yield.
About the HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e
A small-office all-in-one: print, scan, copy and fax, with automatic duplex printing, a 35-sheet ADF and a 225-sheet input tray. Rated at 20 ppm black and 10 ppm color, with a 2.7-inch touchscreen, Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi. HP puts the recommended monthly volume at up to 800 pages.
If your unit says 8130e, 8135e or 8139e instead, you are in the right place anyway — the whole series runs on HP 923.
Common problems on this model
Streaks, banding or a missing color
Print the Print Quality Diagnostic Report from Menu, then Utilities, Tools, Reports, Status Reports. Streaks or gaps in the test boxes mean clean the printhead; crooked lines mean align it. Note that the printer runs in backup mode when one cartridge is empty — greyscale if color is gone, composite black if black is gone — which people often mistake for a fault.
"Cartridge problem" after a firmware update
Reseat the cartridge and power-cycle first: unplug at the wall for 60 seconds. If it persists, our guide to firmware updates and third-party ink explains what changed and how to stay ahead of the next one. On an HP+ enrolled printer, no amount of reseating will make a non-HP cartridge work.
Printer shows offline
Restart the printer, the computer and the router, then confirm the printer is on the same network name your computer uses. This model has Ethernet, which is the durable fix if the Wi-Fi keeps dropping.
Paper jams at the duplexer
Check the rear access door and pull the duplex cassette right out — on this series that is where most jams actually sit. See our paper jam guide.
FAQ
What ink does the HP OfficeJet Pro 8138e use?
HP 923 in black, cyan, magenta and yellow, or the high-yield HP 923e equivalents. Four individual cartridges.
Is there an HP 923XL?
No. The high-yield tier is HP 923e. Listings advertising a 923XL are using a part number that does not exist — some of them ship a standard 923.
Does the 8138e use HP 924 or HP 925 ink?
Not in the US. HP 924 and 925 are the same cartridges under regional part numbering — 924 for Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, 925 for most other markets. They are region-locked and a US machine will not take them.
Does the 8138e use HP 910 ink?
No. HP 910 and 910XL belong to the older OfficeJet 8010 and OfficeJet Pro 8020 and 8030 generation.
Is the 8138e the same as the 8135e or 8139e?
For ink, yes. All three are the OfficeJet Pro 8130e series; the differences are the sales channel and the bundled Instant Ink term.
Shop HP 923 now
Restock the black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Different model? Find it on our Find Ink by Printer page, or see how your printer scores on running cost in the monthly CastleScore rankings.
An independent 0–100 score for every printer, refreshed monthly from thousands of owner reviews and expert tests — plus what the ink or toner actually costs to run. See this month's Top 10 inkjet and laser rankings, or use the PrinterIQ™ finder.
See the CastleScore rankings →