What Ink Does the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 Use?
Last Updated:The HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 uses HP 952 and HP 952XL ink cartridges — four individual tanks in black, cyan, magenta and yellow. It shares its ink with the 8710, 8715, 8725, 8730 and 8740, so the cartridge market for it is unusually deep.
HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 Ink Cartridges at a Glance
| Cartridge | Color | Approx. Yield |
|---|---|---|
| HP 952 | Black | ~1,000 pages |
| HP 952 | Cyan / Magenta / Yellow | ~700 pages each |
| HP 952XL | Black | ~2,000 pages |
| HP 952XL | Cyan / Magenta / Yellow | ~1,600 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 8720
- Wireless all-in-one: print, scan, copy and fax
- 50-page automatic document feeder with two-sided scanning
- Automatic two-sided printing
- 250-sheet input tray plus a second tray option
- 4.3-inch colour touchscreen
The 8720 is a genuine small-office workhorse, and the 952XL is where the economics live: at roughly 2,000 black pages it costs dramatically less per page than the standard 952. For an office printing a few hundred pages a month, the difference between running standard and XL cartridges across a year is not marginal — it is usually the price of the printer itself.
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 952 Cartridge Should You Buy?
| Cartridge | Approx. Yield | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HP 952 (standard) | ~1,000 black / ~700 per color | Low-volume offices |
| HP 952XL (high yield) | ~2,000 black / ~1,600 per color | Double the pages — by far the lower cost per page |
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 952 / 952XL for the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720
Castle Ink's compatible cartridges for the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 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 8720
- 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 8720
"Used or counterfeit cartridge" messages. This generation is heavily affected by HP dynamic security. Disable automatic firmware updates from the printer's embedded web server before installing compatible ink.
Slow first page after idle. The 8720 parks and caps the printhead aggressively. That is normal behaviour, not a fault, and it is what keeps the nozzles clear between jobs.
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 8720
These come up constantly in mistaken orders. None of them will work in an HP OfficeJet Pro 8720:
- HP 902 / 902XL — OfficeJet 6950 / 6970 / 6978 series
- HP 910 / 910XL — OfficeJet 8010 / 8020 series
- HP 962 / 962XL — OfficeJet Pro 9010 / 9020 series
- HP 950 / 951 — the older OfficeJet Pro 8600 generation
Official HP Resources
Bottom Line
The HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 uses HP 952 / 952XL. 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 8720 use HP 952 or HP 962?
HP 952. The 962 belongs to the OfficeJet Pro 9010 / 9020 series.
How many pages does an HP 952XL black print?
About 2,000 pages at 5% coverage, versus roughly 1,000 for the standard 952.
Is the 8720 ink the same as the 8710?
Yes — the entire OfficeJet Pro 8700 range takes HP 952 / 952XL.
Can I use standard 952 colours with a 952XL black?
Yes, mixing yields across colours is fine.
Why did a working compatible cartridge start failing?
Almost always a firmware update. See our guide on stopping HP firmware updates from blocking your ink.
Does the 8720 scan both sides of a page automatically?
Yes — it has a duplexing 50-page ADF.
Is shipping free?
Yes — free U.S. shipping over $50 and a 1-year guarantee on every cartridge.
Shop Compatible Ink at Castle Ink
Save 50–70% on replacement cartridges for the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720. Guaranteed to work, backed by Castle Ink's compatibility guarantee.
Prefer to buy elsewhere? Compare HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 ink on Amazon.
Not sure which printer you have? Start at our Find Ink by Printer guide.
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