Standard capacity vs High capacity Cartridges

The Case for High Capacity Ink Cartridges
When shopping for ink, the first challenge most consumers face is finding the right cartridge at the right price. At a big-box retail store, one could spend way too much time searching for their ink only to find that their cartridge isn’t even stocked. And if one is not sure of which cartridge couples with their printer, the task of finding the right ink can seem hopeless. Cue Inksell.com! With easy to use search options and extensive printer databases, Inksell makes finding the right cartridge at the right price a breeze.

Once you have located your printer model and are given your options at Inksell, you may be surprised to find that there are multiple cartridges listed as compatible with your printer. Beyond the choice between HP OEM cartridges and eco-friendly Inksell remanufactured cartridges, most printer models offer the choice of using a standard capacity or a high capacity cartridge. At first glance, the only apparent difference may be the price, but following deeper consideration, you may be surprised to find out that the seemingly more expensive high capacity cartridge will actually save you money.

Cost of PrintingLet’s compare the costs of printing with the HP 60 (Standard Capacity) and HP 60XL (High Capacity) black cartridges in both the Original HP and eco-friendly Inksell remanufactured cartridges.
OEM:
menuStandard CapacityHigh Capacity
Cost:$14.95$34.95
Ink Fill:5 ml15 ml (300% of standard yield!)
Est. Yield:200 pgs*600 pgs*
Est. Cost Per Page$0.07**$0.06**
Savings vs buying 3x standard yield cartridges. = $$9.90**
Eco-Friendly Inksell.com Remanufactured:
menuStandard CapacityHigh Capacity
Cost:$13.95$21.95
Ink Fill:5 ml15 ml (300% of standard yield!)
Est. Yield:200 pgs*600 pgs*
Est. Cost Per Page$0.07**$0.04**
Savings vs buying 3x standard yield cartridges. = $ 19.90

So, based on the figures, one can clearly see that high capacity cartridges offer value added printing that saves you money. Also, these savings become even greater when you choose the eco-friendly Inksell.com remanufactured option.

  • *HP yield estimates (note: yields are generally calculated at 5% page coverage)
  • **Based on HP yield estimates and Inksell.com prices
  • ***Inksell remanufactured cartridges are filled to full capacity

Take a Look Inside

Putting costs aside for a moment, let’s look at the structural differences between the two capacities. Contrary to intuitive notions, the two capacities are not the same exact cartridge just filled to different levels. The ink tanks on the inside of the cartridges are actually two different sizes. In the images below, compare the HP60 and 60XL black cartridges. The HP 60 (standard capacity) has a restricted tank that prevents this cartridge from ever being filled to its potential capacity. This has the greatest impact on customers who favor the D.I.Y. approach and refill their own cartridges. Instead of being able to fill the HP 60 with 15 ml of ink and extending refill intervals, these customers are limited to 5ml refills and constantly face running out of ink in the middle of large print jobs. Starting off with a high capacity (XL) cartridge offers refill customers cost savings, greater convenience, and peace of mind.

Further Examples

Below, you will find more examples of the internal structure of standard capacity cartridges compared to their high capacity counterparts.

Below, you will notice that the ink tanks in the depicted low capacity Canon cartridges are vertically restricted; the low capacity tank sponges are half as tall as the standard/high capacity tank sponges. These cartridges hold half as much ink. In addition to the two Canon cartridges depicted below, there are also the PG 50 black and CL 51 color high capacity ink cartridges. The PG 50 and CL 51 cartridges are physically identical to the PG 40 and CL 41, but are filled with twice as much ink and yield twice as many pages.

 

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