I just printed about 30 pages, 29 of which are illegible. In my office I have SIX other printer cartridges for HP printers which are not the correct one!!! :smack:
::whines:: Why must this be so difficult?
::stomps off::
I got a business class color laserprinter for a pretty good price. Figured it’d last me a lifetime. A $1400 printer and new color cartridges cost me about $450. I figured the ‘300 pages remaining’ on the black demo cartridge would last awhile before I needed to change it.
At 250 pages, it started insisting I needed to order a new cartridge. (calculated, based on the 11.4% paper coverage from previous print jobs.)
I decided it was time to burn some toner, so I made a 9x7 rasterbator image of the planet earth on a starry background.
63 mostly black pages later, it says 'based on the 11.1% coverage from past pages I have 308 pages remaining.
At this rate, I’ll be watching a ‘please replace black cartridge’ for the rest of my life.
Oh sure, rub it in! 
I always have two packs of black ink for all our machines stored right by the machine. When anyone installs the first of the pack I order another two pack.
I cannot stand running out of printer ink.
I have an HP inkjet sitting next to the Color laserjet…it was replaced by the laser printer, but since there was nothing wrong with it, it seemed wasteul to just throw it out. One slow Sunday afternoon, I got out the inkjet refill kit (the one at Costco even includes the special photo cartridge inks) and tried to resurrect the cartridges. Long story short, One of the wells got contaminated (refilling is a messy chore), and I suspect I’d need to buy a new cartridge to fix the problem.
But in doing so, I got a diagnostic page that says I’ve only put 430 pages through that printer. $150 of the printer, plus at least 5 cartridges over three years for $430. Not a good value…about $0.70 a page. 
But… But…
I TRIED to keep ink on hand, but, but, aw, it’s such a long story, I could never explain it all again anyways.
Is it a laser printer? If so take out the toner cartridge and shake it for a few seconds. After you put it back in you will be able to print a few more pages.
Nope, but thanks. Already been to Staples and bought another cartridge.