HP 63 vs HP 63XL Ink: Which Should You Buy? 🖨️
The HP ENVY 4520 and HP OfficeJet 3830 are two of the most widely sold home printers in Australian retail history — millions of Australians have one sitting on a desk or shelf right now. And the most common follow-up purchase? HP 63 ink.
Ollie's sniffed this one out carefully (he takes ink savings very seriously 🐾), and Noodle's done the full cost analysis. Here's everything you need to know about HP 63 vs 63XL in Australia.
Which Printers Use HP 63 and HP 63XL?
The HP 63 range covers a very large number of popular Australian printer models:
HP ENVY:
- ENVY 4516, 4520, 4522, 4523, 4524
HP OfficeJet:
- OfficeJet 3830, 3831, 3832
- OfficeJet 4650, 4652, 4654, 4655, 4657
HP DeskJet:
- DeskJet 1110, 1111, 1112
- DeskJet 2130, 2131, 2132
- DeskJet 3630, 3631, 3632, 3633, 3634, 3636, 3637
If you bought an HP home printer at Officeworks, Harvey Norman, or JB Hi-Fi between 2015 and 2020, there's a very high chance it takes HP 63 cartridges.
Page Yield: HP 63 vs HP 63XL
| Cartridge | Standard 63 | XL 63XL | |-----------|------------|--------| | Black | ~190 pages | ~480 pages | | Tri-colour | ~165 pages | ~330 pages |
Yields based on HP ISO standard at 5% coverage.
The 63XL black delivers 2.5× more pages than standard. The 63XL colour delivers exactly double. Standard HP 63 cartridges are genuinely poor value unless you print only occasionally.
Cost Per Page: Genuine vs Compatible
At typical Australian retail prices:
| Cartridge | Genuine XL (est.) | Compatible XL | Saving | |-----------|-------------------|---------------|--------| | 63XLBK | ~4.0¢/page | ~1.6¢/page | ~60% | | 63XL Tri-colour | ~7.2¢/page | ~2.9¢/page | ~60% |
For a household printing ~100–150 pages/month (documents, forms, occasional photos), switching to compatible XL cartridges saves approximately $120–$180 per year.
The 2-Cartridge System
HP 63 and 63XL use a simple 2-cartridge system:
- 63XL Black (or 63BK standard)
- 63XL Tri-colour (cyan + magenta + yellow in one cartridge)
The tri-colour cartridge combines all three colours in a single unit. The downside: when one colour runs out (usually cyan), you replace the entire tri-colour cartridge even if the other two colours still have ink. This is a common HP design across budget inkjet lines.
Practical tip: black runs out significantly faster than colour at typical home print ratios (80% text/20% colour). Buy 2× black XL for every 1× colour XL to avoid running out mid-job.
HP 63 vs HP 65 — Common Confusion
HP also sells the HP 65 cartridge, which looks almost identical to HP 63 but fits different printer models (primarily HP DeskJet 2622, 2652, 3720, 3752, ENVY 5010, 5020, 5030 and related). They are not interchangeable — different chip and ink formulation. If you have an ENVY 5020 or DeskJet 3752, you need HP 65/65XL, not HP 63/63XL.
Ollie & Noodle's Verdict
- ✅ Always buy XL — 2.5× more pages (black) and 2× more pages (colour) vs standard
- ✅ Compatible XL saves ~60% per page — approximately $120–$180/year for a typical household
- ✅ Stock up on black — runs out 2–3× faster than colour at typical home print ratios
- ✅ Don't confuse HP 63 with HP 65 — check your printer model before ordering
- ✅ No warranty risk under Australian Consumer Law
Australian Consumer Law and HP Warranties
HP Australia cannot void your statutory warranty simply because you used compatible ink. Under the Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act 2010), HP must demonstrate the compatible cartridge directly caused a specific fault. Routine issues — paper jams, printhead clogs from infrequent printing, carriage errors — are mechanical faults unrelated to ink brand and must be covered under warranty.
Summary
- ✅ HP 63XL black: ~480 pages vs ~190 for standard (2.5× more)
- ✅ HP 63XL colour: ~330 pages vs ~165 for standard (2× more)
- ✅ Compatible XL saves ~60% per page — real money for regular printers
- ✅ 2-cartridge system: separate black + tri-colour
- ✅ Do NOT confuse with HP 65/65XL (different printer range)
- ✅ No warranty risk under Australian Consumer Law