HP 56 Ink Cartridge
The HP C6656A black cartridge is currently HP’s most common cartridge, and probably the most common on the market today. It currently works in about 70 different inkjet printers, a number that other manufacturers cannot keep with simply because they do not have the huge number of models that HP does. By comparison, the next most common cartridge would probably be the Canon BCI-3e black, which works in about 30 fewer machines. Because it is such a common and popular product, there are a number of options:
HP OEM 56 - this is the cartridge that comes with your printer and the one you will find in stores. It is usually $20 everywhere you go, which doesn’t seem like much but in reality is significantly more than the cartridge that it replaced, the 51645A. The HP 45 is $30 but contains 42ml of ink, while the C6656 only has 19ml. So it works out to be about 70 cents per milliliter for the 51645 ink and 95 cents for the C6656 ink. On the other hand, the HP 56 is a bargain compared to newer black HP cartridges like the HP 94 (retails at $20 for 11ml) or the HP 21 ($15 for 5ml).
Remanufactured C6656 - this is a product that we, along with a growing number of other companies, sell at a price that is lower than HP’s retail price. Not speaking for everyone, but a typical remanufactured cartridge (like ours) is a 56 cartridge that has been cleaned, refilled to capacity and then fitted with a new print head. So it is basically a new cartridge with a recycled casing, which doesn’t really have anything to do with the performance of the cartridge.
Refill kits - available for almost all common HP inkjet cartridges, refilling is the option that saves you the most money. We sell a refill kit that is $10.99 and gives you two refills, so basically it works out to be $5.50 per refill. If you bought two new HP cartridges from the store, it would be about $40. Also, this cartridge is good for refilling because black cartridges are always easier to refill (simply because it is one color, not three) and because the 56 has a nice, basic design.
Refilling service - this is where you can have someone refill your cartridge for you. In our case, the service we offer is Renew. You purchase the service, receive a mailer and then send away your empty cartridge and it comes back to you refilled. This is a service for people who like to the idea of recycling and reusing their cartridges, but don’t have the time or the desire to refill their own cartridges.
More and more people are becoming aware that you don’t just have to throw away your empty HP cartridge and go to the store and buy another one at full price. There are a number of options, and even if none of these interest you, you can still recycle your cartridges just for the sake of recycling.
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April 14th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
I’ve had the chance to try 3 of the 4 different options in my Hewlett Packard printer. The HP 56 cartridge worked well, but was expensive. Refill kits were good too, but I’d perfer not to have to do the work myself. The remanufactured worked good too, and I saved a few dollars. All in all I’d say you can’t go wrong with any. Just depends on your needs.
April 22nd, 2006 at 10:34 am
You are lucky to not have had any problems but to those that have printer ink cartridge problems? Focus on the printer, not the ink cartridge.
Further into HP’s efforts to deceive the unsuspecting consumer. HP goes through this ruse of support and troubleshooting, print cartridge errors….. 99% of which ends up meaningless!
“HP cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of refilled or remanufactured cartridge”
What does this exactly mean? The quality? It means my standards do not meet HP standards. Is this why HP makes my printer inoperable? Reliability. If a refilled or remanufactured ink cartridge fails, it fails! I’ll just send it back. But, for the life of me, I cannot understand why I cannot operate my printer? Can HP tell the world, under what specific technical conditions has HP determined that the ink cartridge has failed, and therefore making my printer inoperable? Their answer would be crucial to HP’s credibility on the issue.
Recently, when the recycled red ink stopped working, as indicated by my test page, on a more than 3/4 filled color cartridge, past warranty period, the recycler sent me another one, at no cost. Why then, as I questioned in my letter to Mr. Hurd, the test page ran fine, but the next day, the printer immediately stopped working? HP company policy of shutting down a consumers printer is saying, all recycled ink cartridges are not of HP standards, and we will not allow our printers to operate, or the consumer, the free choice, to decide quality choices in the use of the purchasers printers.
In order to let you think that your recycled printer cartridges choices are inferior, and damaging, HP goes through this whole procedure as outlined in their website reference manual.
“Problem. A message or flashing light indicates a problem just after a new cartridge is installed A message indicates that there is a problem with a cartridge…Solution… Make sure the cartridges are compatible with the printer. See the manual for a list of compatible cartridges.”
“If the steps above have not solved the problem, follow the procedure below to wipe the cartridge contacts…. Wipe the copper-colored electrical contacts with a clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloth…. Be careful not to touch the nozzle area. …. If the steps above have not solved the problem, follow the procedure below to wipe the cartridge contacts….. Remove both cartridges….. Wipe the copper-colored electrical contacts with a clean, dry, lint-free cotton cloth.”
“If your cartridge doesn’t look exactly like one of the illustrations above, locate the contacts by looking for an area with a number of small copper squares….If the steps above do not fix the problem, follow the procedure below to clean the electrical contacts more thoroughly: Gather cleaning supplies: Clean distilled water. Use bottled or filtered water if distilled water is not available. Clean cotton swabs or any soft, lint-free material that will not stick to the cartridges (coffee filters work well)…. Remove both cartridges. Lightly moisten the lint-free cleaning material with clean water. Clean the cartridge contacts. Avoid touching the nozzles. Replace the cleaning material if it gets dirty. Using a new swab, clean the electrical contacts inside the printer, in the carriage. The illustrations below show contact locations for some representative carriages. If the steps above have not solved the problem, repeat them. .”
“If the error still occurs after repeating all the steps, replace the cartridges. If you have already replaced the cartridges once without solving the problem, click the link below to contact HP. The printer may need to be serviced.”
I like a fool, duped by this deceit, followed HP instructions, plus taking my printer apart. Nothing worked! Nowhere in these HP instructions does it mention you cannot use other suppliers remanufactured ink cartridges. If it had, it would have saved me a lot of trouble. Before making my printer inoperable, can HP tell me how many times must I purchase remanufactured recycled ink cartridges, allowing them to be fully depleted, and full use of my printer?
These HP service instructions are not meant for HP ink cartridge users, but mainly for fools like me, who risked destroying my perfectly operable printer. This is the reason they write this, ‘whole support & troubleshooting guide’. Duped consumers who for one reason or another choose recycled, or ink filling methods to satisfy their particular print quality needs. HP tells you to replace the cartridges, knowing full well most are not HP remanufactured ink cartridges, but remanufactured ink cartridges from other suppliers. Closing you down!
I have 6 ink cartridges. They are mine, I paid for them. If I wanted to use grape wine as ink, that is my choice. Grape wine is not an HP patent. Why then can I not operate my printer on grape wine, and why would HP shut my printer down? (Perhaps someday HP will drag somebody into court over grape wine ink)
Charges for servicing the printer. Hp psc 2170 series all-in-one reference guide state on page 66 , “For any hardware Product, the use of a non-HP print cartridge or a refilled print cartridge does not effect either the warranty to the Customer or any HP support contract with the customer. However, if Product failure or damage is attributable to the use of a non-HP or refilled print cartridge, HP shall charge its standard labor and materials charges to service the product for the failure or damage.”
You see what their scheme is, and to unsuspecting consumers, “..contact HP..the printer may have to be serviced.” I wonder how many times consumers have shipped, and allowed HP to service their perfectly operable printers, with absolutely nothing at all wrong with them? Serviced, and replaced only with HP ink cartridges, at a handsome profit. This happens because HP turns off the printer at specific times, for specific reasons unrelated to a ink cartridge problem. It all has to do with greed, and the fast buck.
What damage has there been to the printer? (Other than the damage done when taking one apart.) This all having nothing to do with print ink cartridges, or the printer. but with HP deceptive, and anti-competitive practices. And the free choice decisions of consumers.
By Michael Singer
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 8, 2005, 11:46 AM PDT
Hewlett-Packard settled its patent lawsuit with a Kansas City company that refills used inkjet cartridges and resells them to business retail outlets.
InkCycle said it has paid HP an undisclosed sum as part of the settlement. The patents cover the ink found in refurbished cartridges that are compatible with HP cartridges numbered 49, 57 and 78. HP initially filed the lawsuit in March after it discovered that
refilled inkjet cartridges sold under the Staples brand contained patent-infringing ink.
I ask again. What has this to do with my printer being shut down?
April 27th, 2006 at 4:34 am
To be perfectly clear
Hewlett Packard recycles their ink cartridges by promoting that HP cartridges be returned for recycling, using a self addressed, stamped envelope. Allowing HP, through their “refurbishing and reselling” effort to conserve resources, using the various recycling facilities of manufacturers around the world contracted by HP. Thus, the mere fact that there also are other recyclers available to refurbish, and recycle ink cartridges, but except for lower cost, and the free choice of the consumer, HP has restricted the consumer the full use, and the operation of HP printers.
Smith and Roberson’s Business Law, ninth edition. West Publishing. Chapter 43; ANTITRUST.
“Characterizing a type of restraint as per se illegal therefore has a significant effect on the prosecution of an antitrust suit. In such a case, the plaintiff need only show that the type of restraint occurred, she does not need to prove that the restraint limited competition…..Tying arrangements. A tying arrangement occurs when the seller of a product, service, or intangible (the “tying” product) conditions its sale on the buyers purchasing a second product, service, or intangible (the “tied” product) from the seller….Because tying arrangements limit buyers’ freedom of choice and may exclude competitors, the law closely scrutinizes such agreements.”
Hewlett Packard has, unbeknownst to customers who purchased HP printers (tying product), tied as a condition, the purchase of new HP ink cartridges (tied product), or HP recycled ink cartridges, through the use illegal anti-competitive consumer practices.
Again, I say Hewlett Packard, play your silly games by cheating consumers on ink cost, and supplies. I say go ahead! But don’t stop me from the use of my printer.
April 30th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Haiki, Wow! Well said. I have seen the recycling envelopes with cartridges when I purchase. Never really know what HP was doing with the cartridges. Thought just some good for the world. I guess that is in question now.
Why pay more for a recycled cartrige when the alternatives exist? I’ve learned something today.
May 1st, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Haiki, great point
It seems like HP is sending some mixed messages to consumers when it comes to recycling ink cartridges. They tell you to stay away from alternative printer ink but at the same time are launching programs and publicizing their recycle programs. I am all for recycling ink cartridge and computer waste but to give it back for free and be resold the same HP 56 at the new price is scandalous. Then to market to consumers to buy genuine HP ink, we live in a crazy world….
May 2nd, 2006 at 10:16 pm
I thought I was getting ripped off with the small amount of ink in my HP 56 cartridge. I noticed some of the new ink cartridges hp has introduced. They have come a long way from the 42ml cartridges of a few years back. I don’t like the direction we are moving. I am concerned that the next cartridge I buy is going to need to be replaced every other day with moderate use.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:36 pm
I have used the hp 56 refill kit and the remanufactured / compatible cartridges and they have worked great. I am not sure why more people don’t use these products.