HP 962XL magenta · XL

The HP 962XL magenta fits the OfficeJet Pro 9015, 9015e, 9018e, 9025 and 9025e. It is the high yield version of the standard 962 magenta, in the same slot and the same shape, with more ink behind the chip.

Read the yields rather than the word XL. This cartridge is rated at 1,600 pages for $49.99 and the standard is rated at 700 for $30.99, which is 3.12c a page against 4.43c. The extra ink is priced below the extra pages, so the XL is about 29 percent cheaper per page as well as 900 pages longer between changes. Three XL colours together come to $149.97, against $92.97 for a standard set.

The tank you should keep a spare of is whichever colour you get through fastest, and on this family that matters more than it looks. HP's position for these printers is that they stop printing when any one cartridge is empty, because the head lives in the printer and takes ink from every tank when it services itself. A dead magenta on a Friday afternoon stops the black text as well.

Our lockout list covers all five of these printers. The e models were sold with HP+, which permanently restricts an enrolled printer to Original HP cartridges, and the rest are subject to Dynamic Security, where a firmware update can start refusing non-HP chips. Either way, turn off automatic updates before you commit to compatibles.

If the printer refuses a tank you have just fitted, read the wording. Missing, damaged or not detected points at the contacts, and a wipe with a dry lint-free cloth and a firm reseat usually clears it. A message about a cartridge that is not genuine HP or not authorised is the firmware talking, and reseating will not help.