Which ink does the Epson WorkForce WF-7720 use?

The WorkForce WF-7720 uses the Epson 252 range, and it is one of the few Epson models where black is sold in three sizes rather than two. There is the standard 252 black at about 350 pages, the 252XL at about 1100 pages, and the 254 at about 2200 pages. Colours come in two sizes only, the 252 and the 252XL.

The size you pick changes the cost per page by more than double. The 254 black lists near $55 and comes to about 2.5 cents a page. The 252XL black at around $38 is close to 3.45 cents, and the standard 252 black at about $20 is roughly 5.71 cents. The colours split the same way: a 252XL colour is about 2.73 cents a page against roughly 5.67 cents for the standard version. Since the 254 is a black-only part, the cheapest way to run this printer is a 254 black paired with 252XL colours. Standard sizes are worth buying only if the printer sits unused long enough that ink would go off first.

Epson can refuse third-party ink on the WF-7720 through a firmware update, and our tracker records it as lockable on the strength of Epson's own guide for the model, which says non-Epson cartridges that worked before an update may not continue to work after one. Compatible 252XL cartridges are widely made and generally fit without drama, with a non-genuine ink message you can dismiss. Ink level estimates from third-party chips are less reliable than Epson's own, so the practical routine is to keep a spare rather than trust the gauge.

Something that is not a cartridge will eventually stop this printer. It has a replaceable maintenance box, which soaks up the ink spent on cleaning cycles and borderless printing, and when its counter fills the printer halts. Epson's own instructions for the WF-7720 have you press the tabs, open the rear cover and pull the box out of its holder, avoiding the green chip on the new one. Budget for that part the way you budget for ink, and bear in mind that running head cleanings repeatedly to chase a banding problem fills it faster. Read the nozzle check first and clean only the channel that is failing.