Very Disappointed – Misleading and Frustrating Experience

[Imardi]

★☆☆☆☆ – Extremely Disappointed

I purchased the HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e together with a new laptop, expecting a reliable printer. Unfortunately, my experience has been nothing but frustrating.

Since buying it, I have printed fewer than 20 pages. When I recently tried to print two documents, they came out so blurry that they were almost unreadable. Then the printer displayed a "Cartridges Low" message. I simply cannot understand how a brand-new printer can be nearly out of ink after such minimal use.

When I contacted customer support, I was told the printer comes with "starter cartridges." If that's the case, why isn't that made clear before customers purchase the printer? Important information like that should be clearly disclosed so customers know exactly what they are buying and can make an informed purchasing decision.

What makes this even more disappointing is that HP advertises printing plans based on a certain number of pages per month. Yet my printer couldn't even make it through fewer than 20 pages before reporting low ink. That doesn't inspire confidence in the product or the value it offers.

I feel misled by this experience. A new printer should not require customers to buy replacement ink almost immediately. I expected better quality, better transparency, and better customer service from a company like HP.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend the HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e. I regret purchasing it and would not buy this model again.

[idj_779]

Hi Imardi,

Welcome to the HP Community! I am a new volunteer here participating in the HP Solve-a-thon, and I completely understand your frustration. It is incredibly disappointing to buy a brand new printer, expect it to just work, and have it tell you it is out of ink after printing fewer than 20 pages. Your reaction makes total sense.

I can shed some light on exactly what happened here and why the printer behaved this way right out of the box.

The "setup cartridges" included in the box are not just small samples; they are actually designed to perform a one-time mechanical job. The OfficeJet Pro 8135e uses a system where ink travels from the cartridges through a series of internal tubes to reach the printhead. When the printer is brand new, those tubes are completely empty. During the initial setup process, the printer uses a significant amount of ink from those setup cartridges simply to fill all the internal plumbing and prime the printhead for the very first time.

Because so much ink is permanently moved into the printer's internal system during that one-time initialization, the actual volume left inside the setup cartridges to print pages on paper is very small. HP does not always explain this mechanical necessity clearly on the box, which is why it can easily feel misleading.

The blurry text you experienced is a direct result of this. As the setup cartridges ran dry, the printhead started starving for ink, causing the text to fade and blur because there wasn't enough pressure to push the ink onto the page.

The good news is that this rapid depletion only happens once. Because the internal tubes are now fully primed and full of ink, the next set of standard or high-capacity (XL) replacement cartridges you purchase will last for their fully advertised page yields. I know this is a frustrating start, but replacing the cartridges and running a quick "Printhead Cleaning" from the printer's settings menu will clear up that blurriness and get your printer running normally.

You can also refer to the below video walkthrough which demonstrates the correct way to properly seat your replacement ink when you are ready to swap out the empty setup cartridges:

• Loading HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e Cartridges

Thank you for being a part of the HP Community! 

I am an independent tech enthusiast and volunteer participating in the HP Solve-a-thon, not an HP employee.

If my steps helped you out, please click the Thumbs Up/Yes button below. If this completely resolved your issue, please click Accept as Solution so other users can easily find the answer!

[Deep_World]

Hi  @Imardi,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I  understand your concern, and I want to clarify what’s happening with your printer so you feel confident about the next steps.

The HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e comes with SETUP ink cartridges. These cartridges are specially designed to initialize the printer and calibrate ink levels during the first series of print jobs. They are not the same as standard replacement cartridges:

SETUP cartridges are included only in the box with a new printer.

They supply ink for the initial setup and calibration, which is why they may deplete faster than expected.

Once a SETUP cartridge is depleted, you’ll need to replace it with a normal ink cartridge that matches your printer model.

You can buy replacement cartridges and other supplies directly from the HP Store or from local retailers.

With respect to blurry prints we might have to confirm if the blurry prints are due to depleted SETUP cartridges or if there’s a printhead calibration issue. Once you switch to normal cartridges, you should see consistent print quality and better ink longevity.

I hope this helps.