Ink Usage

[Nels3]

Why does the ink last only a short while?  The print quality is very poor and I seem to be always buying new cartridges and they are not cheap. 

[TEJ1602]

@Nels3, Welcome to HP Support Community!

Do the cartridges show low ink in the ink level monitor, or are they actually running out of ink as evidenced by deteriorating print quality?

There are a few things to prevent excess ink usage:

• The printer should always be plugged into a live outlet.  If you use an external switch such as an outlet switch then more ink will be used at each startup.
• Do not run cleaning cycles from the computer's toolbox or the printer's front panel.  These are rarely needed (perhaps once for each half dozen cartridges) and will use ink.
• Printing in Draft mode may have acceptable quality while providing about 2x the pages of Normal or Best modes.  

I hope that answers your concern adequately. Let me know!

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