Half the calls we take at the counter are the same question: "which cartridge does my printer need?" HP uses a lot of similar-looking numbers — 46, 47, 678, 680, 802, 803, 805 — and buying the wrong one means a trip back to Sector 17.
This is the matching list, and then the part nobody tells you at the time of purchase: what each one costs to run.
Match your printer to its cartridge
| Your printer | Cartridge you need | Price | Rated yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra 4826, DeskJet 4800 series | HP 47 Black / HP 47 Tri-color | ₹630 each | 1,300 / 700 pages |
| DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra 4729, 2520, 5738, 5739, 6525 | HP 46 Black | ₹960 | ~1,500 pages |
| DeskJet Ink Advantage 2515, 2545, 2645, 3515, 3545, 4515, 4645 | HP 678 Black / Tri-color | ₹970 each | 480 / 150 pages |
| DeskJet 1000–3050 series | HP 802 Small Black | ₹964 | ~120 pages |
| Smart Tank 400–7000 series, Ink Tank 100/300/400, DeskJet GT 5800 | HP GT53XL Black bottle | ₹861 | 135 ml, high yield |
| Smart Tank and Ink Tank colour | HP GT52 Cyan / Magenta / Yellow | ₹783 each | ~8,000 pages |
| Laser MFP 131 series, Laser 107 series | HP 103A Black toner | ₹1,012 | ~1,500 pages |
| Laser 300 series, Laser MFP 300 series | HP 181X toner + HP 181A drum | ₹8,000 + ₹7,920 | 3,000 / 10,000 pages |
All prices include GST.
Check the number on the old cartridge before ordering. It is printed on the front. If the printer is still working, that number is more reliable than any list — including this one — because HP occasionally changes what ships in a region.
The number that actually matters
Cartridge price on its own tells you very little. Divide it by the rated yield and the picture changes completely:
| Cartridge | Price | Yield | Cost per page |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP 802 Small Black | ₹964 | 120 pages | ₹8.03 |
| HP 680 Black | ₹968 | 480 pages | ₹2.02 |
| HP 678 Black | ₹970 | 480 pages | ₹2.02 |
| HP 46 Black | ₹960 | 1,500 pages | ₹0.64 |
| HP 103A toner | ₹1,012 | 1,500 pages | ₹0.67 |
| HP 47 Black | ₹630 | 1,300 pages | ₹0.48 |
| HP GT52 bottle | ₹783 | 8,000 pages | ₹0.10 |
That is not a rounding difference. A page from an HP 802 cartridge costs eighty times what the same page costs from a GT52 ink bottle.
What that means in a year
Take a small office printing 300 pages a month — 3,600 a year:
- On HP 802 cartridges: about ₹28,900 a year in ink
- On HP 680 cartridges: about ₹7,270 a year
- On HP 103A toner: about ₹2,430 a year
- On a Smart Tank with GT52/GT53XL: about ₹360 a year
The Smart Tank 524 costs ₹11,974. Against HP 680 cartridges at that volume, it pays for itself in under two years — and against HP 802 cartridges, in about five months.
So when is a cartridge printer still the right buy?
When you genuinely do not print much. Under about 50 pages a month, the maths flips: you are unlikely to recover the higher purchase price of a tank printer before the machine is replaced, and ink left sitting in tanks for months can dry in the printhead.
The honest rule we use at the counter:
- Under 50 pages a month — a DeskJet with cartridges is fine. The DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra 4926 at ₹8,699 is the sensible floor.
- 50 to 200 pages a month, some colour — a Smart Tank. The Smart Tank 524 at ₹11,974 is the entry point.
- 200+ pages a month, mostly black text — a laser. Toner does not dry out, and the Laser MFP 1188a at ₹18,849 handles that volume without complaint.
Toner and drum are two different things
This confuses people with the Laser 300 series. The 181X toner (₹8,000, 3,000 pages) is the ink. The 181A drum (₹7,920, 10,000 pages) is the part that transfers it to paper.
You replace the toner roughly three times for every one drum. If your printer is showing faded or streaked output and a fresh toner did not fix it, the drum is the next thing to look at — not the printer.
A word on refills and compatibles
You will be offered third-party cartridges at a third of the price. We do not sell them, and here is the honest reason rather than the sales one: HP's warranty does not cover damage caused by a non-HP cartridge, and the failure we see most often — a leaked cartridge fouling the printhead — costs more to fix than the ink saved.
If your running cost is the problem, the answer is a tank printer, not a cheaper cartridge. The maths above is the argument.
Still not sure?
Bring the old cartridge, or a photo of it, to the showroom at SCO-12, Sector 17-E. We will match it in a minute. Or call +91 98149 58295 with the printer model and we will tell you what it takes.