HP Envy 4520 Ink Cartridges
Your HP Envy 4520 uses the 63 / 63XL ink series, featuring a two-cartridge system consisting of one black and one tri-colour unit. This printer is primarily designed for home and student use where print volumes fluctuate. Because the tri-colour cartridge houses cyan, magenta, and yellow together, a depletion in one primary shade requires a full replacement of the unit. Users who print text-heavy documents punctuated by the occasional colour graphic find the high-yield 63XL cartridges significantly more reliable for maintaining consistent print readiness without frequent intervention.
Choosing between genuine and compatible options
To manage printing costs for school projects or household admin, selecting compatible alternatives provides significant cost benefits. Compatible HP 63XL cartridges function identically to manufacturer-made originals, ensuring text and graphics print smoothly without physical compatibility issues. Under Australian Consumer Law, using compatible cartridges does not void your printer warranty. If you would like to explore how these third-party inks perform alongside OEM alternatives, read our guide on genuine vs compatible cartridges.
Expected page output and replacement cycles
Page yields for this system are tested according to the ISO/IEC 24711 standard for thermal inkjet devices, which uses a standard batch of mixed plain-paper test documents printed continuously. If you print heavy school assignments, high-coverage images, or colour-rich forms, you will consume ink faster than standard text letters, which reduces actual page yield. Upgrading from standard HP 63 cartridges to the high-yield HP 63XL series is highly recommended for families as the XL tanks hold more ink in the exact same physical size, which reduces the frequency of replacements.
| Cartridge Number | Type | Colour | Page Yield | Cost Per Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Standard | Black | 190 | $0.23 |
| 63 | Standard | Colour | 165 | $0.35 |
| 63XL | High Yield | Black | 480 | $0.20 |
| 63XL | High Yield | Colour | 330 | $0.31 |
Cost Per Page = Total Cartridge Price ÷ Page Yield (at 5% coverage). Prices based on Genuine cartridges.
How most users manage replacements
When printing primarily text-heavy homework, recipe sheets, and shipping labels, having a spare high-yield black ink on hand is the best approach. If you produce creative projects or family photos, purchasing a bundle containing both black and tri-colour tanks is the most economical option to lower your cost-per-page. If you are trying our compatible options for the first time, they are backed by a comprehensive money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their performance.
Free delivery applies on all orders over $99 (conditions apply). We dispatch our stock from regional distribution centres located in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide to ensure your order reaches you as fast as possible. You can browse our full catalogue of HP ink cartridges to stock your household supplies. If you select the wrong series by mistake, we make exchanges straightforward through our clear returns policy.
Pro Tip
Because the HP 63 tri-colour cartridge contains yellow, magenta, and cyan ink within a single divided chamber, printing images with heavy blocks of a single colour will deplete that specific chamber first. To prolong the life of your tri-colour cartridge, adjust your printer properties to use "Grayscale" or "Draft" mode for everyday document printing, saving colour ink for final drafts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install a single HP 63XL black cartridge and leave the colour slot empty?
No, the printer requires both a black and a tri-colour cartridge physically installed in their respective carriages to complete the electrical circuit and initialise. However, if your tri-colour cartridge is completely out of ink, you can configure your computer print settings to "Black and White Only" or "Grayscale" to continue printing temporary monochrome documents.
Why does the standard HP 63 tri-colour cartridge run out of ink so much faster than the black?
The HP 63 tri-colour cartridge houses three separate colour chambers in one unit. If you print documents with a dominant shade, such as a school report with blue borders, the cyan chamber will empty completely while yellow and magenta remain; once any single chamber runs dry, the entire cartridge must be replaced to restore full colour printing.
Will an HP 63XL high-yield cartridge physically fit into the slot of a standard HP 63?
Yes, the external dimensions of the standard HP 63 and high-yield HP 63XL cartridges are exactly the same. The high-yield version simply contains a larger internal ink sponge with a greater volume of fluid, allowing you to install it into the printer without any special adjustments.
