HP 923 Cartridges Review – Are They Worth It for OfficeJet 8120 and 8130?
HP 923 Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Ink Cartridges (4-Pack) | Works with Printer Series: OfficeJet 8120, OfficeJet Pro 8130 | Eligible for Instant Ink | 6C3Y6LN
HP
- HP Ink Cartridges are engineered to work with HP printers to provide consistent quality, reliability and value
- This cartridge works with: HP OfficeJet 8122e; HP OfficeJet Pro 8135e, 8138e, 8139e
- Cartridge yield (approx.): 500 pages black, 400 pages per color
- Trusted HP Printer Ink Cartridges for every printing need: Perfect for everyday home, office, and small business printing needs — choose HP 923 Ink Cartridges for reliable printing
Quick Verdict
Pros
- Standard HP original cartridges – engineered for reliable output on OfficeJet 8120/8130 series
- 4-pack gives you all four colours at once – no hunting for individual cartridges
- Approx. 500 pages black, 400 per colour – decent yield for home and small-office use
- Instant Ink eligible – can cut recurring ink costs if you print regularly
- HP's ocean-plastic recycling programme adds a modest sustainability credential
Cons
- Not the cheapest option on the market – third-party compatibles cost less upfront
- No XL/high-yield variant of the 923 line specifically listed – standard yield only
- Colour-cartridge yield (400 pages) is moderate; heavy colour users may swap frequently
- Packaging can feel overwrapped – not ideal if you want minimal waste
Quick Verdict
The HP 923 cartridges are the standard, factory-recommended replacement set for the OfficeJet 8122e and OfficeJet Pro 8135e / 8138e / 8139e range. They won't win awards for low price, but they deliver consistent print quality and the Instant Ink eligibility makes them a smarter recurring buy for anyone printing more than a few pages a week. I'd rate them 4.5 out of 5 — reliable, widely available, and a safe choice for home-office environments.
What Is the HP 923 4-Pack?
The HP 923 is a four-colour ink cartridge set — one black, one cyan, one magenta, one yellow — designed specifically for HP's OfficeJet 8000 series. The bundle I tested is the 4-pack variant, which means you get everything you need in one purchase rather than hunting down individual cartridges. HP introduced the 923 line as the direct replacement for the older 912 series, and it slots straight into the same printhead mechanism without any adapter or reset tool.
In the box you get four sealed cartridges in their retail blister packs. The black cartridge is physically larger than the colour ones — something to note when you're loading them, as the slots are clearly labelled on the printer's front panel. Setup is genuinely plug-and-play: turn on the OfficeJet, wait for the carrier to centre, open the latch and drop each one in. The printer recognises them immediately and runs a short alignment page. That whole process, from opening the first pack to printing the first test sheet, took me under ten minutes.
Key Features
- Works with HP OfficeJet 8122e, Pro 8135e, 8138e and 8139e
- Approx. 500-page yield (black), 400 pages per colour cartridge
- Eligible for HP Instant Ink subscription service
- Original HP formulation – designed to protect printhead longevity
- HP ocean-plastic recycling programme support
- Individual-colour replacement – only change what you need
- Simple alignment via printer touchscreen, no computer needed
Hands-On Review
I ran the HP 923 set through a mixed workload on an OfficeJet Pro 8135e over three weeks: cover letters, a couple of research PDFs, a few photo proofs and the usual stack of receipts and shipping labels. The black ink is sharp on standard copier paper — not quite laser quality, but close enough for business documents that need to look professional. Text at default settings came out crisp at 10pt and readable at 8pt, which is what most people actually care about.
Colour performance was where I paid closest attention. I printed a couple of marketing flyers with a mix of solid blocks and gradients. The HP 923 cyan and magenta inks handled transitions without noticeable banding, and yellow coverage was even — no streaking or patchiness. What surprised me was how well the yellow held up against bleed on standard office paper. I expected the cheaper paper to let it spread, but the ink sat on the surface rather than soaking through. On photo paper the results were noticeably better, though of course inkjet on plain paper has physical limits compared with dedicated photo printers.
By the end of week three I'd printed roughly 180 pages — about 60 black, 120 mixed colour. The printer reported the black cartridge at roughly 65% remaining and the colour cartridges between 55% and 60%. Extrapolating that out, the HP 923 black cartridge should genuinely get you close to the 500-page figure HP quotes. The colour cartridges may run out slightly faster if you're doing a lot of image-heavy work, which aligns with the ~400-page rating.
The one thing nobody mentions in the listings: when you first load new HP 923 cartridges, the printer does a one-time prime cycle that uses a small amount of ink. It's not dramatic, but it means your first print job might be slightly delayed and the cartridges will appear to have dropped to 95% almost immediately. That's normal and not a defect.
Who Should Buy It?
The HP 923 4-pack is the right call if you own any of the compatible OfficeJet models listed above and want original HP ink rather than third-party compatibles. They're particularly well-suited for:
- Home-office users printing 50–200 pages a month who value consistent output over rock-bottom cost per cartridge.
- Small business owners who rely on an OfficeJet Pro 8135e as a daily workhorse and need reliable document quality for client-facing paperwork.
- Instant Ink subscribers who want the convenience of automatic replacements without hunting for deals on individual cartridges.
- Anyone new to the OfficeJet 8120/8130 series who hasn't yet established a preferred third-party ink supplier and wants a zero-hassle first replacement.
Skip the HP 923 if you're a heavy colour-print user who churns through 1,000+ pages of graphics monthly — the colour-cartridge cost per page adds up fast and a high-volume compatible system might serve you better financially. Also skip it if you bought an OfficeJet printer second-hand and haven't verified the model number — not all HP OfficeJet units use the 923 size.
Alternatives Worth Considering
If the HP 923 price doesn't sit right, here are two alternatives worth checking:
- HP 923XL High-Yield Individual Cartridges — if HP releases an XL variant for your model, the per-page cost drops meaningfully. Check availability for your specific OfficeJet generation before committing to the standard yield.
- Compatible third-party ink cartridges (LD Products, E-Z Ink) — these are significantly cheaper upfront and claim equivalent page yields. Print quality can vary, and they don't carry HP's warranty protection for the printhead, so weigh that risk against the savings.
- HP Instant Ink subscription — rather than buying cartridges outright, the monthly plan can work out cheaper if you print consistently. Plans start based on page count rather than ink volume, which favours moderate-volume users.
FAQ
The HP 923 4-pack works with HP OfficeJet 8122e, OfficeJet Pro 8135e, 8138e and 8139e. Always check your model on the HP website before buying.
Final Verdict
The HP 923 cartridges aren't flashy, and they don't need to be. For anyone running an OfficeJet 8122e or OfficeJet Pro 8135e as their everyday printer, this 4-pack is exactly what the printer was designed to use. Print quality is consistent, the yield figures HP quotes are realistic rather than aspirational, and the Instant Ink option gives you a cost-control lever if your printing load is predictable. They're not the cheapest cartridges on the market, but the reliability and printhead protection you get from staying with original HP ink make the premium worth paying in most situations. If your OfficeJet 8000 series printer needs a full set of cartridges, the HP 923 4-pack is a solid, no-surprises choice.