Make sure you purchase the right ink cartridges for your specific printer and printer region or have your old ones refilled. Cartridges are not compatible between different brands, and often not within the same brand. HP often designs its inkjet hardware to use country-specific consumables. When you unbox a new HP inkjet printer and set it up, you install a set of ink tanks that ship with the printer. As you turn on the device and get ready to use it, an initialization sequence localizes it to the country associated with the ink cartridges you installed.
HP recommends that you use original HP ink cartridges. XL (Extra Large) cartridges cost more but do provide better value in the long run. The XL version of the cartridge for your HP Officejet Pro 8730 will be able to print at least 3 times the pages of a regular cartridge. Our advice is that if you print often, go with XL. However, ink can dry up. So if you are not a frequent printer, go with the regular cartridges.
You can check the estimated ink levels from the printer software or from the printer control panel. The icon below displays the estimated ink levels. From the printer control panel, touch or swipe down the tab at the top of the screen to open the Dashboard, and then touch:
Ink level alerts and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only. When you receive a low-ink alert, consider having a replacement cartridge available to avoid possible printing delays. You do not have to replace the cartridges until you are prompted to do so. HP recommends that you replace any missing cartridges as soon as possible to avoid print quality issues and possible extra ink usage or damage to the ink system. Never turn off the printer when ink cartridges are missing.
Which ink cartridges do I need for my HP Officejet Pro 8730 All-in-One Printer?
For your US HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 All-in-One Printer you need an HP 952 Black Ink Cartridge OR the XL version: HP 952XL Black High Yield Original Ink Cartridge OR the HP 956XL Black High Yield Original Ink Cartridge AND 3 color cartridges: HP 952 Cyan, HP 952 Magenta and HP 952 Yellow. There are also Combo Packs (4 cartridges in one pack) available, like the HP 952XL Black and 952 Tri-color (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) Combo Pack. Check the price of HP 952 cartridges at Amazon.com .
For your European or UK HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 All-in-One Printer you need an HP 953 Black Ink Cartridge OR the XL version: HP 953XL High Yield Black Original Ink Cartridge OR the HP 957XL High Yield Black Original Ink Cartridge AND 3 color cartridges: HP 953 Cyan, HP 953 Magenta and HP 953 Yellow.
Try Amazon's ink selector tool to find compatible ink cartridges for your printer.
Replace the ink cartridges
1. Turn the printer on by pressing the power button, if it is not already turned on. Wait until the product is idle and silent before continuing.
Remove the empty cartridge
2. Lift up and push back the ink cartridge access door. The carriage moves to the center of the printer. Wait until the print carriage stops moving before proceeding.
3. Find the cartridge you want to replace. Push in on the front of the cartridge to release it, and then pull it toward you to remove it from its slot.
Detailed image: Removing the empty cartridge from its slot
Insert the new cartridge
4. Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging. Do NOT touch the electrical contacts and ink port.
Do NOT lift the latch handle on the print carriage to install the ink cartridges. Doing so could cause the printhead or ink cartridges to be incorrectly seated, which can cause errors or print quality problems. The latch must remain down in order to correctly install the ink cartridges.
5. Hold the new cartridge so that the cartridge contacts face the printer. Using the color-coded letters for help, slide the ink cartridge into the empty slot until until it clicks into place and it is securely installed in the slot. Make sure that you insert the ink cartridge into the slot that has the same colored letter as the color you are installing.
Detailed image: Inserting the new cartridge into its slot
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for each ink cartridge you are replacing.
7. Close the print-carriage access door and wait until the warm-up sequence finishes and your printer is quiet before you proceed.
Align the printhead only if necessary.
Aligning the printhead ensures the high-quality output. The printhead does not have to be realigned when cartridges are replaced. However, you might want to use this feature for print quality issues in printouts where straight lines look wavy or jagged. You can align the printhead from the printer software and from the printer display.
