CartridgesDirect stocks genuine and compatible ink cartridges for every major printer brand available in Australia. HP, Epson, Canon, Brother, Lexmark, Fuji Xerox, the full range. Whether you’re replacing a single cartridge in a home PIXMA or keeping a fleet of WorkForce Pro machines running in an office, you’ll find both genuine OEM and compatible options here, with the page yield and pricing information to compare them properly before you buy.
Stocked orders placed before 2PM dispatch the same day. Free shipping on eligible orders over $75. Not sure which cartridge fits your specific model? Use the Finder tool to match your printer to the right cartridge, including standard yield and XL options, in under a minute.
Every printer cartridge listing on CartridgesDirect shows both options side by side: the genuine OEM version and a compatible alternative where one exists. The difference comes down to who manufactured the ink and what that means for your running costs.
Genuine cartridges are produced by the printer brand. HP manufactures its own ink. Canon manufactures its own. Epson, Brother, Lexmark, the same. These cartridges are formulated specifically for each printer’s printhead and ink delivery system, tested to the manufacturer’s colour profile and carry the brand’s own quality guarantee. For photo printing, client-facing work, or printers still under a manufacturer’s support arrangement, genuine is usually the right call.
Compatible cartridges are produced by independent manufacturers. They’re built to the same physical dimensions and print to the same ISO-tested page yield standards as the genuine equivalent. The difference is the price. Compatible cartridges for popular models typically cost 40 to 70 percent less than their genuine counterparts on a per-cartridge basis and that gap widens on a cost-per-page calculation when you factor in XL yield options.
Under Australian Consumer Law, using compatible consumables does not automatically void your printer warranty. A manufacturer would need to demonstrate that the compatible cartridge caused a specific fault before a warranty claim could be denied on that basis. CartridgesDirect has stocked compatible cartridges for Australian businesses since 2006. The compatible range carried here is sourced from manufacturers whose products meet ISO yield testing standards, not budget imports with no quality control behind them.
Ink cartridges are printer-specific. Two HP printers sitting side by side on a desk can use completely different cartridge families. An HP 63 won’t fit a printer that takes an HP 67. A Canon PG-245 won’t fit a printer that uses a PG-640. Getting this wrong means a return, a delay and a printer that sits idle.
The fastest fix is the CartridgesDirect Finder tool. Enter your printer model and it returns every cartridge confirmed to fit, including standard and XL options, with pricing for both genuine and compatible. No guesswork.
If you’d rather check manually, the cartridge number is printed on your current cartridge and usually also printed inside the printer’s cartridge bay door. For the four largest brands:
Most ink cartridge families come in at least two sizes: standard yield and XL (high yield). The cartridge is physically identical and fits the same printer slot. The difference is how much ink is inside and what that does to your cost per page.
Page yield is measured to the ISO/IEC 24711 standard at 5%-page coverage, which represents a typical text-heavy document. Your actual yield will vary depending on how much of the page you cover with ink. Full-colour graphics and photos use significantly more ink per page than text-only printing, so treat yield figures as comparative benchmarks rather than guarantees.
The maths on XL cartridges usually favours the upgrade for anyone printing regularly. An HP 65 standard cartridge yields around 120 pages. The HP 65XL yields around 300 pages. The XL costs more upfront, but the cost per page drops considerably. For a home user printing 50 to 100 pages a month, that difference adds up to a meaningful saving across a year’s worth of replacements.
Usage guide for yield selection:
The most common home printers sold in Australia run on HP DeskJet, HP ENVY, Canon PIXMA and Epson Expression cartridge families. Most are compact all-in-one models: print, copy, scan in a single unit. The cartridge sets for these printers are compact too. Typically, two cartridges: black and a combined tri-colour, or four individual colours depending on the model.
For home users, print volume is usually lower than office environments, which means the cost-per-page calculation matters differently. A standard yield cartridge might last two or three months with light use. The priority is usually convenience, not bulk volume and having the right replacement cartridge before the printer runs out on a school night matter more than optimising for the lowest cost per page.
CartridgesDirect stocks current and discontinued home printer cartridge families. If you’re still running an older PIXMA or DeskJet model, compatible cartridges are often the only option still available at a reasonable price. Use the Finder tool to check availability by model.
Office inkjet printers, the HP OfficeJet Pro, Epson WorkForce Pro and Brother MFC models used in small business environments, run at higher volumes and on tighter running-cost budgets than home printers. The cartridge economics work differently here.
Page yield matters more. An HP 962XL black cartridge yields around 2,000 pages compared to 1,000 for the standard HP 962. For a small office printing 200 to 300 pages a week, that’s a meaningful difference in how often someone needs to swap cartridges and what the business is paying per page over a quarter.
Compatible cartridges are also a more natural fit for office environments with predictable, regular print volumes. The savings on compatible XL cartridges for high-volume models can reach 50 to 70 percent against the genuine equivalent, without a meaningful difference in output for standard text documents, invoices and internal reports.
For colour-critical office work, client documents or marketing materials printed in-house, genuine cartridges provide tighter colour profiling and more predictable output. CartridgesDirect stocks both options across all business-grade inkjet ranges and the product listings include yield and cost-per-page comparisons to make the decision straightforward.
Canon MegaTank and Epson EcoTank models work differently from standard inkjet printers. Instead of a cartridge you swap out when it runs empty, these printers use a high-capacity ink tank built into the printer chassis. You refill the tank using ink bottles rather than replacing a cartridge.
The running cost per page on ink tank models is substantially lower than cartridge-based printers. Epson’s EcoTank range is marketed on the basis that the included starter ink can yield up to 7,500 pages in black, depending on the model. Canon’s MegaTank models offer similar claims. For high-volume home printing or small business environments where colour volume is high, ink tank models can significantly reduce total running costs.
CartridgesDirect stocks Canon MegaTank ink and Epson EcoTank ink bottles. Browse by printer model using the Finder tool to confirm the right ink bottles for your specific tank printer.
Empty cartridges don’t need to go in the bin. CartridgesDirect is a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark partner and every eligible order includes a free postage-paid recycling satchel. Collect eight or more empty cartridges, drop the sealed satchel in any Australia Post roadside mailbox and Close The Loop takes it from there, breaking down and recovering the component materials so they don’t end up in landfill.
Check the cartridge number on your current empty cartridge, printed on the label, or open the printer's cartridge bay and look for the number printed inside the door. If you're not sure, the Finder tool is the fastest option. Enter your printer model and it returns every confirmed compatible cartridge, including standard and XL sizes, with pricing for genuine and compatible options side by side.
Genuine cartridges are manufactured by the printer brand, including HP, Epson, Canon and Brother, and are the reference option for colour accuracy and quality consistency. Compatible cartridges are produced by independent manufacturers to the same physical specification and ISO yield standards, at a meaningfully lower cost. For everyday documents, invoices and general office printing, the output difference is minimal. For photo printing or colour-critical client documents, genuine cartridges offer tighter colour profiling. CartridgesDirect stocks both across all major brands, so you can compare yield and pricing for each and decide based on what you're printing.
Under Australian Consumer Law, using compatible consumables does not automatically void your printer warranty. For a manufacturer to refuse a warranty claim on that basis, they would need to demonstrate that the compatible cartridge caused the specific fault being claimed. CartridgesDirect has supplied compatible cartridges to Australian businesses since 2006. If you have a specific concern about your printer model, our team is available on live chat to help you work through it before you order.
XL stands for extra-large, meaning the cartridge contains more ink than the standard version of the same product. Both sizes fit the same printer slot. XL cartridges cost more upfront but deliver a lower cost per page. As a rule of thumb, if you print under 10 pages a week, a standard cartridge is usually enough, and the risk of ink drying out in an XL cartridge before you finish it is worth factoring in. Above that threshold, XL cartridges make financial sense, and at 50 or more pages a week, they are the clear choice on both cost and convenience.
Page yield is measured to the ISO/IEC 24711 standard for inkjet cartridges, using continuous printing of a standardised test suite at approximately 5 percent page coverage per colour. A typical text document sits around that coverage level. Photos, graphics and full-colour documents use significantly more ink per page and will deplete a cartridge faster than the rated yield suggests. The ISO figure is a reliable comparative benchmark between cartridges, but treat it as an upper range estimate for heavy-coverage printing rather than a guaranteed page count.
They do. Printer ink degrades over time, particularly in heat or humidity. Most cartridges carry a best-before date on the packaging, typically 18 to 24 months from the manufacture date for genuine cartridges. Once a cartridge is installed and in use, leaving the printer idle for extended periods can cause ink to dry at the printhead rather than in the cartridge itself. CartridgesDirect rotates stock regularly. If you are buying cartridges to hold in reserve, store them sealed, horizontally or as indicated on the pack, in a cool and dry location.
No, ink cartridges are physically designed for specific printer models. An HP cartridge will not fit an Epson printer, and within brands, different model families use different cartridge series that are not interchangeable. Even two similar-looking printers from the same brand can use completely different cartridges. The Finder tool is the safest way to confirm compatibility before ordering, since it only returns cartridges confirmed to fit the exact printer model you enter.
Not necessarily. Ink level indicators in inkjet printers are estimates calculated from page counts and coverage assumptions, rather than a direct measurement of remaining ink. It's common to get another 20 to 50 pages of consistent print quality after a low ink warning first appears. A practical approach is to order a replacement cartridge as soon as the warning appears, so it's on hand, and keep printing until the output quality actually drops. Running a cartridge close to empty is not generally harmful, though replacing it before it runs completely dry reduces the risk of air entering the printhead on some models.
Keep unused cartridges in their original sealed packaging. Store them flat, or as the packaging indicates, in a cool and dry spot away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Temperature extremes, particularly heat above 35 degrees, can degrade the ink before the cartridge is even installed. If you have already opened the packaging but have not installed the cartridge, reseal it in a zip-lock bag and use it within a few weeks. Once installed in the printer, keeping the printer plugged in so it runs its scheduled maintenance cycles helps prevent the printhead from drying out between printing sessions.
CartridgesDirect is a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark partner. A free postage-paid recycling satchel is included with every eligible cartridge order. Collect a minimum of eight empty cartridges, seal the satchel and drop it at any Australia Post roadside mailbox. Cartridges are returned to and processed by Close The Loop, who strip and recycle the materials. There is no extra step or registration required, as the satchel is included with your order.
Inkjet printers use liquid ink fired through a printhead onto the page, and those are the cartridges stocked on this category page. Laser printers use a powdered toner and a heated fuser to bond it to the page, which are different consumables entirely, sold as toner cartridges rather than ink cartridges. If you are unsure which type your printer uses, check the product label on the printer itself, or enter the model into the Finder tool, which identifies the correct consumable type automatically.
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