HP Original 21XL Black Ink Cartridge

What is HP ink?
Ink is much more than just coloured water; the unique, hi-tech formula for HP ink is designed to work with all the mechanical parts of the print cartridge, and the printer itself, to deliver high quality results across a wide range of papers, in a variety of environmental conditions.

More than just coloured water HP inks are full of features. View more detail

Why Original HP Inks?
It takes up to three years to develop new inks, so a huge amount of work goes into producing Original HP Inks, from the selection of superior ingredients to precision engineering of both the chemical formula of the ink and the high-performance ink cartridge components.

The print cartridge itself is the product of years of research and development and is much more than just an ink tank. The integrated print head on an HP cartridge includes an intelligent circuit that controls the hundreds of nozzles, each finer than a human hair, which deliver the ink onto the page. Each drop of ink is fired onto the page on the back of a tiny vapour blast of heat 7 times the intensity of the sun that lasts for just two millionths of a second; this energy blast exposes the ink drop to forces up to one million G’s. Some of the latest Original HP ink cartridges can deliver in excess of 29 million drops per second.

In many of HP’s home printers, over 50% of the printing technology is contained within the cartridge itself; which means every time you replace your Original HP Ink Cartridge you are installing a brand new print engine. Original HP Inks are developed in conjunction with HP papers to ensure maximum compatibility and performance. The result is the perfect balance of colour, permanence and reliability.

HP Ink Technology: pigment black and dye-based colour

Pigment Ink

HP uses pigment-based inks to deliver laser-sharp text, a strong black with superior fade and water-resistance on a variety of papers. Pigment inks are made up of relatively large molecules that are non-water soluble and sit on the surface of the paper. As a result, the ink is not absorbed by the paper and there is less bleed; resulting in cleaner edges and more efficient ink use.

Dye-based Ink

HP uses dye-based inks to deliver a broad spectrum of stunning, long-lasting colours. Dye-based inks are water soluble and are essential when intensity and range of colour is important. Used with high-gloss papers, dye-based inks provide a uniform finish with bright, vibrant colour reproduction and are perfect for photo printing and colour documents.

Original HP Inks vs. Refills
Given the degree of sophistication that goes into an Original HP Ink cartridge, it’s easy to see why refilled, second hand cartridges often suffer by comparison*. Common problems include a narrower colour range, poor fade resistance, lower page yield, banding, bleed and leakage.

Get More with HP
Page yield is an important measure of value for money when buying ink cartridges. Original HP ink cartridges produce up to 34%* more pages than compatible alternatives.

Remember, with Original HP Inks you’re not just getting value for money; you’re buying peace of mind.

*2007 Innovationstecknik GmbH Survey

HP Planet Partner Programme
HP offers a free cartridge recycling programme across 27 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To date, HP has recycled over 90 million kilos of ink and toner cartridges – that’s the equivalent of over 200 jumbo jets – and not one of them has ended up in landfill.

Best Choice Portfolio

HP offers a range of ink cartridges tailored to the way you print. To make things easier for you we’ve colour coded the packaging.

The standard blue ink cartridge is ideal for people who print low to moderate volumes, such as the occasional document, web page and photo.

The green XL cartridge is designed for people who print higher volumes. The page yield on an XL cartridge is up to five times that of the standard blue pack**

The red cartridges contain speciality inks, intended for advanced photo printing. Designed to work with high-quality HP photo papers they produce extra rich colours, ideal for photo printing, brochures and presentations.





** Further information on page yields for specific cartridges can be found on the HP website.

HP Photo Paper
HP is the number one selling brand of inkjet photo paper*** and leads the world in image quality and fade resistance of inkjet photo prints. Original HP Inks and paper are specifically designed to work with HP printers to produce the best results for both home and office use.

HP Photo Paper, unlike plain paper, comprises multiple layers that are designed to deliver outstanding photo print quality, exceptional fade resistance, water-fastness and a vibrant range of colours. Plain paper, by contrast, consists of unsorted layers of cellulose and filler that expend when ink enters the paper and leads to “cockling” or uneven paper, affecting the quality of your photo prints.

***Based on total sheets sold worldwide in 2006. Lyra Research Inc

Many layers make HP Papers effective. View more detail

HP photo paper comes in a range of sizes and weights to cater for all your photo printing needs, from 6” x 4” up to A3, 170gsm to 280gsm (grams per square metre). HP Advanced, Premium and Premium Plus Photo papers all support HP’s Auto Sense technology. The unique bar-code reference on the back of the paper is read by your HP printer, which automatically sets itself to deliver the best quality results for the type of paper being used – eliminating many common print errors.

HP Advanced Photo Paper is a heavier stock at 250gsm and is an instant-dry paper. Available in a wider range of sizes (6” x 4”, 7” x 5”, A4 and A3) HP Advanced Photo Paper also comes with a choice of a gloss or satin-matt finish. Ideal for instant sharing of photos, HP Advanced Photo Paper delivers smudge-resistant, lab-quality pictures with vibrant colours and a professional finish.

HP Premium Photo Paper is available in 6” x 4” and A4 sizes and is a high gloss paper designed for long-lasting, professional photo prints. At 240gsm it looks and feels like a lab-quality photo and is the ideal choice for those photos that you want to keep in an album or behind glass.

HP Premium Plus Photo Paper is HP’s best quality photo paper; at 280gsm it produces studio-quality photo prints with either a high-gloss or satin-matt finish. Available in the widest range of sizes (6” x 4”, 7” x 5”, 12” x 4”, A4, A3) its special coating delivers exceptional fade-resistance and vibrant colours; making it the ideal choice for important family pictures, gift and photo that you’ll want to keep for generations to come.

Remember, for quality photographic prints; always use - Original HP Ink and HP Photo Paper.

HP Everyday Paper

HP offers a wide range of quality A4 papers, for use with either laser or inkjet printers, which are designed to deliver outstanding print results, every time. Most of the range comes with HP ColorLok Technology as standard. Engineered to dry up to three times faster than ordinary paper, HP ColorLok technology means you can handle your prints faster, with less risk of smearing.

Not only do your prints dry faster, but thanks to the special paper formula, they also look better. Blacks will look bolder and sharper and colours will appear more uniform and vibrant.

HP All-in-One Printing Paper is a versatile paper for cost-effective, everyday printing. Brighter than ordinary multi-use papers, HP All-in-One printing paper has superior whiteness and benefits from ColorLok technology. The smooth matte finish on this quality 80gsm paper makes for more reliable feeding and produced excellent results for both text and colour printing.

HP Bright White Inkjet Paper is a premium paper with an exceptionally white finish, resulting in vibrant, more intense colours and sharp image contrast. At 90gsm it has high opacity, minimising show-through, and is ideal for more important print jobs that require a professional finish. HP Bright White Inkjet Paper comes with ColorLok technology for improved image quality and reliability.

HP Professional Inkjet Paper is a superior paper with a premium white finish to both sides, resulting in even more vibrant colour images and laser-sharp text. At 120gsm it minimises show-through and is the preferred paper for professional presentations and important documents. With ColorLok technology built-in, HP Professional Inkjet Paper is the ideal choice for when you need to make a good impression.

Use of refilled ink cartridges can damage your printer, affecting the quality of your prints. If your printer is damaged as a result of using modified or refilled cartridges, it’s not covered by the HP warranty. Research has shown that one in five refilled cartridges fail prematurely or are dead on arrival*. For the best, long lasting results HP always recommends you use Original HP inks and paper.