Black Friday Ink Deals 2026: The Cost-Per-Page Check UK Shoppers Keep Skipping

Black Friday lands on 27 November in 2026, and the deals emails are already arriving. If you print at home, the temptation is to stock up on the cheapest cartridges you can find and feel smug until January. The trouble is that ink is one of those categories where a big red discount sticker can hide a fairly ordinary price per page. Here is how to shop the sales without filling a drawer with the wrong stuff.

Start with your printer, not the deal

Before you click anything, find the exact model name and number. It is usually on a sticker on the back or inside the front cover, and it is also in the printer menu. Then look at the cartridge currently fitted and note the code. HP 305 is not the same as HP 305XL, Canon PG-545 is not the same as PG-545XL, and a Brother LC-3213 cartridge will not fit a printer that wants LC-3213XL just because the numbers look similar. A bargain on the wrong code is not a bargain; it is clutter.

Check whether your printer uses separate colour cartridges or one tri-colour cartridge. A cheap multipack of five black cartridges is useless if your printer also needs cyan, magenta and yellow. And if you have a photo printer, check whether it takes a different photo black.

The only maths that matters: cost per page

Headline price tells you what leaves your bank account today. Cost per page tells you what the ink costs every time you print. The sum is simple:

cartridge price ÷ stated page yield = cost per page

So a £30 XL cartridge with a 500-page yield works out at 6p per page. A £12 standard cartridge with a 150-page yield is 8p per page. The XL is better value even though it costs more up front. Run the same sum across the deals you are considering, including delivery. If a retailer charges £4.99 delivery on a single cartridge, that changes the maths quickly.

Be sceptical about yields that sound too good. Manufacturer figures are usually based on a standard test pattern, and compatible sellers sometimes quote their own ‘up to’ numbers. If a £4 compatible cartridge claims three times the yield of a £28 branded one, ask what is actually in the box. It might be fine. It might also be a tiny cartridge with a generous sticker.

Multipacks: check what is inside

Multipacks can be genuinely good value, especially if you print a mix of documents and photos. But read the small print. Some bundles include starter cartridges, which often hold less ink than the retail version. Others mix standard and XL cartridges, or include a photo cartridge you will never use. Add up the cost per page for each cartridge in the pack, not just the pack price.

Check the expiry date too. Ink does have a shelf life, and old stock can be a false economy if it has been stored badly. Sealed cartridges usually keep for a couple of years, but a multipack with a date that is already close to passing is not ideal if you print slowly. Only buy a bulk pack if you know you will use it before the date on the box.

Compatible ink: realistic yields only

Compatible and remanufactured cartridges are a normal part of the UK market, and plenty of them work well. The trick is buying from a retailer that tells you exactly what you are getting. Look for the cartridge code, the printer models it fits, the ink volume or yield, and a returns policy that covers rejection by the printer. A seller who cannot tell you the cartridge code before you buy is not a seller to trust with a bulk order.

Watch out for marketplace listings with vague titles and no UK return address. If the cartridge arrives and your printer says it is not recognised, you want a straightforward route to a refund, not a month of emails. Check reviews for words like ‘not recognised’, ‘leaked’ and ‘half full’. One or two complaints can be bad luck; a pattern is a warning.

A five-minute pre-checkout list

• Exact printer model and cartridge code confirmed.
• Cost per page calculated, including delivery.
• Pack contents checked: standard, XL, starter or photo?
• Expiry date and seal condition checked.
• Retailer states compatibility and accepts returns for rejected cartridges.
• Reviews mention your printer model, not just the brand.
• You are buying one pack first, not a year’s supply.

When to walk away

Walk away if the listing does not name the cartridge code, if the yield claim has no explanation, if the expiry date is imminent, or if the returns policy excludes opened ink with no faulty-goods route. Also walk away if the deal is only available through a marketplace seller with no UK contact details. A genuine Black Friday saving should still be a sensible purchase on 1 December.

If you do buy, keep your current cartridge until the new one is installed and working. Run a nozzle check and a test page before you need to print anything important. And keep the receipt. The best ink deal is not the one with the biggest percentage off; it is the one that prints reliably at a sensible cost per page.