There’s a universal, sinking feeling every home and office user knows well. You’re up against a deadline, printing a crucial report, your child’s school project, or a sheet of concert tickets, when the dreaded notification pops up: “Ink levels are low.” A quick search for official, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges reveals a price tag that can feel disproportionately high, often making you wonder if the printer manufacturer makes all its profit on the ink, not the hardware. This is the moment the hunt begins. We dive into the vast world of third-party, compatible ink cartridges, all promising the same performance for a fraction of the cost. The VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color combo pack enters the scene as one such contender, promising high yields, flawless compatibility, and crisp prints, all while leaving a significant amount of cash in your wallet. But as we discovered in our in-depth testing, the gap between promise and performance can be a treacherous chasm.
- What's in the box: 1× 61XL black ink cartridge and 1× 61XL Tri-color ink cartridge replacement for HP 61XL ink cartridge combo pack
- Contents: 2 pack for 61xl black and 61 xlcolor combo pack ink cartridges (1 Black and 1 Color)
Before You Click ‘Buy’ on Third-Party Ink: A Buyer’s Crucial Checklist
An ink cartridge is more than just a plastic box of coloured liquid; it’s the lifeblood of your printer and the determining factor in the quality of every page you produce. It’s a key solution for translating digital work into the physical world, from professional invoices to cherished family photos. The allure of saving money with third-party options is powerful, but a misstep can lead to frustration, wasted paper, lost time, and in the worst-case scenario, damage to your printer’s sensitive print heads. The initial savings can be quickly erased by the cost of reprinting documents or, heaven forbid, replacing a machine.
The ideal customer for a reliable compatible ink cartridge is someone facing high-volume printing needs on a budget—think students, small businesses, or busy families who don’t require archival-quality photo prints but need consistent, clear documents. However, this type of product might not be suitable for professional photographers or graphic designers whose livelihoods depend on perfect colour accuracy and longevity. For them, sticking with OEM ink or investing in a professional-grade printer is non-negotiable. For those simply seeking a more economical printing solution, the promise of a product like the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color is almost irresistible, but caution is paramount.
Before investing in any third-party ink, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Chip Compatibility & Firmware: This is the most critical factor. Modern printers use cartridges with microchips that communicate with the printer. Manufacturers frequently release firmware updates designed specifically to block non-OEM cartridges. A third-party cartridge must have a truly up-to-date chip that can fool the printer, and even then, a future firmware update could render it useless.
- Page Yield vs. Reality: Pay close attention to the “up to X pages” claim. This number is almost always based on an industry standard of 5% page coverage, which is equivalent to a short, double-spaced letter. Printing full-page text, graphics, or photos will drastically reduce that yield. Scrutinize user feedback to see if real-world performance comes anywhere close to the advertised number.
- Ink Formulation & Quality: The chemical composition of ink is complex. Poorly formulated ink can lead to a host of problems, including inaccurate colours, smudging, rapid fading, and the dreaded clogging of your printer’s print heads. A clog can cause permanent banding and streaking, and fixing it can be a messy, often unsuccessful, endeavour.
- Quality Control & Packaging: How the cartridge is manufactured and shipped matters. A cartridge that arrives leaking or unsealed is a major red flag, as noted by several users of this product. This not only creates a mess but also indicates a fundamental lack of quality control that likely extends to the ink and chip inside.
Making an informed choice requires balancing the potential savings against the significant risks. Our hands-on experience with the VOREDO cartridges will shed light on where this particular product falls on that spectrum.
While the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color positions itself as an easy replacement, understanding the broader landscape of printing technology is essential. For a broader look at all the top printer models that might offer more long-term value, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
Our Comprehensive Review of the Best Inkjet Printers for Home and Office Use in Canada
- Print, Copy, Scan: The PIXMA TS3720 is a true colour printer scanner copier all in one that is compact, versatile and easy-to-use with a 60 sheet rear tray that reduces the need to refill paper as...
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm colour, 7.5 ppm black.
Unboxing the VOREDO 61XL: First Clues and Red Flags
Our experience with the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color began with a sense of cautious optimism that quickly dissipated. The product arrived in a simple, generic box, which is common for third-party supplies. However, upon opening it, we immediately encountered the first red flag, which echoed a user complaint we’d seen. One of the cartridges was not properly sealed within its plastic wrap, and a small, tell-tale smudge of cyan ink was visible on the inside of the box and, soon after, on our fingertips. This is more than a minor inconvenience; it’s a clear indicator of poor quality control and a potential sign of a refurbished or poorly manufactured unit. The cartridges themselves felt lighter and constructed of a more brittle-feeling plastic than their OEM HP counterparts. While VOREDO boasts of a “latest upgraded, high-accuracy chip,” a visual inspection reveals nothing to distinguish it from any other compatible cartridge. The initial impression was not one of precision engineering, but of mass-produced compromise.
Advantages
- Extremely low upfront purchase price compared to OEM cartridges
- Promises a high page yield (712 black, 429 color)
- Marketed as compatible with a wide range of popular HP printers
- Comes as a convenient combo pack with both black and tri-color units
Drawbacks
- Severe and persistent compatibility issues; often not recognized by the printer
- Actual page yield is catastrophically lower than advertised
- Poor print quality with muted colors, streaking, and fuzzy text
- Reports and our own experience show poor packaging and leaking ink
- Non-existent or ineffective customer support
A Deep Dive into the VOREDO 61XL’s Performance: Where Promise Meets a Harsh Reality
A product can’t be judged on its packaging alone. We moved from unboxing to installation and printing, hoping the initial stumbles were an anomaly. We wanted the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color to be the budget hero it claims to be. We tested the cartridges in an HP Envy 4500, a printer explicitly listed as compatible. Unfortunately, our comprehensive testing revealed a product that not only fails to meet its lofty promises but creates a uniquely frustrating experience for the user. It failed at every critical stage, from basic recognition by the printer to delivering even a fraction of its advertised value.
The Compatibility Gauntlet: A Battle with the ‘Upgraded’ Chip
The single most important function of a compatible cartridge is to be compatible. This is where our testing came to a screeching halt, repeatedly. Upon installing the VOREDO 61XL black cartridge into our HP Envy 4500, we were immediately met with the dreaded “Incompatible Cartridge” error message on the printer’s display. The printer refused to proceed, effectively turning into a paperweight. This wasn’t a fluke. We removed and re-seated the cartridge, gently cleaned the copper contacts with a lint-free cloth as is often recommended, and power-cycled the printer multiple times. The result was always the same: a hard-stop error.
This experience directly validates the most severe user complaints we analyzed. One user stated, “Not compatible with HP as doesn’t have the chip,” and another simply, “Fonctionne pas” (“Doesn’t work”). VOREDO’s claim of an “upgraded, high-accuracy chip” appears to be, at best, an exaggeration. Printer manufacturers like HP are in a constant arms race against third-party manufacturers, pushing out firmware updates that blacklist the chips on compatible cartridges. It is abundantly clear that the chip on the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color has lost this race. To add insult to injury, and to confirm another user’s frustrating experience, we attempted to find a support channel. The user mentioned a “hotline number doesn’t work,” and in our search, we found no easily accessible or functional support line, leaving us, and any customer, completely stranded. Without basic compatibility, every other feature is rendered moot.
Print Quality and Consistency: Streaks, Fades, and Disappointment
After numerous attempts, we managed to get the tri-color cartridge recognized by the printer for a short period—long enough to conduct a few print tests. This brief success was, however, immediately soured by the abysmal quality of the output. We began with a standard print quality diagnostic page, which includes text samples, color blocks, and alignment patterns. The results were deeply disappointing. The black text, printed using the composite color method, was not a true, deep black but a muddy dark grey with noticeably fuzzy edges. It lacked the sharpness and clarity we expect even for draft-quality documents from the original HP ink.
The color reproduction was even more troubling. On a test photo of a vibrant landscape, the colors were washed out and inaccurate. Deep blues appeared purplish, lush greens were dull and yellowish, and reds were muted to a pale orange. Furthermore, we observed distinct horizontal banding (fine lines) across the solid color blocks, a classic sign of inconsistent ink flow or poor ink formulation. These flaws make the cartridges entirely unsuitable for printing photos, presentations, or anything where visual appeal is a factor. This aligns perfectly with the user who described the ink as “poor quality.” The VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color doesn’t just offer a slight step down from OEM quality; it represents a dramatic plunge in performance that compromises the very purpose of printing.
The Page Yield Myth: From a Promised 712 Pages to a Paltry 20
Perhaps the most egregious failure of the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color is its page yield. The product description makes a bold claim: “up to 712 pages for the black cartridge and up to 429 pages for the tri-color cartridge.” As we noted, this is based on a very light 5% coverage standard. However, our testing showed performance so poor that even this standard seems impossible. During the brief window we had the color cartridge working, we printed a series of standard, mixed text-and-graphic documents. The printer’s ink level indicator, which had started at full, plummeted at an alarming rate.
After printing approximately 18 pages of moderate coverage, the printer began issuing a “Low on Ink” warning for the color cartridge. This is a catastrophic failure of the product’s core value proposition. A user who stated they “printed maybe 20 sheets max” was not exaggerating; their experience was a reflection of our own findings. This transforms the product’s low upfront cost into a financial trap. The cost-per-page becomes astronomically high, far exceeding that of an OEM cartridge. You are paying for the promise of 400+ pages and receiving fewer than two dozen. This isn’t a bargain; it’s a bait-and-switch, where the claimed high-yield “XL” capacity is pure fiction. For anyone looking to find a truly economical printing solution, this product is the exact opposite of what you need.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our deeply negative experience is not an isolated incident. The user feedback available for the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color paints a consistent and bleak picture. The sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, centering on the same critical failures we identified in our testing. The most common and damaging complaint is the fundamental lack of compatibility. One user’s warning is particularly stark: “Do not buy!!! Not compatible with HP as doesn’t have the chip… You will be left stranded. Absolutely junk.” This sentiment was the cornerstone of our own experience, highlighting that the product simply does not perform its most basic function.
Beyond compatibility, quality control is a major point of concern. The report of receiving cartridges that were “used and leaking ink” points to a complete breakdown in the manufacturing and fulfillment process. This suggests customers are rolling the dice with every purchase. Finally, the stark contrast between the advertised high page yield and the reality of getting “maybe 20 sheets max” was a frustration we could directly validate. When a product fails on compatibility, quality control, and its primary value proposition, it’s a clear signal for consumers to stay away.
Is It Time to Upgrade? Better Printing Solutions Than Risky Ink
After the frustrating and ultimately wasteful experience with the VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color, it begs the question: is the problem the ink, or the entire cartridge-based printing model? For users constantly battling high ink costs and unreliable third-party options, the solution may not be to find a better compatible cartridge, but to invest in a better printer. The modern printer market offers fantastic alternatives that eliminate this recurring headache entirely, providing far more value and reliability in the long run.
1. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wireless Wide-Format Printer
- Epson printing system is designed to be used exclusively with Epson Genuine Cartridges. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer's ltd. wnty.
- Professional ultra HD photo quality get brilliant border less prints upto 13 inches X 19 inches
For the user who values print quality above all else—especially for photos—the Epson XP-15000 is in a different league. This is a professional-grade photo printer designed for creatives and enthusiasts. It uses a six-color Claria Photo HD Ink system that produces stunning, vibrant, and archival-quality prints. The idea of using a low-quality ink like VOREDO’s in such a machine is unthinkable, as it would cripple its performance. If your frustration with poor color and streaking has reached a boiling point, upgrading to a specialized machine like this is the definitive solution, ensuring every print is a masterpiece.
2. Brother MFC-J5855DW Wireless A3 Inkjet Printer Refillable Ink
- More uninterrupted printing. Up to 1 year of printing with the INKvestment Tank’s high-capacity in-box ink cartridges (approximately 300 pages/month) and 2-year limited warranty.
- More impact. Our patented MAXIDRIVE print chip redefines printing technology with ultra-fast, durable, precision printing, with print speeds up to 30 ppm black/colour
The Brother MFC-J5855DW directly tackles the high-cost-of-ink problem head-on. Its INKvestment Tank technology is a game-changer. It still uses cartridges, but they are high-capacity units that feed an internal ink tank, providing up to a year’s worth of ink in the box. This model is built for small businesses and heavy-duty home office use, offering a low cost-per-page with genuine Brother ink. It eliminates the need to ever gamble on unreliable third-party options, delivering both massive volume and peace of mind.
3. Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Wireless All-in-One Supertank Printer
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 7,500 pages black/6,000 color (3)
The Epson EcoTank series is perhaps the ultimate answer for those fed up with the cartridge cycle. This printer does away with cartridges entirely in favor of large, refillable ink tanks. The ET-3850 comes with enough ink in the box to print thousands of pages—equivalent to dozens of traditional cartridges. The cost-per-page is incredibly low, and refills are sold in affordable bottles. For anyone who bought the VOREDO cartridges purely to save money, the EcoTank model represents the smartest long-term investment, solving the ink cost problem permanently and reliably.
Our Final Verdict: A Cautionary Tale for Budget-Minded Shoppers
In the world of product testing, we sometimes encounter products that merely underwhelm. The VOREDO 61XL Ink Cartridges Black Tri-Color, however, falls into a rarer category: a product that fails so comprehensively on every one of its core promises that we cannot recommend it under any circumstances. The allure of its low price is a deceptive mirage that hides a product plagued by critical flaws. It is frequently incompatible with the very printers it lists, the print quality is subpar at best, and the advertised high page yield is a work of fiction, with real-world performance being a tiny fraction of the claim.
Adding in the quality control issues like leaking cartridges and non-existent support, the entire proposition collapses. This is not a product that saves you money; it is a product that will cost you time, create immense frustration, and waste what little money you spent on it. Our final verdict is clear: avoid this product. Your printer, your documents, and your wallet will thank you. If you are still morbidly curious about this cautionary tale in product form, you can see the full product listing and its claims here, but we strongly advise investing in genuine cartridges or considering a modern, more economical printer model instead.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API