Twice the ink, fewer pages
The comparison is surprising and deserves explaining: the black bottle holds 135 ml and covers 6,000 pages, while a colour bottle holds 70 ml and covers 8,000. Almost twice the liquid for a quarter fewer pages.
The reason lies in the nature of the inks. Black is pigment based: solid particles laid down in a thick layer on the sheet, for crisp text that neither bleeds nor fades. The colours are dye inks, dissolved, laid down in a far thinner layer. At equal printed area, black therefore uses more.
That does not mean you will replace the black more often by volume bought — but that a yield stated on a bottle never compares from one colour to another. Only the number of pages counts, never the millilitres.
What the 500 does, and what it does not
It is a multifunction without an automatic document feeder: you scan and copy page by page, lifting the lid. Its tray holds 100 sheets and it connects over Wi-Fi or USB.
The lack of a feeder has a direct consequence for consumption: copy runs become tedious enough to be given up, and printing remains the main source of spending. That is what separates its use from that of the Smart Tank 530, fitted with a feeder, whose tanks go down noticeably faster at a comparable level of activity.
Which black bottle to choose?
Three part numbers fit the same tank: the 90 ml GT53, the 135 ml GT53XL and the 135 ml GT51XL. The last two are equivalent in autonomy — about 6,000 pages — and are chosen on availability. The 90 ml format is only of interest for very occasional use.
A fleet of printers to keep supplied?
We draw up the list of consumables for your whole fleet and a single grouped quote. Invoice in your company's name with its ICE number, delivery anywhere in Morocco.