I bought an hp 3520 deskjet and after printing 10 dvd covers it is now out of ink. Is the cartridge that came with only a starter one? This is my first printer and I am unhappy to be out of ink on the first day. please advise

Here are the specs for this printer

HP 3520 ink cartridges:
HP 28 Color 8 ml
HP 27 Black 10 ml

Did you receive a black cartridge?.
It may have to be purchased separately.
That will make a difference.

Approximate page yield (letter):
HP 28 190 *Based on 15% density
HP 27 220 *Based on 5% density

That is a best case. You may be getting normal yield for what you are doing. If ink is going to be a concern you may have to start refilling your cartridges. You have found out why they say HP is in the ink business.

As a comparison I have this printer:
HP 970cse
HP 78 Color 19 ml (38 ml large)
HP 45 Black 42 ml

Note my printer has a much larger ink supply.
Even then I refill each cartridge at least two to three times before I discard it.

HP is notorious for using a lot of ink during printing. You may want to try printing using the FAST option( used to be called DRAFT!). However, printing out DVD covers is definitely a one for LOTS of ink..:o) The cheap and cheerful HP printers are not really designed to print out such ink intensive projects, as you have now found out. I have always said that it's the ink you pay for when you buy a new cheap HP printer,, it's the printer that's free!!...:o) For these printers,, using the refill option is probably the only way you are going to save money. Unfortunately it's the old adage of you get what you pay for. Take heart in the fact that you will only print out DVD covers ONCE!...:o)

Safe Computing...:o)