C4740 - Poor Color Cartridge Life Span

When print 4x6 photos from my C4740 printer I am only getting about 18 prints from the color cartridge. The original cartridges that came with the print seemed to last forever. Since replacing them I have replaced the color cartridge 3 times and working on my 4 cartridge in the time span of 2 days. The ones that came with the printer lasted two months or longer.
So my question is what could be causing the cartridges to have such a short life span?
Is 18 to 20 4x6 photos normal yield for a ink cartridge?
Also I am noticing that the black cartridge ink level is not changing so it leads me to believe it is not being used. I thought it had previously been used when printing photos but I could be wrong.

Here are some specs re: Photo yield expectations for the C4600 which will reference same as C4700.
HP 60 Tricolor - Photo Page Yield
HP 60 Tri-color Ink Cartridge (CC643W)
Approximately 45 4X6 Photos
Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors.
For more information about variations/measurment of page yields, see: Inkjet photo yields

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