HP Instant Ink
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2013 |
| Product Type | Subscription Service |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | HP Instant Ink |
HP Instant Ink is a subscription service launched by HP Inc. for their printers in late 2013. [1] Consumers with compatible printers can choose from five different plans based on their usage volume and receive a set amount of ink each month to cover that usage. The monthly price includes the relevant ink or toner, delivery, and recycling of used cartridges.
In 2024, HP began offering paper as part of the monthly plans, for an additional fee. This was rolled out to countries including the U.S., the UK, metropolitan France, and Germany. [2]
Also in 2024, a new HP All-In Plan, a printer lease program, was announced. This program includes a printer that limits the number of pages you can print, effectively removing the ability to use other cartridges. [3] The program offers three different printers, each with various printing plans based on the number of pages to be printed, at different prices.
Pricing
As of January 2025, the pricing for each tier of the service for customers in the US was as follows:
| HP Instant Ink | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Occasional | Moderate | Frequent | Business | |
| Pages / Month | 10 | 50 | 100 | 300 | 700 |
| $US / Month | 1.49 | 4.99 | 6.99 | 13.99 | 27.99 |
| Paper Plan | |||||
| +$US / Month | 0.79 | 1.99 | 3.49 | 5.99 | 10.99 |
| Total | 2.28 | 6.98 | 10.48 | 19.98 | 38.97 |
Cost savings
HP claims that "most customers save on ink and many save up to 50% compared to buying traditional ink cartridges." [4] The cost savings are based on the monthly subscription cost of the 700-pages-per-month "Business" plan of the program, and the results are compared to the cost per page to print ISO/IEC 24711 pages on A4 paper in color.
The printers used in the study that led to these findings in the 2022 and 2023 reports [5] were all HP branded, and the ink or toner was OEM (i.e. not using third-party inks), as HP notes in their FAQ sections. Comparisons were not made with the XL cartridges, which are cheaper per unit of ink.
Cancellation or alteration of plans
HP Instant Ink can be canceled at any time according to the terms of the service [6] with billing stopping at the end of the month. Upon cancellation, all outstanding debts are collected.
The HP All-in program can be canceled for free if done within 30 days of enrolling, and the printer is returned within 10 days of cancellation. However, if the subscription has been maintained for longer than 30 days and less than 24 months, there are additional fees to cancel (as per the FAQ on Jan 13).
At the time of writing, the Basic printer starts at $6.99 per month ($83.88 per year), and cancellation after 30 days but before 12 months will cost $120 in fees. Before 24 months, it would cost $60 in fees. That is 143% and 71% of the per-year cost of this plan, respectively.
Lawsuit
On July 6, 2021, a class-action lawsuit was filed against HP. [7]
The main allegations made in the suit were:
- HP will block you from using cartridges or ink purchased outside of the program, a fact they do not disclose.
- Cartridges and toners are not always sent on time.
- Sometimes cartridges are faulty on arrival.
- Prepaid return mailers are not always supplied.
- Upon cancellation, you cannot use the remainder of your ink.
In February 2023, HP settled the complaints, and the parties have filed for dismissal. [8]
HP+
HP+ is a free six-month trial of HP Instant Ink that comes with a new printer. It is optional, but it is extremely easy for a user to activate HP+ during installation.[9] After activating HP+, the printer is permanently flashed with updated firmware, which causes the printer to only accept genuine HP-branded consumables.[10]
All HP printer models ending with an "e" (for example HP OfficeJet 8035e) support activating HP+.[11] This has the potential to devalue used HP printers in this class, as the previous owner of the printer may have activated HP+, rendering the printer incompatible with cheaper non-OEM replacement ink cartridges/toner.
Swapping ID chips between incompatible cartridges
It is possible on some HP cartridge models and their respective printers to replace the DRM chip of an incompatible cartridge with one from a compatible OEM cartridge. This possible because many HP cartridge models share the exact same physical dimensions despite the difference in name. This also allows for the use of less-expensive third-party cartridges or refillable cartridges in printers that may not have had them available for purchase otherwise.
References
- ↑ HP launches new Instant Ink programme The Recycler via Internet Archive
- ↑ HP paper Add-on Service
- ↑ HP All In Plan
- ↑ HP Instant Ink FAQ.
- ↑ Keypoint Intelligence Study
- ↑ HP Instant Ink Terms
- ↑ Barnert v HP Inc. Case File via classaction.org
- ↑ HP settles Instant Ink Complaint
- ↑ https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/hp-instant-ink-vs-hp-plus-vs-hp-smart-which-ink-program-saves-you-the-most
- ↑ https://www-dodrukarki-pl.translate.goog/blog/dlaczego-drukarki-z-serii-hp-nie-obsluguja-zamiennikow?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=pl&_x_tr_pto=wapp
- ↑ https://support.shopperplus.com/en/support/solutions/articles/9000227500-hp-printers-models-ending-with-the-letter-e-does-not-recognize-compatible-cartridges