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Printer ink is expensive.
But HP makes you count pages, and I’d rather print as much as I want.
So I purchased a new inkjet printer on the promise of HP’s easy-to-use ink subscription service.
Now, years later, I’ve realized there was one other price of admission.
The ink they’ve sent me isn’t mine; it’s theirs.
I have to buy new ink to replace the ink that is already in my house.
You go to their enrollment site, sign up for an account, and connect your printer.
HP requires you to choose a plan that limits the pages you could print each month.
HP doesn’t care what you print, just the pages needed for the job.
How much you pay depends on the number of pages you could print and roll-over.
HP offers a free plan with 15 pages per month, but no roll-over.
Additional pages are still $1 for a set of 10 pages.
HP
The next step up is $3.99 a month, with 100 pages per month and 200 roll-over pages.
You’ll pay $1 for sets of 15 pages if you go over at this level.
The top tier is $9.99 a month at 300 pages, and 600 roll-over pages.
You’ll pay $1 per 20-page set if you go over this tier limit.
At least they provide the postage and packaging for that purpose.
You’ll have to buy more ink on your own if you want to keep printing.
Instant Ink requires an internet connection for your printer.
In a little over two and a half years, I’ve printed 1517 pages.
Many of these are full-color prints for photos, labels, and so on.
But this has also included a mix of regular black and white documents, too.
Thanks to roll-over pages I have avoided extra charges every month except four.
Comparing that to the cost of ink, I’m doing well.
Since I signed up for the program, HP shipped one black cartridge and two of each color cartridges.
The closest equivalent I can find for my printer isHigh Yield cartridges.
So side by side, I’ve received $176 worth of ink and only paid $110.
And HP’s legal text include lines that explain using a third-party cartridge willvoid the warranty.
While the pricing math is working out well for me, it may not work as well for you.
If you forget to do that and don’t keep track, you might go way over your plan.
HP won’t automatically move you up to the next level either.
Every time I print, the first page is a blurry mess (which counts against my limit).
And it’s why I want to quit.
I’m getting more ink for less money than if I had gone a traditional route.
But there’s a secondary cost.
I’m left afraid to use my printer for the one reason I have it—printing.
It’s like asking HP for permission to use my printer.
But that how it feels with my printer.
I want my printer to be mine and controlled by me.
All I have to do is convince myself that freedom is worth the cost of all new ink.
