Imagine that your printer would never run out of ink.
How exciting will it be?
Surprisingly we have something new in the market: HP Instant Ink.
It might sound like a fantasy, but HP offers it in reality. With HP Instant Ink, you will never run out of ink and you may rather use it without worrying about when it will be emptied.
Inside look at HP Instant Ink
HP Instant Ink gives a subscription facility for printer cartridges. Rather than buying a new cartridge, you pay every month for the defined number of pages. As and when the cartridge starts to empty, HP sends you another cartridge.
Additionally, HP provides some ways to return and recycle the used cartridge. In case you print more than your purchased plan, you would need to pay a large amount per extra page.
Are HP Instant Ink cartridges the same as HP ink cartridges?
Former HP models are not designed to use HP Instant Ink cartridges. So you cannot use your HP Instant Ink subscription facility on your old Printers. HP Instant Ink cartridges look different from regular HP ink cartridges. Instant ink cartridges are bigger and store more ink than regular ink cartridges.
Consumers are at a benefit from Instant ink cartridges because they don’t need to replace cartridges as often. This subscription service is of no use to an individual who is not a constant printer user as the ink dries up when left unused..
Instant Ink: How it works
Instant Ink requires you to pay for printing a predetermined set of pages every month based on the package you choose. Whether you print in black and white or in color, whichever page is printed through it is counted as one print. If you don’t print the assigned number of pages of the month as per your plan, HP rolls over the unused pages of that month. However, when you reach the limit of rolled-over pages, you must downgrade your plan.
HP offers five major monthly plans, starting from 10 to 700 pages per month. HP has 5 subscription plans according to the needs of users.
HP Instant Ink Subscription Plans
Light- $ 1.90/month
You will get 10 pages in the light plan where up to 30 unused pages are rolled over.
Occasional- $5.90/month
You will get 50 pages and a rollover of up to 150 unused pages.
Moderate- $8.90/month
You will get 100 pages and up to 300 unused pages get rolled over.
Frequent- $ 17.90/ month
You will get 300 pages and up to 900 unused pages get rolled over.
Business- $36.90/month
You will get 700 pages and up to 2100 unused pages are rolled over.
Why Instant Ink?
- Save up to 50% on Original HP Ink
- Change, pause, or cancel your plan anytime
- No commitment or annual fee
- Smart subscription – never run out of ink
- Avoid trips to the store – contactless delivery
Furthermore, Get a $10 credit in your account from here -> Free $10 Credit
How do HP Instant Ink rollover pages?
Pages that are not used in a month can be moved in a rollover account and later applied whenever your page requirements exceed your monthly limit. The maximum rollover depends on the number of pages in your plan.
Pages printed over your limit are charged $1.23 for every 10 pages. Instead, you can also upgrade your subscription plan to avoid the extra print charges.
Unused pages get rolled over, but not more than three times the number of pages in your plan. Ex: A 50-page-per-month plan would not allow you to roll over more than 150 pages.
Is it worth it to invest in Instant Ink?
You will need to consider how frequently you print and how many documents or images you print. If your printing needs ever change, you are free to alter/ reform your plan depending on your printing requirements.
As part of an Instant Ink subscription, cartridges are automatically ordered when your current cartridge gets empty. Besides this, HP sends you postage-paid packaging to return the cartridges for recycling.
If you don’t use the printer much, it might not be worth it. In terms of consumer feedback, the response is mixed. Though this service works for some, there are some who sign up and cancel within a short period of time.
With the HP Instant Ink subscription, You can save more if you print more.
Note: Your printer must have an internet connection to accurately monitor your use of Instant Ink.
If a customer takes a large number of prints offline and reaches his monthly page limit and runs out cartridge ink then there could be a delay in the replacement which may be problematic.
Printers communicate with HP Instant Ink service only once connected to the internet, so if your internet connection is unstable or disconnected for some time, the printer will not be able to process your page count accurately.
If the printer is not able to communicate & update the number of pages left in real-time, the program may not forecast when to order a new cartridge.
A major project may have to be put on hold while the service is caught up, requiring you to buy regular cartridges in the meantime.
Instant Ink’s online portal will keep track of the print count even when it is not connected to the internet.
Conclusion
With Instant Ink, we have changed our perception of the way we print. Low monthly rates and the option to choose as many pages as required for printing are enticing, especially for consumers who print only a few times a month.
But for clients who stick to a strict budget, the extra fees associated with unexpected prints can be a burden. It is important to be mindful of the factors like monthly bills, connectivity concerns, and surplus fees.
