What is HP Instant Ink and should you buy in to it?

HP brand their Instant Ink program as a money-saving subscription service that delivers ink to your door when your printer decides it’s running low but there question we are asking is “should you buy in to it?” 

At the beginning we likened HP Instant Ink to SkyNet in the Terminator films. For those of you that haven’t seen any of those absolute classic cinematic masterpieces, at least in our eyes that is, SkyNet is an AI based defence network, that when switched on in the films becomes self-aware and sets about destroying the human race. 

Now, we aren’t suggesting this is HP but their Instant Ink program is taking large chunks of market share, one end user at a time.

What actually is HP Instant Ink?

HP Instant Ink is based purely on pages printed rather than cartridges used. 

HP Instant Ink is yet another subscription service from HP that adds to our ‘On-Demand’ way of living. HP offers a range of plans for ink or toner that is designed to reflect the amount pages you print at home or in the office. It’s branded as hassle-free and money-saving, pay monthly and you’ll receive the ink when you need it. Ink plan prices range from £1.49/month all the way up to £25.49/month for business use. 

The base plan price for toners is slightly more expensive at £1.99/month and as much as £17.99/month for the business usage plan.

How does HP Instant Ink work?

If you’ve already got a HP printer you’ll need to make sure it works with HP Instant Ink.

You’ll then choose a suitable HP Instant Ink plan that reflects the amount of pages you believe you’ll print on a monthly basis, importantly not the number of ink or toner cartridges you think you’ll need.

Print away when the cartridges arrive in the post. Receive new cartridges when your printer decides its ink levels are getting low and then send the empties back in the prepaid envelope provided. 

You can also cancel or change your HP Instant Ink plan at any time according to HP.

Are HP Instant Ink cartridges the same as regular HP cartridges?

No, they are actually very different, both in physical size and amount of ink inside. Instant Ink cartridges are larger and have more ink inside compared to “normal” HP ink cartridges, even compared to the high capacity/XL ink. 

By name HP Instant Ink cartridges are also tied to the subscription you choose so if you cancel your subscription at any point and you’ve not used all the ink in the cartridge by the time your subscription ends you’ll likely find that cartridge is no longer usable.

On the other hand, original HP ink cartridges can be purchased individually or in bulk, as and when required without the tie of a subscription and once purchased they are yours. You’ll even have the option to purchase recycled ink. Not only do they deliver the same quality as its OEM counterpart, they also have a longer warranty, shelf life and most importantly they are vastly cheaper than original ink cartridges.

Another potential issue with physical size and ink level within a HP Instant Ink cartridge is that infrequent printing leads to ink drying up not only ink the cartridge but also in the printer components. This in itself can mean having to replace the whole printer. This problem of course doesn’t just sit at the door of Instant Ink alone, any inkjet printer is susceptible, but the problem is exaggerated with the lower usage Instant Ink subscriptions.

How easy do you think it would be to get HP to replace your printer that has been left unusable by their own Instant Ink program?

Do I need to be aware of my printing habits if I switch to HP Instant Ink?

Even if you don’t use HP Instant Ink it’s important but especially so if do. The subscription is based on the number of pages you print per month rather than the number of ink cartridges or  toner cartridges you’ve used. 

With that in mind it’s crucial to actually look at what you put on a page to print. HPs definition of a printed page is  “a page upon which any amount of printing is performed by your printer.” and interestingly continues “Printing on both sides of the same sheet of paper counts as two (2) pages.” So basically a single character or number or word or thumbnail image and all the way up to a full page of text or full page image counts as 1 page. Most of us wouldn’t be overly concerned if that printout spills over an extra page, a receipt or parking pass or concert ticket for example, pop it in recycled, no harm no foul. Different story if you’re a HP Instant Ink subscriber however. The page on its own isn’t a massive problem but you might find yourself chewing through you’re page budget or even worse incurring additional fees. 

HP want you to think their Instant Ink subscription is convenient and cost-effective printing solution but the cracks are appearing fast and quite honestly who has time to take a forensic approach to their own printing methods regardless of whether you’re a home or business user.

Will I be charged for exceeding the monthly prints of my HP Instant Ink subscription?

Yes, HP do have a charge, or overage fee, if you exceed your Instant Ink plan page amount, yet another vice to widen the cracks for HP. These charges may not seem that much on face value, £1 for each multiple of 10 pages over and above your plan allowance, but you’ll pay the same subscription amount each month if you print or not. 

If you find yourself printing more than your subscription amount each month you can manage your HP Instant Ink subscription online and choose a different plan with a larger number of prints. The downside, more money each month! 

Say you didn’t want to spend the extra money each month, or simply it isn’t an option, you could keep a couple of back up HP ink cartridges for such an occasion but you’d need to buy original HP ink and they cost almost double what a recycled ink cartridge does. If you did stump up for a set of HP OEM cartridges and they are needed for a few prints what then happens when HP send you the next lot of HP Instant inks, they can’t then be resealed so likely they will end up left on the side to dry up and you’ve just spent a small fortune to a fraction of the capacity of the cartridge. 

Does that sound like a cost-effective printing solution to you?

Is HP watching me?

Not exactly, but they are monitoring your printer remotely, which is something you authorise HP to do when you sign up to their Instant Ink service. HP will monitor page count, ink levels, document types printed and the device you use to print, be that a PC, laptop, tablet or phone. HP can also detect if the cartridge used to print is new or old. 

HP aren’t on their own by sending out firmware updates, pretty much all of the big manufacturers do it and in main they are simply intended to keep your printer running and your hardware safe. 

However, there are times when these big players will try and sneak through an extra piece of firmware that stops you using your printer with anything other than the manufacturer original inks.

HP will also  share your personal information including your name, address, email, printer mode and other info with either the HP retailer you acquired the Service enrolment key, pin, or promotional code or the HP retailer from which you could purchase an eligible printer from.

HP Instant Ink - Will I actually save money and will it make my printing easier?

Maybe, maybe not but the question remains is any potential saving worth the efforts of forensically analysing your printing habits then having to monitor each print job and count each printed page so you make sure you don’t exceed your monthly prints. 

After conducting a poll with our own customers we found monthly usage varies so drastically and due to this sustained use of HP Instant Ink would cost substantially more than buying 3rd part ink. 

After all, when you buy your own ink, recycled or otherwise, you are in control of your printing costs but using HP Instant Ink,  who’s prices increased in 2023 and then again in early 2024, you are always at the mercy of huge printer ink and consumable manufacturers such as HP.

Blog Author: Simon Cross is the engaging and knowledgeable voice behind the insightful articles on printers and printer consumables at IJT Direct, an ecommerce store renowned for its comprehensive selection of printers, printer consumables, and hardware. View Simons author page to find out more about him.