I don't know how many of you are familiar with this idea of hybrid printing, but those who were paying attention in class already picked up on what we were trying to explain in our YouTube material. To provide a more sustainable and practical alternative, HP has introduced Instant Ink, an exciting subscription-based service.
At the same time, through this subscription, users benefit from much more advantageous options, which are tailored to their needs. The system is designed to support home consumers and small businesses. Basically, you print as much as you need, and the cloud connection is the main element of this service.
HP Instant Ink means you get free ink cartridges right to your door when your printer runs out of ink, and shipping is included. The ink cartridges you received are special and only compatible with HP Instant Ink. The next ink delivery occurs only when the ink level is low, not monthly. Through a Cloud connection, it detects when the printer is running out of ink and delivers new cartridges before the user runs out of supplies.
The degree of coverage is very high, in the sense that you can always print in color, including photos. Why? Because the number of pages is counted, not the ink in the cartridge.
Subscription is generally available in several plans. They come in the following forms:
We discussed this at length in our YouTube material. However, such services receive constant updates to ensure an optimal user experience for their customers. Therefore, HP launched a new portfolio of imports. They benefit from an improved printing system, so let's review them.
For starters, the new printers (the classic DeskJet, ENVY and OfficeJet ranges) are designed to take full advantage of the HP+ ecosystem. Models such as the DeskJet 2700e, the new ENVY 6000e range and the OfficeJet Pro series can be connected to the ecosystem to unlock a range of additional options. These include an extra year of warranty, sustainable printing with efficient management via the HP Smart app, and six months of ink if you've also activated your Instant Ink subscription.
What are the benefits of the new line-up?
The catalog expansion includes more secure, cloud-optimized printer models that automatically initiate the installation of updates. These models can automatically detect connection issues and can be more easily managed through the HP Smart app, where detailed information about your model will be displayed.
Activating the HP+ service on the new printers also advantageously combines with the Instant Ink subscription. HP+ activation includes 6 months of Instant Ink subscription ink. That means you have to opt for HP+ in the printer setup process. Otherwise, it will no longer be able to be activated.
In addition to this "fusion" with Instant Ink and all its benefits, the HP+ ecosystem offers an additional year of warranty over the standard one of the compatible printer model. In addition, users will print sustainably, as HP will plant trees to neutralize the impact of prints made on HP+ compatible printers (Forest Positive Framework initiative).
CAUTION! If you opt for HP+, you will only be able to use original HP cartridges, otherwise the printer will not work. This is a condition for granting benefits and the additional year of warranty.
If you DO NOT ACTIVATE HP+ you will still be able to use the printer and you can also get an Instant Ink subscription without any problems. However, you will no longer benefit from those 6 months of Instant Ink or the warranty or the additional features in the HP Smart app... Or the rest of the advantages. The good thing is that you'll be able to use any type of compatible cartridge, not just HP-certified types.
Usage experience
In terms of personal experience, we have already been using Instant Ink and HP+ in the office for more than a month, in its subscription version 100 pages per 25 lei per month. In addition, at the time of contracting, I also had those 6 months included in the subscription.
After the first set of small cartridges that came with the printer, upon activation, the system automatically sent the subscription registration to HP, and within a few days I had the package at my door with the large cartridges, ie full. In this one-month period, we got pretty close to the target of 100 pages with documents, contracts, pictures and everything else we printed around the office.
But even if you go over, it's still not a drama, because in principle you can pay extra for the few extra pages you print without changing your subscription level. If, however, these "exceptions" become the norm and you print substantially more each month, you can always change your subscription plan and move up to a higher tier which, at larger quantities, can clearly prove more practical of costs.
After our calculations, it turned out that, with our subscription plan, the cost per color printed page would be 25 money; regardless of the thickness of the sheet. In a quick search on the net, I saw that the same color page can reach a leu or two, depending on the type of paper, thickness or double-sided printing. In the present case, the subscription does not take into account all these aspects, regardless of these criteria. Your printing cost remains the same: 0.25 lei. The even better part, as we talked about in the video, is that the unprinted pages carry over. Find the details here on the site.
So far, from our own experience, we are happy with the service and along the way we have added more and more PCs and additional devices to the app that you can print from. This is done extremely simply, directly from the HP+ application, which is installed on the new devices and without having to install any additional software or drivers. Connects to your networked printer by simply entering your HP cloud account.
For us, at the moment this subscription of 100 pages at 25 lei/month is enough, we revolve around this amount of printed pages. This part of printing from multiple devices is also extremely practical and efficient, and the tracking and delivery services have proven to be reliable so far.
On the downside, some small bugs that we complained about in the clip a month ago have still not been fixed, such as the one with the fact that the cloud service, instead of opens in the application intended to rule them all opens in an additional browser page. But many of the other small flaws that I mentioned in the video disappeared one by one, which means that the app in particular and the system in general are being worked on to become better integrated.
Conclusion
Until new developments, we see that HP is constantly adding new printer models to the list of compatibility with this service and that although in Romania, laser multifunctions (with toner) are still not available , we have no reason to believe they won't be included eventually, given that, as I said, the system is being worked on.
In conclusion, if a month ago at this time the application, the service, the connection of the printer did not go quite as smoothly as you are told "in the ads", once this moment has passed, the whole hardware and software assembly , device and app went flawlessly, from adding new devices to replacing consumables. We stand by the opinion of a month ago, that unless you are a law office or the Vatican Archives, such a subscription is the most practical way to print at relatively decent costs. with minimal hassle. And this last thing seems extremely important to us, i.e. this with the headaches.
TagsHP