Mail-order printer ink plans come to the US courtesy of HP

Article – From the horse’s mouth

HP

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HP Envy 120 designer all-in-one printer

HP Envy 120 designer all-in-one inkjet printer

HP have brought to the US the concept of plan-based ink replacement for home users. Here, in the land of mail-order business, people can sign up to a pay-by-the-month plan that works with select HP printers so that HP supplies replacement cartridges directly when the machines run low on ink.

This is very similar to enterprises who have managed printers and copiers where, as part of the contract, they receive ink or toner as they need it for their machines. In this plan, known as HP Instant Ink, a customer can choose one of three different service levels dependent on how much printing they expect to do. Here, when the printer runs low, it lets HP know via your home network of this fact and HP will deliver a the ink cartridges that you need and provide a bag for you to send back the empty cartridges for recycling.

Luckily, there is the ability to vary the plans to suit different printing needs or walk out of the plans if you see fit because there isn’t an annual commitment. As well, these plans assure that users can have HP supply them the genuine ink cartridges for their machine.

At the moment, these plans are pitched at a range of two-cartridge HP multifunction printers but who knows when HP could extend it to other home and SOHO machines. HP could see these plans as a way to supply printers to home and small-business users on a contract basis by selling them as complete systems where there is a monthly payment for the machine and the inks and a 1-year or 2-year commitment. They could target this kind of plan at the SOHO and small-business user who has to factor in the purchase of newer equipment, depreciation for current equipment as well as ink costs as legitimate business expenses to be factored in every financial year.

Of course, there would be doubts about the value of money that these plans have compared with inks purchased at a local or mail-order / online outlet who may sell genuine ink cartridges at cheaper prices. Similarly, I would have doubts about HP running the Instant Ink program in countries where direct sales aren’t considered the norm for selling goods to consumers and small organisations.

But I see of this as being a bold step for a company HP to offer an ink-delivery program for home and small-business / community-organisation users who want to make sure they have a supply of ink in their printers.

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