Behind the term HP Instant Ink hides a practical subscription model for printer ink that is useful for all those who know their printing needs and the associated ink consumption. I am on the service of HP as part of the HP Envy 5540 Printer Review encountered. The service is available from New purchase of some printer models until May 31, 2019 for free - details about the service and the compatible printer models can be found in this guide.
Chapter in this post:
This is HP Instant Ink
HP Instant Ink is a replacement service for printer ink direct from the manufacturer and using original ink cartridges. With some printers it should be possible to save up to 70% in costs. With compatible printers, the new ink is pre-ordered before the current cartridges are empty. A subscription is also possible; suitable for printing 15, 50, 100 or 300 pages per month. In addition, used ink cartridges from HP printers can be sent back to the manufacturer for recycling free of charge.
The prices - HP Instant Ink costs at a glance
The price for an HP Instant Ink subscription is graded according to the consumption or the printed pages per month. It is interesting that 15 pages per month are supplied free of charge. Here is the current overview of the costs:
- 15 pages / month: free
- 50 pages / month: € 2,99
- 100 pages / month: € 4,99
- 300 pages / month: € 9,99
These printers are compatible with the service
The printer ink subscription service has been around since 2014, at least in the USA. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to the model series when buying a new or using an older printer. Because only a selection of the HP printers can be used with HP Instant Ink. Here are the printers that can be used:
- HP ENVY series: 4500, 4520, 5010, 5020, 5030, 5530, 5540, 5640, 7640
- HP ENVY Photo series: 6220, 6230, 7120, 7130, 7820, 7830
- HP DeskJet series: 2620, 2630, 3630, 3720, 3730, 3750, 3760
- HP OfficeJet series: 3830, 4630, 4650, 5220, 5230, 5740, 6950, 8010, 8020, 9010
- HP OfficeJet Pro series: 6830, 6960, 6970, 8020, 8030, 8210, 8610, 8620, 8710, 8720, 8730, 8740, 9010, 9020
- HP TANGO and HP TANGO X
Note: A printer series can also include sub-models; for example the HP ENVY 4525 as a representative of the 4520 series.
Why the service can be worthwhile
Anyone who buys an inkjet printer is often faced with a consideration that resembles a vicious circle: If I print too much, I need new ones Printer. But if I don't print enough, the old cartridges dry up. So you print too much or too little. Then the printer stands empty forever because you forget or postpone buying a new one or refilling the ink tank. Of course, this does not apply to all users, but it will often be the case - especially with private use. Otherwise HP Instant Ink wouldn't have worked for five years :D
Experience with HP Instant Ink (video)
Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with my own experience or an instant ink test. However, I found a brief as well as informative glimpse from a user of the service on YouTube. There is also the note that you can cancel the subscription on a monthly basis in order to react flexibly to changes in printing behavior. Here is the video:
Promotion: HP Instant Ink free if purchased by May 31, 2019
For example, there are currently some offers from HP ENVY (photo) printers on Amazon, for which you get 12 months of HP Instant Ink free of charge. The overview of the models can be found with this link. The printers themselves are also reasonably priced; Depending on the model, the price ranges from EUR 55,00 to EUR 119,99. On average, the models have 4 out of 5 stars in customer ratings. A thoroughly worthwhile offer. And if you're wondering what the current printer models from Hewlett Packard can do, then I recommend my test report on the ENVY 5540 linked at the beginning;)
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Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.
I have an HP OfficeJet pro 6970 with an Instant Ink subscription; the device itself is functionally top; Unfortunately, the printed image is very pale and, according to my feeling, is getting paler and paler. I've never had a printer with such poor print quality.
The device hangs - due to Instant Ink - in the network, reports all activities to HP. It is reasonable to assume that HP deliberately and remotely throttled the ink consumption in order to get off better.
Hello Karl! Hard allegations. : D I'm just wondering what would induce HP to deliver poor print quality. Then all customers just come to Epson ... what good would that do? Or maybe Epson has hacked into the HP printers and is changing all of them to 72 dpi print resolution. : D
What happens if the cartridges are used in another printer after receiving them, which may not have an internet connection at all? So you can print them out as quickly as you want. If they are then empty, you put them back into the registered printer - and then new ones come?
Hello smart guys! I think the people at HP already have tactics like that on their radar. And they surely know how many pages you can print. If your HP only reports 5 pages and you already have an empty cartridge, you immediately know that something is strange. : D But I have no experience ... that's just my thought.
After 2 months of HP Instant Ink, no connection could be established from the printer to the HP server. For months I tried to pair the computer with the server. All help offered and made available turned out to be useless. Apart from the hours I spent senselessly, an IT professional also tried to connect the printer to the server. Pointless! In addition, I was billed for the 300 pages month after month, which logically could not be printed at all when you look at the deliveries. 1 delivery in 1 year !!!! Underground and horrible phone support. You hang on the line for over 1 hour and are constantly put off.
That's it with HP! - Never again. I feel ripped off!
Oh wow ... not offering support with such a service is of course tough. That doesn't sound like you could recommend it.
The same thing happened to me.
Printer cannot connect to the HP server.
I sent the printer back to HP - they refused to accept it.
Three emails already sent to HP - were not read by HP.
I am not satisfied with the printer and I no longer want it.
But I want to get out of the monthly billing for printed pages.
Oh, that's really annoying ... I hope you get out of this thing.
My last HP printer, a multifunctional part, is now defective after about 5 years and many, many prints.
I never used the original HP cartridges for the old printer. The reason was of course the price. With a complete set of cartridges, you are close to the cost of the new printer.
Unfortunately, the old Officejet Pro 8610 printer doesn't always have the alternative cartridges that good
“digested” So that printing problems have often arisen. Especially towards the end of use.
Since the device with a purchase price of around 100 EUR had a good price-performance ratio for my taste, I decided on an HP again. This time it's an Officejet 6950 All in One. Cost 127 EUR.
Based on the experience I have read here with the range of delivery options for printer cartridges from HP, I will look around the accessories market again. I hope the printer is doing its 5 years.
Hello, I've also had a bad experience with HP. As soon as the subscription is canceled, you can no longer print. I reported this case to the consumer advice center!
I'm curious to see if they can initiate something.