Is HP Plus Printer With HP Instant Ink Worth Buying

The topic of HP Plus, alias HP Plus has been very hot recently. Actually, HP launched HP Plus, a cloud-based printing solution, in early 2021. And inevitably, HP may continue to launch more HP Plus printers pre-subscribing monthly paid HP Plus service. If you purchase an HP Plus contract printer, you will receive six months of complimentary HP Instant Ink service. HP Instant Ink is a subscription for HP Plus printer users, free of charge at the beginning of 6 months but costs per month based on your HP Plus plan. That's why many users prefer HP Plus contract printers. Is the HP Plus contract printer right for you? The following about what's HP Plus service and HP Plus contract printer are may help you avoid confusion.

What's HP Plus?

HP Plus is a cloud-based printing service offered by Hewlett-Packard (HP). Users can access this service by setting up their HP Plus printers, which suffix with a letter "e" (like HP Laserjet Pro 4001dne compatible with HP W1480A/X). It's said that this HP Plus aims to enhance more convenient printing solutions for printer users. However, whether you subscribe to this HP Plus service or not, these HP Plus printers can't work with compatible toner cartridges. Only the original can work in the HP Plus contract printer. Even though HP Plus contract printers are cheaper than standard printers, the original HP toner cartridges priced high may cost you more.

Pluses Of The HP Plus Contract Printer With HP Instant Ink

According to HP's official website, HP Plus is a special printing service which provides convenience for HP Plus contract printer users. If users participate in, they will enjoy the following benefits.

Cheaper HP Plus Printer：

The quickest way to tell whether your printer is an HP Plus printer is to see whether the suffix of the printer model is E and an orange label of HP Instant Ink Service upfront. If it is, your printer is an HP Plus contract printer that has signed a contract with HP. Although HP Plus contract printers are cheaper than standard HP printers, they only work with original toner cartridges. Compatible HP toner will be unavailable for your HP Plus contract printer. Here are some printer models for your reference:

Free Six-Months HP Instant Ink:

The Instant Ink service provides free 6-month ink and will automatically cost users a fee according to the HP Plus plan they select unless they unsubscribe from this service. Note that some HP Plus contract printers have only free Instant Ink service in the first three months, such as HP LaserJet Pro 4001ne, compatible with HP W1480A/X. Moreover, users can use only the original HP toner after unsubscribing from the HP instant ink service.

• How Does HP Instant Ink Work?

HP Instant Ink service is available for all printers, inculding standard printers (non-HP Plus printer) and HP Plus printers. Compared with standard printers, HP Plus contract printers enjoy the first six-month instant ink for free. Users can choose a paid HP Plus plan based on their printer needs after setting up, and their printers will detect the toner level and automatically ships more instant ink if its toner level is low. But you need to ensure your printer is connected to the network to process HP Instant Ink.

Extended Warranty For 2 Years: 

The standard HP printer warranty period is one year, but the HP Plus contract printer warranty period is extended to two years.

Other features for HP Plus: HP offers more features for HP Plus, such as additional security upgrades, monitoring, printing from multi devices, and Forest First Program. More details can be gained from hp.com.

Controversial Points Of HP Plus Contract Printer With HP Instant Ink

Does HP Plus service make sense? Before buying an HP Plus contract printer, please carefully consider some potential risks of HP Plus. Users can choose whether to participate in the HP Plus program according to their situation and hobbies. Here are a few points for your reference.

Cost Of Subscription:

HP Plus service will offer free HP instant ink for the first six months, but it requires a monthly subscription fee based on your HP Plus Plan, which will raise the price of owning an HP printer overall. A recurring fee may be too much for some customers to bear.  

Actually, if you buy a standard HP printer, it comes with free pre-installed original toners. According to the research, the average user will print between 100 and 400 pages each month. Take HP W1480A as an example. If you print about 400 pages monthly, the pre-installed W1480A can last at least seven months before running out. In other words, whether you buy a standard printer or an HP Plus printer, you may not need to pay for the printer toner for the first six-month.

Restricted Ink Usage:

HP Plus contract printer requires the identification of the ink cartridges. The third-party or refilled cartridges are restricted or not supported in these HP Plus contract printers. HP Plus contract printers will force users to use only official HP ink cartridges. This limitation may raise the price of ink and reduce user options. Users who want to choose printer inks for themselves should pay attention to this point.

Dependency On The Internet: 

The Internet is necessary to help support HP Plus. No internet will affect a number of HP Plus printer functions, such as toner monitoring and remote printing. If you have poor internet access or internet connectivity problems, HP Plus features will be heavily impacted. By the way, most users print in a specific environment, such as the office, home, or school. So are these remote functions needed?

Privacy Issues: 

The first time you boot up your HP Plus contract printer, you have to register an HP Plus account with your name, address, contact info, payment method, etc. Then you need to accept several agreement terms and select HP Plus service plans. Although HP claims that the data is used to enhance service quality, those users who value their privacy may be hesitant to agree to such data collecting.

Changeable Service Terms: 

HP is free to update these terms of HP Plus at any time. It will affect the cost or use of the membership if these service features may alter over time.

Can I Disable HP Plus Service If I Don't Need It?

Sorry that you can't turn off the HP Plus service in the HP Plus contract printer. You can cancel the HP Instant Ink service if you don't need any more. You need to buy only the original HP printer toner cartridges even though you cancel the instant ink service because the HP Plus contract printer will block all 3rd-party cartridges. We can do nothing for the HP Plus contract printers to make them work with compatible toner cartridges. If you are really unsatisfied with this kind of HP Plus contract printer, you can try to return your HP Plus contract printer to its shops and demand a refund or change to a standard printer. 

Should I Buy An HP Plus Contract Printer?

Ultimately, you may have basically understood what HP Plus service and HP Plus contract printers are. So whether to buy an HP Plus contract printer or a standard printer depends on your personal requirements, budget, and preferences. Please spend time comparing different printer models and their features, costs, and customer feedback to make an informed decision.