There’s a new ink subscription plan in town and it’s definitely worth checking out.
He All inclusive plan ($6.99/month to start) from Hewlett-Packard works much like its predecessor, Instant Ink. You choose a plan based on the number of pages you print, and ink cartridges are automatically sent to you when the printer is running low. The big new feature here is that the printer is included in the plan.
Yes, you read that right. It’s a novel offering, especially for an industry criticized for using the “shaving model” (giving away printers at low prices to induce customers to buy expensive ink known as “liquid gold” in the long run). But a lot has changed since then and now all the big players offer ink subscriptions that promise to save you money.
By eliminating the initial investment of purchasing a printer, HP has eliminated the first step of the purchasing decision. Now, simply choose your plan and start printing, without needing to spend hours researching which is the best printer to buy first.
However, there aren’t many printers to choose from with the All-In plan at this time. Your choice of printers is limited to three models: Envy 6020e, Envy Inspire 7258e, and OfficeJet Pro 9010e.
The monthly price for using it depends on which of the three printer models you choose, and the price increases the more pages you print. As with Instant Ink and other ink subscription plans, there is no distinction between black and white and color pages; a page is a page is a page. If you exceed your plan allowance, your monthly bill will include a charge of one dollar per set of 10 to 15 pages, depending on the plan. If it is below, unused pages will be carried over to the next month. You can renew your plan allocation up to three times. A 300-page monthly plan, for example, allows you to accumulate up to 900 pages.
So far so good, right? Ink subscriptions that automatically order ink ensure that you’re not in a bind having to drive to a store to buy cartridges. Now, All-In Plan gives you a printer without having to shell out that initial investment and provides you with 24/7 technical support.
The All-In plan offers 24-hour live printing support. If a problem cannot be resolved, HP will ship a replacement, possibly the next business day. There is no charge for shipping or returning a printer that is not working properly.
The plan has a 30-day trial period. After two years, you have the option to upgrade to a new printer.
Breaking down the cost
Ultimately, the value of the All-In plan depends on how much you print and how much you value not having to buy a printer. A direct comparison cannot be made with a printer’s per-page costs because they are calculated for two different standardized pages: one for approximate text pages and one for color graphics. But it’s still worth considering.
When I reviewed the HP Envy 7955e, its estimated costs per page were 7 cents for text pages and 18.1 cents for color pages, when using its high-yield ink cartridges (which slightly reduced per page costs). Currently, the average cost per page for similar printers is 6.2 cents (text) and 15.9 cents (color). In contrast, ink tank printers and Brother models that use very high yield cartridges, average
Of course, that price distinction between colored ink and black ink disappears with a subscription. If you like to print with a lot of color, this may appeal to you. This can be especially true if you print a lot.
For example, for about the same cost of printing text pages with the Envy 7955e, you could print 300 color pages per month from an Envy (5.3 cents per page) or Envy Aspire (6.3 cents per page) printer. , without having to buy the printer.
But that does not mean that all levels of the Comprehensive Plan seem so attractive. The Light level with an Envy printer, for example, costs 35 cents per page. But if you expect printing tasks to increase dramatically in the near future, you would reduce that cost to 11 cents per page if you upgrade to the plan with 100 pages per month.
Integral or instant ink?
Compared directly to Instant Ink, the All-In plan seems like a bargain, in many cases. The moderate plan with 100 pages per month, for example, includes the printer for only $4 extra per month. At that rate, you wouldn’t recoup the cost of a $129 printer for two years and eight months.
However, allocating 300 pages per month costs $22.99 with the All-In plan and an OfficeJet Pro printer and just $13.99 with Instant Ink. Assuming you purchased an OfficeJet Pro printer that costs $289, you would recoup that investment in two years and eight months, and then save $9 per month on your printing costs (assuming the printer continues to function smoothly).
The alternative to the ink tank
The lowest costs per page among inkjet printers are offered by those with ink tanks or that use very high-yield cartridges. These models print thousands of pages before running out of ink. However, they also tend to be a bit expensive. The price of the models we’ve reviewed in this category has averaged about $400 over the past four years. Two recent examples: the $350 HP Smart Tank 7602 and the $230 Epson EcoTank ET-2850.
Ink costs for these printers have averaged just 0.4 cents for text pages and 1.5 cents for color pages. That’s a dramatic difference compared to standard inkjet printers, as well as HP All-In plan costs.
However, this does not mean that the Comprehensive Plan is not worth serious consideration. But you need to do the math (based on the expected print result) to make sure your expectations are met.
For example, if you subscribe to the moderate 100 pages per month plan with an HP Envy Inspire printer, you pay $12.99 per month or $155.88 per year.
In comparison, you have to pay $350 upfront for the Smart Tank 7602. If you print about half as many text pages and half as many color pages, your ink costs to print the same number of pages for the year (1,200) They will be approximately $72, priced at $72. 0.6 cents each. And there will still be plenty of ink left in the tanks.
In summary, the cost of the moderate All-In plan with Envy Inspire will break even in approximately two years and three months, compared to purchasing the Smart Tank printer outright. From then on, you’ll pay $12.99 per month for the plan or 6 cents per month for printing. This last option, of course, does not include the plan’s benefits, including free printer replacement, 24/7 support, and automatic ink cartridge shipments.
This cost difference reduces more quickly at higher printing volumes. The 500-page plan with Envy Aspire, for example, costs $25.99 per month, or $311.88 per year. Breakeven time is approximately 14 months. Thereafter, you’ll continue to pay $25.99 per month for the plan, while printing 500 pages with Smart Tank would consume approximately $3 in ink per month.
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Needless to say, one size does not fit all in the world of inkjet printers. I hope my back-of-the-napkin calculations provided some useful information for comparison. However, costs per page are only one consideration. The convenience of a plan like HP’s All-In cannot be ruled out. If you’ve been a fan of ink subscriptions, then a small monthly margin to include a printer will probably be very attractive.
Another way to look at it is that the frequent plan with Instant Ink (300 pages per month) costs 4.7 cents per page. The All-In plan includes an Envy printer at that level for 5.7 cents per page, or an Envy Inspire for 6.3 cents per page.
Many factors go into this decision, including how your home office or business operates. If you replace your printer frequently, you’d appreciate getting rid of that one-time, repeat expense. The All-In plan offers some attractive per-page costs while taking some of the guesswork and hassle out of choosing a printer, troubleshooting a printer, and having supplies on hand. If all that adds up to a no-brainer for you, I guess you could say you’re “all in.”
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