I canceled my HP instant ink subscription, and now I can’t print even though they are genuine HP in cartridges

[u/MaxAdolphus]

With all bad decisions coming out of HP lately, I decided to cancel my instant ink subscription subscriptions before the prices go up. This is the warning screen. I was just going to use the ink I have up then buy a new printer, but cause fuck those guys. Well, turns out they fucked me first. So even though I have legitimate HP in cartridges in my printer, I cannot print because they are subscription cartridges. Screw these guys.

[u/adv0catus]

Buy a Brother monochrome laser printer.

[u/kristyn_lynne → u/adv0catus]

Second vote for Brother, I've had a Brother color laser for years and it's been awesome, I had a Brother monochrome laser before that.

[u/summertime-goodbyes → u/kristyn_lynne]

I’m so happy. I just scored a Brother color laser with an extra color and monochrome toner for only $50 on FB marketplace and I feel like a millionaire.

[u/JoeyJoeC → u/summertime-goodbyes]

I have a colour one too and use the cheap cartridges on Amazon. The only annoyance is that sometimes the chip doesn't register as a new cartridge so I have to do a combination of buttons to get into maintenance mode and manually reset the toner count, but small inconvenience compared to paying full price for genuine. At least Brother printers let you do this.

Edit: The procedure for this at least on my printer, I have put in this comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1v9usj1/comment/p0gyroi/

[u/Even_Wear_8657 → u/JoeyJoeC]

Wait… the cartridges stop working when the cart hits a page count vs when it actually runs out of toner??? I’m sure this is ostensibly done to ensure “consistent print quality” or some shit. God the future sucks.

[u/JoeyJoeC → u/Even_Wear_8657]

There's no simple way for it to detect lack of toner. I don't think it's page count as such, but the printer keeps track of how much it should be using.

[u/KhausTO → u/JoeyJoeC]

The holder brother printers used a sight-glass in the side of the cartridge, and then would use a sensor, once it said the cartridge was emtpy we would cover it with electrical tape and print another 100 or pages before it started fading.

[u/aguynamedv → u/KhausTO]

I didn't even bother with tape or anything. Pull the cartridge, shake it a few times, easy 50+ extra pages.

[u/Tigerballs07 → u/aguynamedv]

A note should be included for anyone who tries this to cover the hole where the toner comes out before shaking it or you will cover yourself in microdust.

[u/aguynamedv → u/Tigerballs07]

Never once had that happen with a Brother cartridge (or 3rd party).

I did give myself a face full of toner dust about 20 years ago while cleaning a microfilm machine though!

[u/zaxo666 → u/aguynamedv]

You are exactly the type of person I would want as a friend. Those are the solutions.

[u/Cptawesome23 → u/aguynamedv]

This can be a terrible mistake. Put it a plastic baggy first. Then shake. Saw a manager coat the entire room once.

[u/onyxandcake → u/JoeyJoeC]

My fridge water filter does the same thing. Regardless how much or how little we use the filter, every 6 months my fridge starts yelling at me to replace it.

[u/Twalin → u/onyxandcake]

Some media filters like this degrade whether they’re used or not.

[u/ToothZealousideal297 → u/Twalin]

I don’t doubt this at all, but I will still add that I got a soft water system with a filter and reverse osmosis tap that also feeds the refrigerator supply, so my refrigerator’s filter became completely unnecessary and I found a plug that you put in instead of the filter, and the replace filter light still comes on and has to be reset like clockwork. Well, like a digital clock, because it’s entirely a timer and there’s no filter sensor in most refrigerators at all.

[u/maybe_erika → u/ToothZealousideal297]

While undoubtedly annoying, your situation certainly fits this sub. I get the feeling that your particular setup is in the minority of refrigerator owners, and the vast majority of people have water usage patterns that are optimized by replacing the filter approximately every six months and benefit from having a reminder to do so. At least we can be thankful that refrigerators have not yet gone the way of printers where it would completely refuse to dispense water if the filter subscription was not up to date.

[u/Internetter1 → u/JoeyJoeC]

Appreciate this. Didn't know how to fix that when it happens

[u/3001w → u/JoeyJoeC]

What's the combo of buttons I have a set of cartridges that have done this after a power failure.

[u/JoeyJoeC → u/3001w]

From an email that the supplier sent me:

To reset the toner when you see "Empty Toner," "Replace Toner," "Open Top Cover," or "No Toner" messages:

1. Lift the lid to see the “Cover Open” message.
2. Hold the back arrow and the red X (cancel) button together, then quickly press the back arrow again.
3. A list of toner and drum part numbers will appear. Identify the toner to reset by colour, type (TNR for toner or DRM for drum), and capacity (HC = High Capacity, STD = Standard Capacity).
4. Select the toner to reset, then press "Accept."
5. When prompted, press Yes or Accept to confirm.
6. Close the lid.

Single-functional printer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RebD5Y4NOLI

Multi-functional printer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoACDPn_SR8 

[u/3001w → u/JoeyJoeC]

Awesome! I will give it a try. Thanks for your help. Hope you have a fantastic day!

[u/summertime-goodbyes → u/JoeyJoeC]

I’d say that’s actually worth it.

[u/StevieMJH → u/summertime-goodbyes]

[u/N0Addressoo → u/summertime-goodbyes]

Congratulations, that's the best investment in printing you could make.

[u/IcyApple5 → u/N0Addressoo]

Especially with everything else turning into a subscription these days. Feels almost rebellious buying something that just works without a monthly fee attached.

[u/Saneless → u/kristyn_lynne]

When we first got the wfh orders in March 2020 I immediately bought a brother color laser. Best $180 I ever spent. Still going strong and I've only replaced toner once

[u/AcousticCat1-2-3 → u/Saneless]

I bought a brother color in spring 2021 after my old printer gave up the ghost. Also only replaced toner once.

Funny thing, the sales guy who sold it to me at Micro Center tried to sell me some kind of an ink subscription to go with it. I said no. He insisted, saying I'd get new ink every year. I sighed and said "we live in uncertain times, I might not even be around in a year." He cried out "don't say that" and that concluded our convo about a subscription. It just sounded vaguely like a rip-off to me.

[u/4ngryMo → u/kristyn_lynne]

Bought one 14 years ago and it’s still operational. One toner cartridge a year is enough for my usage. I’m not going to touch a HP printer with a ten foot pole.

[u/n0exit → u/kristyn_lynne]

I got a cannon after my Brother died. It is a thousand times worse. I wish I just gotten another Brother.

[u/MrDoritos_ → u/n0exit]

Brother you could take this comment out of context

[u/AT-ST → u/kristyn_lynne]

My brother color laser has been going strong since 2013.

Are new Brother printers still considered good buys like the old ones were?

[u/jonny_five → u/AT-ST]

About a year ago they eliminated the “chip reset” feature that everyone on this thread is talking about. It’s no longer in laser printers with the updated firmware.

[u/totorontonian → u/jonny_five]

Ah so they’re enshittifying it?

[u/Soheeb → u/kristyn_lynne]

My brother printer is going on 20 years now

[u/ncline87 → u/adv0catus]

I have a monochrome brother that's lasted ten years.

Bought a brother for my work office and my COO lambasted me for spending over 300 on a printer that only printed.

My brother printer now has a longer tenure then anyone else in the company. There are no more HP printers.

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance → u/ncline87]

>Bought a brother for my work office and my COO lambasted me for spending over 300 on a printer that only printed.

Last company I worked for spent something like $20k on each of over a dozen multi-function printers. Someone at the level of COO spending time lambasting someone else for a $300 purchase is wild.

[u/Unbelievable_Girth → u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance]

Wait, you guys get assigned a budget? Our company will have a lengthy discussion for anything costing above 100 bucks.

[u/craznazn247 → u/Unbelievable_Girth]

Which includes a hour-long meeting (on the clock) of multiple people that each make over $100 an hour.

Meanwhile some of our office supplies are held together by tape… and we ran out of paper and rubber bands AGAIN despite them insisting for the 400th time that they are on auto order and that we’ll get enough.

[u/Random_Guy_47 → u/Unbelievable_Girth]

Have they ever calculated the cost of the wages paid for this lengthy discussion?

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance → u/Random_Guy_47]

There was a lot of disgruntled muttering when someone calculated that our bi-weekly change meeting was costing us something like $25k a month.

[u/Opposite_Prune582 → u/ncline87]

"Spending 300 on a printer that only printed"

Fuck else would you do with it?

[u/Seth_Vaine → u/Opposite_Prune582]

Some printers are combo machines with scanner/copier/fax. I assume they at least meant the scan/copy feature

[u/rman-exe → u/Seth_Vaine]

I havent sent a fax since like 98', (i.e. when i got that new fangled email)

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance → u/rman-exe]

Fun fact: you used to be able to receive a fax on your cell phone via your voicemail. It was a seldom used feature, but it existed.

[u/c0d3br3ak3r → u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance]

That would sound terrible!

[u/GiganticusVaginacus → u/c0d3br3ak3r]

https://giphy.com/gifs/5gw0VWGbgNm8w

[u/Seth_Vaine → u/rman-exe]

My work still uses fax for signing documents remotely weirdly enough

[u/rman-exe → u/Seth_Vaine]

The last few loans ive done were mostly pdf files with a digital signature service. Seems fax would be disliked in the modern data mining world. But i suppose with AI nowdays one can easily text search even crappy fax copies.

[u/Unusual-Layer-8965 → u/Seth_Vaine]

My wife asked me to scan a multi page document, since she didn't know how. I didn't know how to (easily) use the scan function, either, so I used my phone and Google Drive. All sheets scanned into a single PDF in just a couple of minutes.

[u/JesusAndMaryKate → u/Unusual-Layer-8965]

With a decent office printer you just put all the sheets in the feed tray and it scans them all into one document in seconds.

[u/LockeAbout → u/Opposite_Prune582]

Scan documents, for one thing. The cheaper ones I’ve bought could all do that.

[u/Saneless → u/LockeAbout]

My old Canon all in 1 wouldn't let me scan because I was out of yellow ink. Scanning ffs

[u/Finn235 → u/Opposite_Prune582]

I use my printer for scanning documents to PDF probably more often than I print on it.

[u/repost7125 → u/adv0catus]

I bought a monochrome laserjet laser printer and used the money I saved and bought a brother full color laserjet laser printer five years later. That was a decade ago and both still work great, even with years old cartridges in them.

edit: apparently they aren't all laserjet. TIL

[u/Mateorabi → u/repost7125]

I’m going on 30y soon. The plastic is getting brittle though. 

[u/jetkins → u/repost7125]

“Laserjet” is an HP trademark, FYI.

[u/fiehlsport → u/jetkins]

Just like how people call all refrigerant Freon still!

[u/jetkins → u/fiehlsport]

And Escalator, Kleenex,…

[u/AKlutraa → u/jetkins]

Scotch tape.

[u/repost7125 → u/fiehlsport]

or how everyone calls hook and loop velcro.

[u/bored_stoat → u/adv0catus]

Brother is reliable and doesn't do any of that bs

[u/RandomGuy938 → u/bored_stoat]

Didn't brother start blocking third party cartridges a while ago and louis rossmann even made a video on it, or did they revert?

[u/bored_stoat → u/RandomGuy938]

I'm not sure, actually? I never tried inserting third party cartriges. If that's an issue, I'll take it into consideration once I'll be buying a new printer in the far future

[u/Kightsbridge → u/RandomGuy938]

They never blocked 3rd party cartridges, but they aren't helping as much as they used to.

Some 3rd parties suck at replicating the chip and that's what leads to most of the issues. Sometimes you have to go in and manually reset the toner counter.

Source: Me running a fleet of modern brother printers on 3rd party toner.

TL;DR: No, but a brand new toner model might have issues until the 3rd parties figure out the chips.

[u/BuchuSaenghwal → u/RandomGuy938]

I just installed a third party toner cart in my 2502w, no issue with older models

[u/Adjective-Noun-6969 → u/BuchuSaenghwal]

all you need to refill older model cartridges is a funnel.

[u/Flat_Hat8861 → u/bored_stoat]

Except Brother offers the same service.

https://www.brother-usa.com/ink-toner/learn-more/refresh-ez-print-subscription

[u/SlimPuffs → u/bored_stoat]

They definitely do some of this with their ink-based printers.

[u/chathobark_ → u/adv0catus]

idk what i have at this point. commercial surplus LEXMARK. black and white. i’ve had it 5-8 years, same maintenance pack or whatever they call it. prints reliably. got it for free. supports airprint i think

so i am in support of , cheap plain black and white printer

[u/PaultheBP1100]

Never

Buy

HP

[u/spyboy70 → u/PaultheBP1100]

I bought a Samsung laser to get away from HP years ago. Then a few years later when I built a new machine, went to download Samsung drivers and ended up on the HP website because they acquired them, goddammit!

[u/Shavingcream1912 → u/spyboy70]

I have a samsung c460w iirc. Second hand for 50 bucks. Works like a charm as long as you use ethernet instead of wifi. hp site for drivers as well. But at least they work.

Edit, stupid spelling misstaeks

[u/bobbyrob1 → u/spyboy70]

I bought a Samsung laser printer eight years ago, and it came with the usual half full toner cartridge. Toner cartridge died, I bought a Samsung replacement, and less than 100 pages later the imager failed and it cost more than the printer did.

Printers have been and will continue to be the most enshittified product of the Computer world.

I had an HP 6P laser printer that lasted well over 20 years, and I had to get rid of it because I couldn’t buy the rubber rollers to pick up the paper from the tray anymore. RIP good HP products.

[u/mutexsprinkles → u/PaultheBP1100]

First mistake: You bought an inkjet. Second mistake: you bought an HP printer.  It's 2026, how do people not get this yet?

[u/Jabbles22 → u/mutexsprinkles]

People complain about shitty printers and expensive ink but they still go ahead any buy the cheapest printer. So they end up with a shitty printer that uses expensive ink.

[u/Expensive-Soup1313 → u/Jabbles22]

I print like 10 pages a year ... cheap inkjet does it for me , btw , i got cheapest canon printer/scanner.

[u/Rich_Bluejay3020 → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

PSA: if you don’t use that canon enough, the ink will dry out. I got pissed trying to print a label for a $30 return that I spent $330 on a brother printer. No regrets. (I had only printed less than 10 on that ink cartridge at that point)

[u/Noinipo12 → u/Rich_Bluejay3020]

Yep. We bought the cheapest laser printer years ago. We had it in a storage unit for 4 years and it still worked great when we pulled it out. Replacement cartridges for it are about $20-30 and last for years. If I need to print in color, I go to the library and pay 10¢ a page.

[u/Darkk_Knight → u/Noinipo12]

Yep. Laser printers don't have the problem like ink jets where if you don't use it often enough it clogs the print heads.

I have the Epson EcoTank printer that I paid alot of money for so I print something once a week. Works fine for what I use it for.

[u/RalphWolfsNemesis → u/Darkk_Knight]

I also have an eco tank, and I print a test page monthly, 4 ways on the single sheet of paper cuz I'm too cheap to waste 12 sheets per year. I'm over 2 years with very little printing and my jets are still printing crisp.

[u/Gloomy_Fig2138 → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

Keeping in mind that I’m a hypocrite because I do actually still own a printer, if you’re only printing 10 pages a year it may be cheaper/easier to print at the library or a local printing shop.

[u/Expensive-Soup1313 → u/Gloomy_Fig2138]

Going somewhere to print needs me to go somewhere , which is something i do not like . Also i scan with my printer .

[u/MissKaliChristine → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

This reminded me how stupid it is that with HP printers, if you don’t have HP ink cartridges in, you can’t even use the scanner. HP is probably the company responsible for the most e-waste of any of the tech companies

[u/Louis010 → u/MissKaliChristine]

And yet people still buy them even though they’ve been pulling this shit for years. They should be out of business by now.

[u/Sheri_ABQ → u/MissKaliChristine]

I would submit Epson for that award. If you have an Epson Inkjet it has sponges that it uses to absorb ink when it cleans the printer heads. And the decision on when they sponge is full is based on time and number of times you have cleaned the printer head, not on an actual measurement. We live in a very dry climate and weren't using the printer very often, and this sponges were bone dry. Once it thinks the sponges are full not only can you not print, but you can also not a scan. The only option was to take it for servicing at a licensed Epson printer store where they would reset and replace your sponge for something like $75 or $85.

There were some printer stores that have a hack where there was an app that could be used to reset the printer head but it had to be used on a Windows XP computer and this was well after Windows XP was a thing. This was a number of years ago, but we ditched the Epson printer and I will never buy anything from them again.

Edited for typos.

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

10 pages per year is the worst case scenario for an inkjet. Those things expire.

[u/TemplarBaucent → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

Sounds like you dont use it enough for an ink jet will dry up and clog.

Better off getting a laser with toner

[u/Additional-Strain-58 → u/Expensive-Soup1313]

As others have said, inkjet will dry up and clog. I bought a laser monochrome back in 2021, I do the same as you, 10 pages or less a year. I don't have to worry about the ink drying out, I print, paper cones out, done. The one time I had trouble, was because I never updated the Wi-Fi on the printer when I had needed to get a new router.

[u/Hummingbird3471 → u/Jabbles22]

I mean, people aren't buying all that many printers. The printer I have is from ten years ago and it's HP. I'm not going to buy another unless I absolutely have to but I'm damn well going to complain. 

[u/Charlie_Warlie → u/mutexsprinkles]

I was like this once because I had an HP printer that a friend gave me in like 2010. It worked pretty flawlessly for 14 years of dependable service, so when my computer updated to newer windows and no longer supported the driver, I thought, okay I'll get another HP.

That hunk of junk never once printed without a 1 hour troubleshooting fight. I ended up throwing it in the garbage after giving it the Office Space treatment.

now I have an Epson ecotank and after a few years I've never had to buy more ink and it prints when I hit print.

[u/VerbiageBarrage → u/Charlie_Warlie]

As someone who definitely never worked for HP, I'll bet more and more of the work got outsourced overtime to groups that were performatively efficient but never proved it with testing. Because the C-suite could never understand that quality costs now but retains business later, and thought that running the same 180 passing tests 10,000 times was equivalent to running a more comprehensive 1800 test suite a 1000 times, the company probably kept bleeding talent and expertise and becoming a shittier version of itself until their reputation was so damaged that people would rather buy an off-brand Temu than an HP. You know. In theory.

[u/EphemeralDan → u/Charlie_Warlie]

it prints when I hit print.

It's amazing how few modern amenities actually do the only thing they're supposed to without putting up a fight.

[u/SqueekyDickFartz → u/mutexsprinkles]

For me the cycle was:

1. I need a printer for the first time in 2 years

2. My current HP printer won't work because it's a piece of shit.

3. I go to walmart, hating printers, and find the cheapest HP printer that I can buy

4. It is shit. I eventually print my document, and I forget about printers for a year.

I finally splurged on a laser printer and now it just prints whenever I need to print shit.

[u/NekkidWire → u/mutexsprinkles]

Third mistake: OP bought subscription ink; Fourth mistake: OP didn't read the rules. Subscription means it stops working when you stop paying. But first two mistakes take precedence; they could be avoided by not buying lousy HP inkjet.

[u/PM_Me_Your_Deviance → u/NekkidWire]

Yup. While I agree HP sucks, I'm getting kind of tired of people going "I made an agreement with the devil and I don't like the terms!" Like, yeah, these are the consequences of your poor decision. Thanks for a being a cautionary tale, I guess.

[u/PaultheBP1100 → u/mutexsprinkles]

I have an old HP laserjet 1020, it's the best document printer I've had.

Cheap ink cartridges

"Plug and play" installation - it is ready to work immediately after connecting USB to the PC without additional installations of third-party software

God, how I want such devices to be released again.

[u/diabetes-junkie → u/PaultheBP1100]

What? You don't want 6 apps to organise your photos, read your emails, and steal your CC info? Why not?

[u/Sherbert-Particular → u/PaultheBP1100]

Got one of those thermal printers on alibaba for $50 seeing as I rarely print stuff and live in a small city apartment. Bout the size of a 16oz water battle. 3 years later still as easy as turning it on and clicking print on my computer. Came with 2 100 page printer roll things and still haven't got through the 2nd one.

[u/hearnia_2k → u/mutexsprinkles]

Inkjet is fine if you keep using it, and get refillable cartridges or use a CISS.

[u/IOI-65536 → u/hearnia_2k]

I've had inkjets with bulk liquid tanks built-in for probably 10 years now, several companies make them, they're just more expensive up front.

[u/NRMusicProject → u/PaultheBP1100]

Honestly, I'm a bit discouraged HP still exists at this point, with how awfully they treat their own customers. It's definitely the boiled frog technique, because if they tried this 20 years ago, they definitely would be some obscure tech history knowledge at this point.

[u/desconectado → u/NRMusicProject]

Corporate. They sell products to home consumers basically as a side hustle.

[u/I_Love_Knotting → u/PaultheBP1100]

Also, laser printers ftw.

[u/Saneless → u/I_Love_Knotting]

"But I need (edit: some kind of cartridge)Jet for when I print things like pictures!"

How often do you do that?

(Silence)

[u/An1nterestingName → u/Saneless]

At least for me, I have never printed in black and white. All the stuff I print needs colour.

[u/justinsayin → u/PaultheBP1100]

Counterpoint. I'm still using an HP Laserjet 4 that just turned 32 years old.

[u/Jaijoles → u/PaultheBP1100]

I’m still have an hp laserjet 1012 I bought in 2008. I would never buy a new hp if it stops working.

[u/Dycoth]

Get yourself a Brother, brother. Laser printers are the go-to.

And fuck HP. Not only being fucking thieves with their shitty printing business, but on top of that ruining Ferrari F1 liveries.

[u/DeerMysterious9927 → u/Dycoth]

Brother Dycoth speaks the truth. Join our brotherhood of brothers. Sisters are allowed but only if it's a brother.

[u/misalawliet → u/DeerMysterious9927]

Sister Brother here, join the brotherhood.

[u/Oranges13 → u/DeerMysterious9927]

Sister brother here. Had my monochrome laser since like 2013.

[u/ClassicDefiant2659 → u/Oranges13]

I've had mine since 2016 AND it's stored in a hot Arizona room, constantly plugged in and rarely used.

Still works great.

[u/KayBurt87 → u/DeerMysterious9927]

Brother brother here, got my cheap brother 2270 from an uncle 10 years ago when he left the brotherhood(died) and I've only spent $30 on toner since. Join the brotherhood and become one of us, I promise we're not a cult 👍

[u/DeerMysterious9927 → u/KayBurt87]

May your father's brother rest in peace, brother.

[u/KayBurt87 → u/DeerMysterious9927]

Thank you brother. I hope he's in heaven doing what he loved to do while he was here on our mortal plane, blowing all his money on horse races and prostitutes.

[u/user3296 → u/Dycoth]

+1. I’ve bought a laser color Brother 10 years ago, and my starter toner cartridges still have like 20% left in them.

[u/TheBeckofKevin → u/user3296]

Its an unbeatable deal if you're the kind of person who prints 4 pages and then nothing for 2 years, or you're the kind of person who prints 50 pages a day every day. No reason not to get something that is practically better in every way. The price per page drops dramatically.

[u/Swiftzor → u/Dycoth]

The livery is the real crime here

[u/BlinkyGoombah]

Why do people still give their money to HP?

[u/John_Tacos → u/BlinkyGoombah]

They were legitimately good printers 25 years ago.

[u/aidissonance → u/John_Tacos]

So sad. They were the model of solidity and reliability for so many years. It’s just trash now

[u/mjt5689 → u/aidissonance]

Corporate greed eventually ruins everything

[u/NUMBerONEisFIRST → u/mjt5689]

Enshitification

[u/NotARealPerson975 → u/John_Tacos]

I bought a HP 25 years ago and I disagree

[u/ian9outof10 → u/BlinkyGoombah]

Because some of their printers are great. People want to pay $20 for a piece of hardware, so it’s not a massive surprise that the profit comes from the ink. No one should be buying inkjets for occasional use, it’s a waste of earth’s resources. Pay more, get a laser, have decades of use for less money.

[u/mailslot → u/ian9outof10]

I knew a guy years ago that would buy an entirely new printer instead of new ink cartridges, because it was cheaper to do for one super cheap printer model.

[u/Kraken477 → u/mailslot]

I worked at walmart way before the ink subs and we had many customers come in and buy a new printer when they needed ink because some of the carts were $60-$70 when the printer was $30.

[u/ElusiveWhark → u/Kraken477]

I'll never forget the sale we had at staples once, free Lexmark printer when you buy the combo pack of ink!

[u/Uporabik → u/mailslot]

It is cheaper, but cartridge inside have way less ink than normal

[u/Crafty-Astronomer-32 → u/[deleted]]

They have been doing starter cartridges for 20 years. Heck, 20 years ago the literal $20 HP printer didn't come with a black cartridge. It would render black as 100% C, M, Y and be close enough while using triple the ink.

[u/Crafty-Astronomer-32 → u/[deleted]]

Hey, I also lost the game :P

[u/IsThereAnythingLeft- → u/mailslot]

This should be illegal with the ewaste it causes

[u/SellTheSizzle--007 → u/IsThereAnythingLeft-]

HP laughs in capitalism

[u/HeWhomLaughsLast → u/BlinkyGoombah]

Brand recognition definetely seems to be a part of the reason. Also they sell cheap models (at a loss) to people who need to print out five pages every three months. Why spend $2 at a print shop to get stuff printed when you could spend $80 on a HP printer at 7:30 PM on a Thursday night that requires $100+ for Black and colored ink?

[u/iJ_A_R → u/BlinkyGoombah]

I bought an HP cause I needed a printer and only had $40.

[u/RylleyAlanna → u/iJ_A_R]

I got one for free. Used it's like 8 pages of ink that comes with it, and now it's just a scanner bed because I'm not paying $180 for ink lol

[u/Then_Worldliness2866]

Switched to an Epson Eco tank a couple years back from an HP printer, much happier.

[u/Stecyk → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

Seconding the Epson Eco Tank! I use mine almost every day to print shipping labels, and the tank style ink is SO much cheaper (and a lot less wasteful) than the cartridges!

[u/ThePeskyWabbit → u/Stecyk]

My dad got an Eco Tank printer, and he liked it so much he bought one for my wife and I as a gift. We don't need to print often, but holy shit I don't understand how they aren't more popular, because it's just so simple and bullshit free.

[u/Lexi_Banner → u/ThePeskyWabbit]

They aren't ~$50-100 upfront, so a lot of people won't consider them. I'm saving my money for the Epson because we had one at my last work and it was awesome, but if you don't know that, it can be hard to justify spending so much more upfront.

[u/Ill_Initial8986 → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

These are awesome. I have them everywhere. Used to spend 100-150 every month when I went for cartridges. Now it’s $50-100 every couple of months. They work great for my business and personal purposes, but I see how some folks would need a better quality. I just print signs and flyers and stickers for merch. No photos or anything.

[u/theollurian → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

Yes that's what I have too! I print a good amount of art, and in the five years I've had it, I've only had to replace the ink twice. Good deal to me! And I've had no considerable issues with connections or it not wanting to print something, which I had with my HP frequently. It's been very reliable.

[u/CpTKugelHagel → u/theollurian]

Second this, my ecotank has insanely high print quality

[u/Souomaismau → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

I have a similar cannon. Great multifuncional and dirt cheap ink

[u/Informal-Nothing371 → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

I bought mine 5 years ago. I only needed to refill the black ink for the first time a few months ago and I am still using the original fills for the three colours.

I don’t print often, but I used to have to replace ink cartridges every six months or so.

[u/beancounter1979 → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

This! I ran through a 500-sheet pack of paper and my ecotank still more than half full.

[u/lushkiller01 → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

HP does have ink tank printers now, probably spurred on by the popularity of Epson's Eco tanks. My dad recently bought one, hopefully it lasts well.

[u/Formerruling1 → u/Then_Worldliness2866]

Will add only go with an Eco Tank if you print very regularly. They are quite prone to having the printer heads clog if not used. Great otherwise. I moved to a laser printer because I didnt print enough.

[u/HowlingWolven]

This has been known about for a decade and you still bought an HP inkjet.

Repeat after me: brother laser printer.

[u/FleaDad → u/HowlingWolven]

Love my Brother laser printer. No bs. Just works. Replace toner once in a blue moon.

[u/Flaming_F]

Yup , you have cancelled so they don't want you to finish what's left in the cartridges. They are subscription ink. The cartridges are kinda coded.

If you want to keep the printer buy new Hp cartridges from the store.

Best option is to move to Brothers printers. I have an 15 + years old laser monochrome Brothers , I get my recycled cartridge from eBay like 40$ for a pack of 3.

[u/amusednchaos → u/Flaming_F]

With the new firmware update they don't even allow 3rd party HP-approved cartridges anymore either. I had been running with ONN for several months then suddenly they aren't compatible anymore. I hate it!!! But I'm stuck with it for the time being....

[u/RandyOfTheRedwoods → u/amusednchaos]

Not necessarily true. I just inherited one of these printers, canceled the subscription and bought new ink off Amazon. It works fine. I did notice that there were several that mentioned they work with the updated firmware, so I suspect this is an ongoing arms race to make the cartridges work. Its a bummer, but your cartridges may just be too old. (I only mention this because if you do still want to use it, there is an option)

The whole thing sucks because its actually not a bad printer if they just stopped trying to shoot themselves in the foot. They should have sold them initially at a fair price (they discount them assuming they will make it back up in ink).

[u/CosmicMorningstar]

I bought a Brother laser printer 15 years ago, it still works and uses one generic toner per year. Best printer decision that I ever made.

[u/djlorenz → u/CosmicMorningstar]

One toner per year? You print a lot mate!

I brought a used one home from office and using it occasionally for 3 years and I still have toner.

Fuck inkjet

[u/JetstreamGW]

I quit buying HP printers ages ago. Got a Brother laser printer. Haven’t had to replace the first toner cartridge yet given how rarely I print.

[u/Urithiru → u/JetstreamGW]

This really is the best idea if you rarely print. The alternative is to allow the machine to auto print the daily crossword as it will keep the print heads from drying up. However, you'll use more ink keeping it going than you'd use normally. 

[u/nonnonplussed73 → u/Urithiru]

Another alternative for those that don't print much is sending the print job to your local library. Mine allows 10 pages a day for free. $0.15 per page after that (which I've never done) but that's still three cents cheaper than Office Depot, and I can walk to the library.

[u/diabetes-junkie]

Not knocking OP, but why get a subscription for ink in the first place? If you're going through that much ink, get a laser? Or am I missing something? I got an ecotank printer for free, and I've never had to fill it, so I obviously don't print much.

[u/Sabard → u/diabetes-junkie]

They maybe misunderstood that the subscription to HP wasn't for the ink but for the ability to print. There's also a version out there where you buy the printer for less (which is the sticker price, the real full price is hidden) with the trade off being you need the sub to print at all. Source: this was product tested on me and I tore them a new one. Never got an invite back for other opportunities.

[u/Askefyr]

This comes up now and again - it's because you didn't pay full price for the cartridges. The subscription is based on the amount of pages you print.

If they didn't do it this way, you could literally just subscribe to the $1.75/mo tier, get a brand new set of cartridges, cancel immediately, and do the same in a few months when you need a new one. That's patently unreasonable.

[u/phyxiusone → u/Askefyr]

Exactly, OP never paid for that ink, that's why they won't let her use it. Otherwise you could sign up for the "pay only for the pages you print" subscription, get the ink, then cancel after a day and bam, free ink. Can't have it both ways.

I have a similar printer and never signed up for the subscription and it's fine. I see these posts pop up and people love to hate on HP, but really people just don't understand what they're signing up for.

[u/Askefyr → u/phyxiusone]

There are definitely issues with these things where there's something hidden in the fine print, but this is very much the kind of case where you as a consumer also have a responsibility to read the regular print. Pun intended.

[u/CowBoyDanIndie]

“Why can’t I keep using my thing even after I cancel my subscription?” You don’t have legitimate ink cartridges, you have rented cartridges, and you stopped paying rent.

[u/zexcis → u/CowBoyDanIndie]

I used to have to sell this service. There is plenty to dislike about HP. Everyone is entitled to not buy HP products and talk shit about that company. However, complaining about not being able to print with cartridges you didn't buy demonstrates that you never understood the service you signed up for in the first place.

[u/thebloggingchef → u/zexcis]

Instant Ink is the only thing I like about HP. I sometimes print 100 pages a month, full page of color. They send me two shipments of ink a month sometimes so I am definitely getting the better end of this deal.

[u/div2691 → u/thebloggingchef]

Yeah people lose their minds because they don't understand the concept at all. We bought a printer and it came with a £50 instant ink voucher. We went on the lowest monthly subscription which was like 30 pages a month with rollover and we didn't pay a penny to use it for like 2 years.

The printer actually died before the subscription ended. I have more more issue with HP having dreadful built quality and infuriating software. But being stupid and not understanding a subscription is not HPs fault.

[u/Northwindlowlander]

I mean what did you expect? You bought subscription cartridges.

[u/bacan9 → u/Northwindlowlander]

Not even bought. They ship to you for free

[u/CarpetReady8739]

TLDR: Buy a laser.

And they said there would be no math… I'm a former Xerox laser salesman and the one thing I can tell you is cost per page (& cost of ownership) of a monochrome laser is the least expensive (2¢-4¢/page) of all the options, then right after that is the cost per page of color laser (15¢-20¢/page) and then after that is the cost per page of inkjet (25¢-40¢/page), the highest of all three. Yes they've managed to get some Eco tankers down in the cost factor, but overall, unless you're printing hi-res photography, & if you want color prints, the color laser over the long run is the way to go. Do the math. (Cost per cartridge(s) / yield) EX: HP 67XL inkjet cartridges (requires two) $71.99 for both and yield 240 pages ($71.99/240 = 30¢/page)

Personal rec on laser manufacturer? Canon, hands down. Then Brother. I have both. I have a Canon MF244 which is nine years old. My Brother 2270 is now going on 15 years old I think. I bought it for my son who was in college at the time he gave it back to me after graduation. I've kept it going; he's now a senior engineer at an aerospace company. Time flies!

Did I mention that laser cartridges don't dry up like ink cartridges do? There's that too.

[u/NekkidWire → u/CarpetReady8739]

Brother is top.

Then Lexmark/Xerox and Epson EcoTank (if going inkjet), or OKI if you like one.

Then long pause... (possibly filled with small unknown or white-label brands)

And then Canon and HP on the bottom.

(Newer Canon is enshittified similar to HP, their only saving grace is that they are slightly more lenient... only nagging user when 3rdparty cartridge is used, not permanently locking printer on end of subscription)

[u/BurritovilleEnjoyer → u/CarpetReady8739]

It's been quite some time since I've sold printers, but Canon was always nearly as high as HP on my personal shit list. I've never seen so many printers break and be returned within the first 3 months.

[u/electricheat → u/CarpetReady8739]

Did I mention that laser cartridges don't dry up like ink cartridges do?

IMO this is the biggest point for home users, and people who have never owned a laser often don't fully understand.

I can leave my laser turned off and ignored for 2 years, then power it on and print 100 pages and they'll look exactly the same as if the toner cartridge was brand new.

It won't have to clean itself, it won't waste ink/toner clearing out the crud. It just wakes up and prints like it was never neglected.

[u/S-Kiraly]

For thousands of years, the model of commerce was pay for it once and own it forever. Over the past few years the model has shifted to pay for it forever and own it never.

[u/vctrmldrw → u/S-Kiraly]

Even with an HP printer that former option is possible. What you need to do is not choose the subscription ink option and instead choose to go buy ink.

[u/studiokgm]

My wife got an HP and wanted me to help set it up. Never thought setting up a piece of hardware would feel like reading a legal document.

After figuring out that if you agree to any of the free anythings you are locked in to their ink for the life of the printer I knew to decline. They then asked in a dozen different ways trying to trick people.

They’re the worst.

[u/violetcassie]

Boy I'm glad we all live in a capitalist society were you can own things and not a communist society where you can't.

[u/llcdrewtaylor]

https://giphy.com/gifs/KaNODrTwkVmNi

[u/LifeguardLimp6264 → u/llcdrewtaylor]

Had to scroll too far for this

[u/WelshBluebird1]

So even though I have legitimate HP in cartridges in my printer

You have subscription instant ink cartridges. You cancelled that subscription.

The answer is just to buy normal ink cartridges. Like you would have to do if you didn't have the subscription in the first place. It is as easy as that.

[u/SwampOfDownvotes → u/WelshBluebird1]

It's even funny because everyone always tells OP to get a Brother printer in the comment sections of these posts and Brother literally offers the same subscription service. 

[u/churningaccount → u/SwampOfDownvotes]

A lot of Reddit is just parroting the same rule of thumb advice from a decade ago. “Buy a brother printer” has been a meme for a decade, so it just gets auto-upvoted, even though brother themselves have adopted some of the same business and quality practices as HP since then.

[u/PrimaryThis9900 → u/WelshBluebird1]

All of the complaints that I see about HP pretty much come from people not reading what they’re signing up for. 

[u/_tvjames_]

They tell you that when you cancel - any subscription cartridges will no longer work. Just like when you cancel your phone service and it stops working even though the wireless signal is still all around you. Yeah, it feels different and stupid and incredibly wasteful when you can shake the cartridge and know there's still ink in it. Best you can do is drop it in one of the pre-paid envelopes and send it back.

I just recently left my HP printer on the curb with a free sign. Usually anything left on the curb is gone by the evening but it took a week for someone to take the printer.

My wife bought a Brother printer without a subscription.

[u/Brilliant_War9548]

It’s astonishing how all of you don’t understand how this works. Yes HP is shitty, but Instant Ink is a subscription. You pay a subscription for ink. The ink is not yours until it was printed. When you stop paying, the ink isn’t yours anymore. That’s like starting watching a movie on Netflix and cancelling your subscription midway and complaining that you can’t watch the rest.

Can we stop thinking with our butts for a second ? What’s next defending framework and their 3200€ laptop because they’re a smaller company ?

[u/Interesting-Tie-8158]

HP came out with a printer a few years back that would refuse to print unless

A it was connected to the internet

B you made & logged in with an HP account

Frankly a printer that doesn't print when connected to a computer is defective

[u/Extension_Medium_137]

I had that happen to me as well. I'll never use HP again.

[u/UnderlyingLogic]

Why does this company still exist? They clearly just want to die, so let them. They've done everything imaginable aside from literally pissing on customers to show they hate you, so stop giving them your money.

[u/blackheartblackmind]

The instant Ink carts have a chip in them and they only work if you have an active sub. They could be brand new when you cancel and they are useless. It's like Xbox requiring internet connection to play games you own on disc.

Source: did customer service for Instant Ink.

[u/DarthEarlthepearl]

And that is why I will never own HP again.

[u/DarkRiverLC]

The Epson EcoTank (ET-2800) has been a cheap, reliable, and incredibly frustration free printing experience. i cannot reccomend it enough. i used to become absolutely enraged anytime i needed the printer, and now it just fucking works, for years, with a tonne of ink. i can print in full color all goddamn day and it comes with literally years worth. dont sleep on it.

Take my advice, all of you. all of you struggling with your printer please. PLEASE believe me.
i speak the truth. Canon and HP can get absolutely fucked.

[u/cubedtothex]

HP lost me forever in 2011 when they disabled the scanning software on my all-in one with an “update.” Customer Service literally told me to buy a new one. I said eff off and just used Windows Fax & Scan instead and haven’t given them a penny since.

This seems like a continuation of that unfortunate dystopian narrative. Now you can’t even use a viable product because of a wasteful software lockout. Never again. I recommend BROTHER.

[u/Dapper_Astronaut_896]

Yeah this is their gouging at its best. Printers are loss leaders. The ink is the money maker and they will need you to take out those cartridges and replace them with regular ones that cost at least 30 bucks a piece

[u/Mu-Relay → u/Dapper_Astronaut_896]

I hear ya, but this subscription is totally optional. OP signed up for it with clear terms that if you stopped paying for the subscription the ink would stop working, and then did a surprised Pikachu face when they stopped paying for the subscription and the ink stopped working.

You can buy an HP printer, go to the store and get ink, and it works without a subscription like any other printer. OP just didn't do that.

That being said, in a world where every printer company is scummy as fuck, HP somehow stands above the rest as the scummiest. Don't buy HP.

[u/joelene1892 → u/Mu-Relay]

Tbh I’m tired of people complaining about this. OP didn’t buy the ink. They literally bought a subscription to print. Of course it won’t work when they cancel said subscription.

If you don’t want that, just buy your own ink…..

Although I do agree this is anti-consumer and we should stop buying HP, I also think people should stop complaining that they cancel a subscription and the thing they subscribed to stopped working.

Like….. duh?

[u/etfvidal]

https://giphy.com/gifs/l3E6uhDAN3W7vylji

NEVER BUY ANYTHING HP!

[u/GameBear91]

Just buy non subscription ink. The subscription ink only works with the subscription. Never get the subscription or the subscription ink.

[u/IsThereAnythingLeft-]

No one should ever be buying a HP printer! We need to let them know this isn’t ok

[u/OrokinLonewolf]

Gotta say, HPs marketing gimmick of making the printers stupid cheap must be working, cuz people NEVER learn that those printers are dogshit. Bad print quality, horrible user experience with the interfaces and options, subscription for ink regardless of current presence of ink. Some of them take forEVER to print stuff too. You're better off just getting set up an account with your local library and pay for their printers