HP Printers and ink supplies

[#1]

A couple of years ago I bought a brand new HP printer. The ink supplied with it ran out after a month. I understood that there was a connection via the internet to HP who would supply more ink BEFORE the ink ran out, and this would continue after the year was up, although I would have to start paying monthly an amount that would cover a preset number of sheets. I realise that HP might object if I went berserk with my printing during the first 12 months, but 20 pages per month would be a heavy month. However, no ink and no sign of ink so I bought (from HP) a new ink cartridge. After 12 months I started paying £2.99 per month for 50 sheets, with my bought cartridge still going strong. Just recently, the monthly usage has gone up to around the 50 page mark - printing drawings for my grandchildren during the summer, but now they are both at school that should drop off.

HP did start sending ink cartridges which I have, so far, not used. The other day, a third package arrived from HP, so I looked at stopping the monthly payments - I have all this ink, why pay for more? However, when I tried to close down the payments, HP said that my printer would stop working from 2 November. Does this mean I have 3 black and 3 colour ink cartridges that I cannot use? What have i been paying for? It cant be the paper, I buy that.

I could temporarily halt the payments - they allow up to 6 months of that, but the sting in that is they limit me to 10 sheets per month, which is less than my normal usage

Have any of you had similar experieriences? In particular, did you go through stopping the payments permanently - did your printer stop until you put your own inks in or were you able to use up the HP-supplied inks? If I cannot use them, what do I do with these 3 boxes of ink cartridges?

Thanks for any help

[#2]

@penneck 

Not HP but a friend had exactly the same experience with an <removed>  ink contract a bit back. He had to scrap a set of cartridges after about 50 pages as they had been locked by Epson.
Edit

Manufacturer removed as on reflection this might be incorrect. 

[#3]

@penneck 

I've happily used HP Deskjet printers for many years but when I was looking for a replacement a few months ago I discovered the 'Big Brother' behaviour that HP seemed to have imposed on users of their newer models, i.e. an Internet connection required (as appeared to me) to enable them to control usage and restrict use of third-party compatible ink cartridges etc.

Even though I've always used genuine HP cartridges in the past, it looked like it was going to be expensive running one of their newer printers because, like you, I don't do much printing these days, so even their HP Instant Ink plan would be excessive.

Some months I probably don't need to print anything, and colour is even more rarely required, and cartridges have plenty of time to dry up, so I bit the bullet, reluctantly said goodbye to HP, and bought a Brother Mono Laser all-in-one device which doesn't require a compulsory Internet connection.

[#4]

The way printers are marketed is the problem.  They are sold at a very low price and the manufacturers make their money on the ink, which is very expensive.  I bought a cheap printer in 2018 because I expected to do quite a lot of printing/copying/scanning at that time.  When the ink ran out, I could have bought another printer for just over half the price of a set of the manufacturer's own brand ink cartridges (the replacement set of ink cartridges comes with twice the amount of black ink compared to the one supplied with the printer so the price of the printer was effectively the same as the price of half the black ink cartridge in the replacement set).  Since my ink ran out during the first lockdown, I couldn't by a new printer and had to buy the overpriced ink.

Since most printers are mainly plastic, I'm surprised the anti-plastic greens haven't kicked up a fuss about this.  There must be quite a few perfectly good printers being disposed of just because it's cheaper to replace it rather than buy new ink cartridges.

[#5]

See;-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACX_VfsjkZA&t=375s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvwKYZaB0Z4

I now use EPSON ECO TANK printer; no such problems

[#6]

Another vote for an Epson Ecotank.

It cost the price of several cheap printers but I have now had it over 2 years and I've still got over 50% of the original ink left and, touching wood, had no blockages whatsoever.

[#7]

I could buy replacement cartridges for my present printer, as and when I need them, but I was hoping I could at least use those cartridges HP had sent me under the 'pay monthly' scheme. Otherwise, they are just going to continue gathering dust.

However, my main problem is 'can the manufacturer actually stop the printer working even with their cartridges that I have bought from them'? Therefore, we are not talking about pirate cartridges or whatever they are called, we are talking about HP cartridges that I have bought rather than using their 'pay monthly for so many sheets' cartridges

[#8]

@penneck 

You need to read the small print in the contract but I suspect that you are buying the right to use ink supplied by HP to print a certain number of pages per month. That is contractually different to you buying the ink from them.

[#9]

In that case, I have three sets of their ink. Can I charge them for storage or for disposal costs? I doubt it.

[#10]

@penneck 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending this policy.  Perhaps if you contact HP they will provide means of returning them at no cost to yourself.
Strikes me that you either go down this route, buy a cheap inkjet printer, use aftermarket cartridges and chuck it away when you have problems, buy a more expensive eco tank printer and avoid the ink cartridge rip off merry go round or go laser.

You pays your money and…..

[#11]

---

@penneck wrote:

I could buy replacement cartridges for my present printer, as and when I need them, but I was hoping I could at least use those cartridges HP had sent me under the 'pay monthly' scheme. Otherwise, they are just going to continue gathering dust.

---

I clicked the two video links in Message #5 above, the first of which starts at 375 seconds in, and as the presenter was recommending buying a Brother printer, and specifically a laser model rather than an HP which was what I'd done, I decided to watch the video from the beginning.

Interestingly the information given pretty much aligned with my own conclusions when researching as mentioned earlier in this thread.

[#12]

I have none of the issues reported in this thread with HP Ink contract, paying £0.99 per month for 15 pages with a rollover total of 45 pages.

Once I had to pay for extra pages as I exceeded the monthly limit, I wasn't prevented from printing, I just had to pay for the extra ink I was going to use. Bit like filling the car with petrol, go further you use more petrol.

Recently I purchased a new one for my mother in law, I choose not the register it or enrol it for the HP Ink.

[#13]

@penneck 

I understand from this thread that with a modern printer it is necessary to connect it to the internet, but is that just for setup?

What happens if you now disconnect your printer from the internet, does it still work?

I'm assuming that modern printers can still connect to a PC via USB - is that still the case?

[#14]

@Mr_Paul   The general consensus of this thread, is that HP are ripping people off, by suggesting that it  IS necessary to register your printer and have them supply cartridges to you, ( even if you don`t really need them ) . by a contract enabling them to take money from you, regardless of whether you actually printed anything in the previous month, and that it IS necessary to connect to the internet, for "security reasons".. ( nothing specific is mentioned regarding what that security is) . therefore it is a "frightener" to make people believe that if they don`t connect and don`t use their in supply line, then they are "at risk".

Most modern printers will " work out of the box"... though some (may) need to have their printer driver installed from a CD... but again, the astute user will select only the "printer driver" part of the bloated software included on the "install" program on the CD.. and use whatever they like to process and edit their documents photos, etc, externally of the printer manufacturers software supplied.

Most printers will be WIFI connected ... but this is "local" not internet connected. so it is the same as connecting your phone to your router... Some, MAY have a USB slot and can also be set up to use either the USB or WIFI options.

Whichever printer you buy DO NOT UPDATE the printer software, when it nags you, everytime you want to use it... ... and you can use "compatible" cartridges once the original "set up " set has run out. 

Well worthwhile doing some research  ( via google search) on particular makes and models, to find out the printer cartridge number and how much the replacement cartridges are, before deciding on which make and model you actually purchase.

[#15]

I'll add I have never been sent more cartridges than needed, with a replacement colour or black ink one being sent out in time before I run out.

Not sure the point of USB printers (unless connected to a wireless printer server of some sort) with the majority of home devices being wireless.