Understanding Printer Subscriptions – A Simple Guide
Printer subscriptions offer a hassle-free way to keep your printer running without worrying about running out of ink. These services automatically send ink or toner to your door, ensuring you’re always stocked up.
In this simple guide, we’ll explain how printer subscriptions work, the benefits they offer, and how you can easily sign up for one.
What Are Printer Subscriptions?
Printer Subscriptions services allow you to avoid making an up-front investment in printer hardware by providing ink or toner cartridges as needed – these plans even automatically ship you new cartridges when your meter nears running out!
Your monthly invoice could contain additional charges for exceeding your allotment of pages; any unused pages roll over just like minutes and gigabytes do on cellphone data plans.
Many of these plans also depend on printers contacting home with usage and other data, raising privacy issues. Luckily, most consumer laws provide adequate protection from such coercion from manufacturers.
How Printer Subscriptions Save You Time
Many people take great pains to conserve ink cartridges by printing black-and-white images instead of colored images and printing at smaller sizes in order to lower costs. With a printer subscription plan in place, these practices become unnecessary – eliminating two additional tasks from your list: checking ink levels on your printer and purchasing new cartridges.
While an ink subscription can save money, it’s important to be aware that it comes with tradeoffs. For instance, HP requires users of their subscription plans to keep their printers connected at all times in order to allow the company to remotely monitor ink cartridge statuses, page counts, and other important data.
Remote monitoring may raise privacy issues. Furthermore, the terms of service stipulate that this company collects data regarding documents printed and even “the devices, software, and peripherals you use.”1
Benefits of Using a Printer Subscription
Few things are more frustrating than last-minute trips to an office supply store for ink cartridges. That is why Brother, Canon, Epson, and HP all provide ink subscription services that automatically deliver cartridges when your printer runs low on ink.
Text and color printing plans offer lower per-page costs compared to buying in bulk, and may save money if you print frequently. But, be wary of exceeding your monthly page limit as this could result in additional charges when surpassing it.
These plans also require your printer to be connected to the internet; this may not be ideal if security of your home network or using public computers is of concern to you.
How to Sign Up for a Printer Subscription
Brother, Canon and Epson offer subscription-based printer service plans that deliver replacement ink cartridges automatically when sensors detect that your printer’s ink supply has run low. These automated replenishment services offer convenience and peace of mind – appealing features of modern life!
Although printer subscription plans have their advantages, there can be drawbacks. One key concern with auto-replenishment systems is that to work effectively they require constant internet connectivity – something many users prefer not to connect their at-home devices to for security and functionality concerns as well as privacy reasons. Furthermore, many users express concern over how these systems track usage data from devices and share it with printer manufacturers.
Popular Printer Subscription Options
All major printer manufacturers offer some form of ink subscription service, which automatically orders more ink when your printer runs low and saves you a trip to the store.
Most plans are structured around the number of pages printed; both black-and-white and color pages count equally, which reduces the chance that any single document could push you over your plan limit; however, printing large photos or full-page graphics could still prove costly.
Brother, Canon, and Epson offer auto-replenishment services as an additional solution. These monthly plans typically offer discounted cartridge purchases with free shipping as an incentive.
