HP Instant Ink review
What is HP Instant Ink?
Available on a selected range of HP wi-fi printers (browse all supported models in our HP Instant Ink printer reviews), HP Instant Ink is a different way to pay for your ink and prints at home.
You don't actually pay for the ink or the printer ink cartridges – instead you pay a monthly subscription to print a set number of pages on your home printer. HP sends you ink cartridges whenever you need topping up, and you only pay the monthly fee - unless you run over your pages allowance.
With an Instant Ink subscription, you can print whatever you want – text, images or photos – to a monthly set limit of pages. HP automatically sends out a new ink cartridge when you need one (with delivery costs included). You do still have to buy the printer paper, though.
To get started, you need an HP printer that’s compatible with the Instant Ink service and an enrolment card, available from shops such as Currys/PC World or John Lewis. You register the code on the enrolment card online to start the Instant Ink service.
How much does Instant Ink cost?
Some HP printers offer a free trial to Instant Ink for a up to three months, but you still have to sign up to a subscription level after:
Free for up to 15 pages a month (if you buy selected printers online)
£1.99 a month for 50 pages
£3.49 for 100 pages
£7.99 for 300 pages
Pages printed over your limit are charged at £1 for each 15 pages (or £1 for each 10 with the free deal), or you can increase your subscription level.
Unused pages roll over, but only to the maximum of your monthly limit – so, if you were on the 50 pages a month plan, you could never roll over more than 50 pages in total.
If an ink cartridge is running low, the printer automatically alerts HP via the network connection and a new cartridge is posted to you.