I know Reddit hates HP, and usually, I’m right there with you. But I did the math on my printing habits, and I think low-volume printers are actually winning here.
• The Retail Trap: I print maybe 50-60 pages a year. Because I print so rarely, my cartridges dry out. I was hitting Costco 2 or 3 times a year for $40 replacements. I was effectively spending $100/year to print a few tax forms and labels.
• The Subscription Reality: I pay $1.50/month for the 15-page plan. That is $18/year.
If the ink dries out? That’s HP’s expense, not mine. I don't "own" the ink, but I also don't own the waste or the $40 surprise at the checkout counter. For the "rare printer," this isn't a scam, it's an insurance policy against dried-out hardware.
Am I missing something, or is the hate mostly coming from people who print way more than I do?
Stop buying ink cartridges at Costco. The "hated" subscription model saved me $80 this year.
byu/i_adore_boobies inFrugal
Posted by i_adore_boobies
10 Comments
you’re not wrong, man. if you barely print, the subscription model could be a solid move to save cash and keep things simple. i think a lot of the HP hate comes from folks who churn through ink, but for low-volume users, it makes total sense to avoid those dried-up cartridges.
Awesome post ChatGPT
Laser.
And honestly? You’re so rare for that.
Use a library and save even more money and create less waste.
If you only print 50 pages a year, you don’t need a printer. Period. Go to a copy shop. Why buy a printer?
I have a brother. I have not replaced the cartridge in a year, and it works fine. It costs me around $30 for a replacement.
Print a test and alignment page once a month and you don’t have to run to Costco.
If you’re printing that rarely just go to your local library to print off your occasional page. $18 would get me 180 pages at my local library.
Personally I print a lot more than that. I had an HP from the Before Times that was still capable of accepting generic ink cartridges. I was spending $600/year on generic cartridges until I upgraded to an ink tank style printer, and am now spending less than $150/year on ink.
Do you not have places where you can pay per page for printing?
Where I am it’s like 20c per page, so if you’re only printing 60 pages per year it would work out cheaper to pay as you need rather than pay for a subscription.
I do a lot of printing with my creative endeavors. Buying ink cartridges every other month was costing me 300 to 400 a year. I finally bought an Epson eco tank printer which cost me 300+, BUT in less than a year it paid for itself and I have only toped up my ink tanks twice in 7 years. The ink is aprox 4 oz bottles and only cost around 20.00 a bottle, where as I used to spend an easy 60.00 on one refill cartridge. I still have enough ink in reserve for at least another year. Best printer purchase I’ve ever made.