Technology · Advice & Questions · Oct 17

Should we cancel our ink subscription now that we barely print?

Technology

My partner held up the last ink shipment and said, “We should cancel. These are nearly full.” We used to print weekly worksheets; this month the printer produced one return label and two pages for a meeting.

It is a monthly HP Instant Ink subscription. I had assumed cancelling meant we could finish the cartridges already in the printer and buy ordinary ones afterwards. HP's guidance says subscription cartridges need replacing with regular cartridges when the current billing cycle ends. [HP cancellation guidance](https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/ish_3259778-1993151-16).

That makes the timing less obvious. We do want to stop a recurring service we hardly use, but I have a twenty-page booklet to print next week and no regular cartridges in the cupboard.

Would you finish the planned job before the cycle ends, or buy regular cartridges now and make a clean change? I do not want “the ink is full” to keep us paying indefinitely, but I also want to understand what the next print job will cost.

Discussion

2 community replies

@northstar88

Look at the actual billing-cycle end date before deciding the booklet timing. For a monthly plan, HP says printing with subscription supplies can continue until that cycle ends; afterwards regular cartridges are needed. Do not guess from the physical ink level. [HP's cancellation explanation](https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/ish_3259778-1993151-16).

@softfocus

Check the price and availability of compatible regular supplies for your exact printer. The choice is between this account's recurring cost and your expected printing needs, including the booklet. A general claim that subscriptions always save money or always waste money would skip the household's changed use.

Should we cancel our ink subscription now that we barely print?

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