"Never buy a printer again!"
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Rent it, ffs.
HP launched a subscription service today that rents people a printer, allots them a specific amount of printed pages, and sends them ink for a monthly fee. HP is framing its service as a way to simplify printing for families and small businesses, but the deal also comes with monitoring and a years-long commitment.
Prices range from $6.99 per month for a plan that includes an HP Envy printer (the current model is the 6020e) and 20 printed pages. The priciest plan includes an HP OfficeJet Pro rental and 700 printed pages for $35.99 per month.
HP says it will provide subscribers with ink deliveries when they're running low and 24/7 support via phone or chat (although it's dubious how much you want to rely on HP support). Support doesn't include on or offsite repairs or part replacements. The subscription's terms of service (TOS) note that the service doesn't cover damage or failure caused by, unsurprisingly, "use of non-HP media supplies and other products" or if you use your printer more than what your plan calls for.
HP is watching
HP calls this an All-In-Plan; if you subscribe, the tech company will be all in on your printing activities.
One of the most perturbing aspects of the subscription plan is that it requires subscribers to keep their printers connected to the Internet. In general, some users avoid connecting their printer to the Internet because it's the type of device that functions fine without web access.
A web connection can also concern users about security or HP-issued firmware updates that make printers stop functioning with non-HP ink.
But HP enforces an Internet connection by having its TOS also state that HP may disrupt the service—and continue to charge you for it—if your printer's not online.
HP says it enforces a constant connection so that the company can monitor things that make sense for the subscription, like ink cartridge statuses, page count, and "to prevent unauthorized use of Your account." However, HP will also remotely monitor the type of documents (for example, a PDF or JPEG) printed, the devices and software used to initiate the print job, "peripheral devices," and any other "metrics" that HP thinks are related to the subscription and decides to add to its remote monitoring.
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Bill and Dave would be so disappointed with this way of doing business.
I liked the idea of owning an HP printer, but haven’t find HP’s printer offerings compelling in the last 10+ years. I still have an HP CP1518ni but it has been just sitting there collecting dust for the last 10+ years. I probably should haul it to a recycling center.
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I didn't keep one, because I didn't need anything that big, but when we closed down, none of the instrument manufacturers wanted their B&W laser printers back. Some were worn, but some were almost new. Most were Lexmark, but many were HP.
Because the printers were at a government entity, but weren't government property, typical bureaucratic inefficiency and indecision reigned. I finally said to hell with it, loaded them in my pickup, and hauled them to a local state university, where my contacts accepted them thankfully.
And without any paperwork.
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Isn't it time for us to start using dot-matrix printers again? Nothing else gives that authentic sound of the retro home office. If you're really cool you can get it to print out ASCII pictures of Raquel Welch
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@Mik said in "Never buy a printer again!":
I'm trying to wean MFR off the printer. Such a waste for our lives.
Gotta have it for some things. I run a cheap all-in-one inkjet with knock-off ink. It's been reliable and does what I need, which isn't that much.
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Pretty much every company on the planet for the last few years has a corporate meeting in which someone is like "Hey, how about we implement a SaaS offering?" (Subscription as a Service). From a corporate perspective, it provides very reliable revenue, overall higher revenue in the long run from each customer, and usually a reduced hardware cost. BUT IT IS ANNOYING AS FUCK to end consumers. Printers are the last thing that needs to be SaaS... wow.
Heck, we even have alarm clocks (Hatch) for our kids that are great... they can play a bedtime story or white noise or sound as they go to sleep, you can time them to turn yellow or green when it's time to come out of the room... but EFF ME it costs like $5 a month for a subscription.
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I’m pretty sure “Rage Against the Machine” had printers in mind when they named the band.
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@jon-nyc said in "Never buy a printer again!":
I’m pretty sure “Rage Against the Machine” had printers in mind when they named the band.
Similarly, the British punk band The Jam.
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@jon-nyc said in "Never buy a printer again!":
I’m pretty sure “Rage Against the Machine” had printers in mind when they named the band.
Similarly, the British punk band The Jam.
@Doctor-Phibes said in "Never buy a printer again!":
@jon-nyc said in "Never buy a printer again!":
I’m pretty sure “Rage Against the Machine” had printers in mind when they named the band.
Similarly, the British punk band The Jam.
"The public wants what the public gets."
