[ad_1]
HP launched a printer subscription service on Thursday. The service allows subscribers to rent a new printer, print a certain number of pages, and have the company deliver ink when they need it — for a fixed monthly fee.
Customers can choose from three new printers: HP Envy for $6.99 per month to rent, HP Envy Inspire for $8.99 per month, and HP OfficeJet Pro for $12.99 per month with no upfront cost. For comparison, the HP OfficeJet Pro series retails for $200 to $300, and HP’s replacement ink cartridges cost $27 each.
Related: How to electronically sign a PDF document without printing
This printer subscription service is also consistent with HP’s previous statements about its business direction. Last month, HP CEO Enrique Lores said print subscriptions were a “long-term goal” for the company.
“We lose money on hardware, but we make money on consumables,” Lores told CNBC.
Lores said HP’s long-term goal is to reduce the number of “unprofitable” customers, or customers who buy printers but don’t spend money on consumables like ink cartridges.
“Every time a customer buys a printer, it’s an investment for us,” Lores told the magazine. “If this customer doesn’t print enough or don’t use our supplies, it’s a bad investment.”
HP has been sued multiple times for blocking printer owners from printing with non-HP ink cartridges. The company reached a $1.5 million class-action settlement over the issue in 2019, and more lawsuits are being filed this year.
HP isn’t the first company to experiment with subscription services. Epson launched its ReadyPrint subscription service in 2020, which also provides printer rental and automatic ink cartridge replacement, but in 2022 some users experienced a service failure and were unable to print.
Enrique Lores, President and CEO, HP Inc. Photographer: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Related article: Gen Z workers say baby boomer employees are ’embarrassed by technology’: ‘It makes me feel stupid’
This isn’t HP’s first subscription service. HP’s Instant Ink plans range from $0.99 to $25.99 per month and automatically deliver ink to subscribers’ doors when HP detects they’re low on ink.
“We think the value of that customer increases by 20% because we lock them in and commit to a long-term relationship,” Marie Myers, HP’s chief financial officer, said at the UBS Global Tech conference in December. There is,” he said.
Subscribers to HP’s new service can choose to print from 20 pages per month for $6.99 to 700 pages per month for $36. Like the Instant Ink Pan, HP detects when you’re low on ink and automatically provides a replacement cartridge at no additional cost. Subscribers have access to her 24/7 live support in case of printer jams or issues. After two years, HP will give you the option to upgrade to a new printer or keep using your old printer.
[ad_2]
Source link
