Do you use printers often? We believe you do! But printing requires physical ink, and it’s incredibly frustrating to change the ink cartridges.
This is why HP has made a subscription so that you won’t have to change your ink cartridges again, called HP Instant Ink. But since it isn’t always recommended, many people wonder how to bypass HP instant ink.
Sadly, there isn’t any way to directly bypass it. But there isn’t anything to worry about, as you can cancel the membership any time you want by going to your account on their website. However, there’s more to it.
In this article, we’ll be covering all about HP’s instant ink subscription, how to bypass it, and more. So without further ado, let’s begin.
What Is HP Instant Ink?
Before we begin bypassing HP Instant Ink, let’s take a look at the subscription itself.
This ink is a subscription where you have to pay monthly depending on the number of pages you print, and in return, you get potentially infinite ink cartridges.
Thanks to the subscription’s advanced system, cartridges signal directly to HP whenever it’s running low; you won’t have the hassle of having to buy new ink cartridges every time.
If HP gets the signal, you’ll have ink toners delivered to you quickly, efficiently, and with no extra expenses.
HP Instant Ink Pros
You can tell there are tons of benefits to the subscription by now. So let’s take a look at some more pros of it —
- You’ll get new ink toners from HP delivered right to your doorstep before your current cartridge runs out, letting you never run out of ink.
- To monitor your printer usage, you can turn the option on and view it from HP Smart App.
- Comes with an intelligent delivery system delivering new ink cartridges from the nearest HP store nearby without any shipping cost.
- Up to 50% savings on air toner and cartridge purchases.
- Responsible recycling system to recycle back all most plastic.
HP Instant Ink Drawbacks
By now, you might think that the subscription is great with tons of pros, so let’s take a look at a few of the cons about it to see if it’s worth it yourself —
Requires Special Ink
To even make the HP Instant Ink subscription function, you need to get specific and exclusive ink from HP. If you try to put any other type of ink, you’ll get error messages, and your printer will lock up.
This essentially forces you to keep using the subscription, as your printer will be obsolete if you stop using the HP ink cartridges.
Black Ink Cartridges
The special ink from HP comes on an opaque cartridge. HP does this on purpose, so you can’t check how much ink is left in the cartridges yourself. To check, you’ll have to turn the cartridge over and shake it near your ear to hear the liquid inside.
Anything Counts As Pages
Whenever you take the HP Instant Ink subscription, you can take different levels depending on how many pages you’ll be printing per month. However, this “page” isn’t calculated by words but instead by actual pages.
Even if a white page has 1 word of text, it’ll count as a full-page, and it’ll deduct that page from your total pages for the month.
However, this may be beneficial to people who use full-color and full-page prints often, as this way, it’ll technically cost less money with the subscription.
How to Bypass HP Instant Ink
Now that you know a lot about the subscription, you might’ve considered purchasing it. It’s a decent deal for some people, but some might want to change their minds after buying it.
But as mentioned earlier, there isn’t any bypass HP Instant Ink command. However, you can cancel the membership if you want, and here are all the three viable ways of canceling it —
Cancelling Through HP
The most intuitive way of bypassing HP Instant Ink is by going to their website and canceling it yourself. Here’s a step-by-step guide for doing it —
- First, open your HP account and press the “My Plan” button.
- On the “My Plan” tab, you should see details for all your plans. From there, click the “Hp Instant Ink Plan”.
- Then go to the bottom-left corner of your screen and click the “Cancel Enrollment” button. You’ll get a confirmation email within a few minutes or less.
After confirming through the email, it should disappear from your “My Plans” tab, and your subscription will cancel.
Canceling From Windows Control Panel
If you’re having issues canceling it from the HP website, you can always cancel it through your control panel on Windows.
- Firstly, open “Devices and Printers” on windows.
- Then select the “Account settings” tab.
- Afterward, click “Cancel My Instant Ink Subscription” and enter your email and password.
Canceling Through Factory Reset
If none of the two options above worked for you, you could factory-reset your printer. Here’s how —
- Open “Printer Tools Utility” for your printer screen.
- Select the menu on the top of the screen and click “Tools”
- From here, click “Restore Factory Defaults”.
Keep in mind to only do this as a last resort, as it’s highly not recommended. The two methods mentioned above will usually work, and you can try doing them a few more times before doing a factory reset.
Keep in mind there is no way to set up an HP printer without instant ink, and you’ll have to use regular HP ink cartridges.
How to Restart HP Ink
If you’ve already canceled the Instant Ink membership, you’ll have to return the old cartridges to HP, and you can use regular HP ink cartridges. However, you can override HP Instant Ink whenever you want, even after canceling.
The process is the same for enrollment as getting it for the first time, and you have to pick a subscription for the number of pages you want per month. After you pick it up, the HP ink cartridges will start getting delivered to you again.
Your printer should be unlocked now as well, and you can freely change it into HP Instant Ink cartridges instead of normal ones. Usually, there will be discounts for rerolls on the subscription, so keep an eye out.
HP Instant Ink: Worth It Or Not?
Now that you have a great and brief idea on HP Instant Ink, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it or not. However, we personally think it isn’t worth it for most people.
This is especially because of the fact that even if a page has a few words of text, it’ll have the same effect as having an entire page full of text.
And since most people don’t need to print out much text at a time, you’re better off buying normal ink instead of investing in it.
However, this is different for people who use colored prints often. Since colored print costs more, you’ll be saving a lot of money over time using HP Instant Ink since the ink has no limits, and you’ll only be paying a monthly subscription.
Other than that, we personally wouldn’t recommend you to get it unless you print many full-color pages.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I Need an Internet Connection to Use Hp Instant Ink?
Yes, you need an internet connection as it monitors your printing activity, as written on the Terms of Policy, to calculate how many pages and how much ink you’ve used in real-time. This is a setting you can’t turn off, and you have to be connected to the internet at all times for it.
This is one of the most common reasons not to get the subscription since it’s always hard to have your printer connected to WiFi. We’d recommend you to stick to basic HP ink cartridges, as they’re better overall.
Will I Get Ink Cartridges Every Month or Week?
There isn’t a specific schedule for when you get your Instant Ink cartridges, and they will automatically get shipped to you once the ink cartridge is running low. But keep in mind they won’t arrive instantly, and they may take up to 10 days to arrive.
This entirely depends on your house’s proximity to the nearest HP center. It usually won’t take 10 days, so don’t worry.
How Do I Check How Many Pages I’ve Printed With Instant Ink?
To check the total amount of pages you’ve printed, first sign in to HP Connect. Afterward, click on “Services” and then “Instant Ink.” From there, you’ll be able to see all your Instant Ink details, including the total amount of pages used.
Conclusion
Hopefully, now you understand how to bypass HP instant ink. It’s a viable service for some people, but it doesn’t work great for the majority. We’d personally recommend you to use standard HP cartridges.
As a final tip, we’d only recommend you to pick the 50 pages, 100 page, 400 page, and 1500 page subscription options for Business plans and 10 or 100-page plans. These plans have the best value since you get more pages for a lower price.
But with all that being said, good luck deciding whether you want HP Instant Ink or not, and cheers!