• ares35@kbin.social
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    7 months ago

    of course it is… ‘instant ink’ subscription requires you consent to automatic firmware updates. the very first of which will block ‘non genuine hp’ ink cartridges (even more than the factory-loaded firmware does) forever.

    so they either get the high-margin recurring subscription revenue or they get the high-margin oem ink sales revenue every time a tiny oem cartridge empties or clogs-up to the point of not working.

    ‘instant ink’ is only potentially of any value for some users who have a very consistent printer output from month-to-month, every month, that happens to match-up well with their subscription levels, and that output contains a lot of ink coverage like figures, graphics, and pictures.

    if you want to print pictures, an online service or retail store with a printing kiosk is usually the more economical choice–so long as you don’t mind a third-party ‘seeing’ them.