With ink cartridges and even colour laser printers hard to find in stores, it's no surprise to see printers with long life ink and toner cartridges especially popular right now, so HP's Instant Ink subscription launches Australia "to meet the increasing demand for printing and flexibility in hybrid working and learning."

So, with Instant Ink being "Australia’s first ink subscription service for home printing", HP promises "new ink cartridges are delivered to customers’ doors before ever running out, while also saving them up to 50% on ink costs."

Noting Murphy’s Law reminds us “what can go wrong, will go wrong,” HP notes "this is never more true than when it comes to printing at home.

"It seems ink cartridges always run out at the most inconvenient of times, whether that’s on deadline for school assignment or printing documents for signature ahead of a home inspection."

Of course, that's because kids, families and home offices can use a lot of ink, and with previous ink cartridges being relatively small and expensive to buy, with printer ink more expensive than Dom Perignon Champagne, it's no surprise that you ran out of ink on a more regular basis.

Companies like Epson with EcoTank and Canon with MegaTank have become popular for delivering much more ink in the box to fill thei respectinve tanks.come forth with their EcoTank and MegaTank solutions, but HP has gone in a different direction, stating with its HP Instant Ink, "the frustrations of at-home printing vanish, and subscribers will have peace of mind."

HP says this is via:

• The ultimate convenience of Original HP ink arriving directly to your front door, before you’ve run out – you’ll never have to go to the store and remember what kind of printer you have again
• A flexible pricing model based on the number of pages you print at home – if you print less, you pay less
• High-volume cartridges, which last longer and allow you to go longer between having to replace your printer’s ink
• A new, seamless recycling program that lets you return used cartridges via the post – making it easier than ever to make sure your e-waste is makes it into the recycling ecosystem

Paul Gracey, Director of Printing Systems, HP Australia and New Zealand, said, “Our home and office needs are continuing to change as we embrace hybrid working and learning, and this is seeing a surge in the demand for printing at home.

"Instant Ink means we’ll no longer experience the dreaded ‘ink emergencies,’ with ink delivered straight to our doors well before running out. Instant Ink is bringing a level of flexibility never seen in printing, and we’re proud to bring this to Australia”.

We're told "users can check if their HP printer is eligible and sign up for Instant Ink by visiting hp.com.au/instantink.

All Australians are offered a free two-month trial when they buy a new printer and sign up out of box, or visit hp.com.au/instantink and sign up their existing printer. With no annual fee or lock in contract, users can change their Instant Ink subscription whenever they choose.

Once a subscription is activated, HP says its "smart technology will anticipate when a replenishment delivery is needed. Some Instant Ink deliveries will also include a recycling satchel for empty cartridges, intelligently timed for when cartridges need to be disposed of, making it as easy as possible to recycle."

A Seamless Solution for the Delivery Economy

With 9 million subscribers worldwide, HP says "Instant Ink allows users to have an uninterrupted workflow while keeping the planet top of mind", and it also guarantees HP a monthly income from its customers. I remember when it was reported that Microsoft was jealous of AOL's ability to charge its customers on a monthly basis for dial-up Internet, while Microsoft was charging its customers every three years when a new version of Windows or Office was released.

Never run out of ink:

• Subscribe and save up to 50% on "superior-quality" Original HP Ink.
• Receive two free months of Instant Ink, printing up to 700 pages each month.
• Before ink runs low, Instant Ink automatically ships new cartridges to your door.
• Designed with the Planet in Mind o Instant Ink helps promote closed loop cartridge recycling through HP’s Forest First program:
• Satchels for empty cartridges will be delivered to your door when cartridges need to be disposed of, ensuring that recycling is easy and accessible.

As part of HP’s Planet Partners, HP works with Close the Loop and Planet Ark to repurpose your used ink cartridges and save them from going to landfill.

Family Ink-Gredients

With more people working and learning from home amid the pandemic, HP notes at-home printing has seen a resurgence. But HP says "it’s not just in working and learning that printing plays a role in our lives, with recipes being one of Australia’s favourite things to print."

To launch Instant Ink in Australia, HP has partnered with beloved Australian TV personality and renowned chef Manu Feildel https://www.linkedin.com/in/manufeildel/ to celebrate Australia’s treasured family recipes thanks to hassle-free printing and Instant Ink.

We're told "Manu personally understands the pressure of cooking without a printed recipe, and as a father, business owner and passionate home-cook, he knows the frustration of running out of ink at crucial moments all too well!"

To celebrate the launch of Instant Ink and preserving Australia’s family recipes, HP and Manu say they "are calling for Australians to share images of their treasured family recipes. Each upload should tag @hpaustralia and @manufeildelofficial with #familyinkgredients #HPAustralia, and share why they would like to have Manu cook their family favourite recipe.

"Each submission will have the chance to win weekly Instant Ink giveaways, with one lucky winner being brought to Sydney to have Manu cook their family recipe in his kitchen."

Pricing and Availability

To find out more about HP’s Instant Ink in Australia, the HP Instant Ink site is here.