HP exec says quiet part out loud when it comes to locking in print customers::Funny how marketing messages change depending on the audience

  • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
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    11 months ago

    I mean, idk what the Instant Ink plans are like.

    I’ve used them. Basically it just turns your printer purchase into a printer rental.

    It’s not a bad deal, necessarily, but if your card declines for any reason, HP bricks your printer (including non-printer functionality) until you pay up. And printing more than your chosen plan allows can get pricey real quick. As little as I print, though, a laser printer was a more reliable option and much cheaper long term.

    iRobot does something similar with their Select program. Like HP’s Instant Ink, it’s a great deal for some folks, not so much for others.

    • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Yeah fuck that. I am already paperless. I don’t see a reason for any of it. Bricking a printer? Lmao

      • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
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        11 months ago

        Like I said, whether it’s good deal or not depends on how your cost/benefit comparison comes out.

        For me, it went against renting a printer (I print maybe 5 pages a year nowadays), and for renting a Roomba as my family often seems to think they were born in a barn. 😂 Renting that Roomba has, for me, turned out much cheaper than owning it.

    • thisisnotgoingwell@programming.dev
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      11 months ago

      I bought a laser printer years ago(Brother brand) and have printed a few hundred pages, I’ve never had to worry about toner. Ink printers are a total scam and the only reason people buy them is because the initial cost is much cheaper or they don’t know the difference between inkjet and laser.

      • Archer@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I literally bought a pallet of printers from state surplus for $45. They were all laser. I’m on three years on the first one now. BTW don’t do this, moving them was a PITA

      • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I got a brother laser printer from goodwill like 5 years ago for 7 bucks.

        Still on the toner cart that came with it.

        So much better than inkjets.

      • froh42@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        When I urgently needed to print something a few years ago I ran to the store and purchased the cheapest laser printer I could find, which was a Ricoh for Eur 42. Windows GDI printer shit, but I also found Mac drivers and a working linux driver.

        It waa the low end model, had the same printing mechanism as the larger Ricoh Multifunction things and third party toner was dirt cheap. Ah and I can’t remember any paper jam.

        Inkjets, especiallw those from HP are a scam.

        I only threw out the (fully working) Ricoh after years, because someone gave me a network connected full color Oki Multifunction led printer device for free.

        (Ah I checked later, “normal” price for the Ricoh when not on sale was Eur 75 or so)