It’s a truth universally acknowledged that one of the most annoying things in this world is when your printer runs out of ink.
Happens always at THE most inconvenient time.
That dreaded moment when all seems to be running smoothly, then your printer gets the hiccups and spits out the second last page of your document in half magenta, half yellow with an artistic splash of black ink at the bottom.
Great.
Ink and toner has the phenomenal capacity to run out when your kids have a presentation that day at school, an assignment deadline for uni, or when you need to return your signed lease agreement ASAP.
However, not only do ink emergencies seem to strike just in time for life’s work and study deadlines, they can also happen when you least expect.
Like on a leisurely Sunday afternoon when you’re craving your great Nana’s pineapple slice (a family favourite of ours: think a buttery biscuit base, a delectable pineapple jelly-esque middle and whipped cream on top. YUM) and you need to print out the recipe to cook but instead that pesky ink light starts flashing. Sigh.
One of most cherished keepsakes in families of today are the special recipes we've grown up with. Printing them and passing them on has been something we've always done to keep traditions going.
However, it always seems that whenever I need to print off the recipe to cook it for my family, or share it with a cousin who also might want a copy too, that the ink runs out.
Just like me, I’m sure there are a lot of you thinking, surely there is a better way that frees me from being my printer's middle man? Well now there is (and about bloody time).
HP has just launched Australia’s first at-home ink subscription service for printing.
To launch Instant Ink in Australia, HP has partnered with TV personality and renowned chef Manu Feildel to celebrate Australia’s treasured family recipes thanks to hassle-free printing and Instant Ink.
HP and Manu are even calling for anyone to share images of their treasured family recipes, where one lucky winner will be brought to Sydney to have Manu cook their family recipe in his kitchen. Incredible. (If you're keen, you can upload yours and tag @hpaustralia and @manufeildelofficial with #familyinkgredients #HPAustralia, and share why you'd like to have Manu cook your family favourite recipe).
Now with HP's new subscription launch, there are three main ways this is completely changing the at-home-print-faff game.
1. Ink and toner delivered to your door
Running out of ink at the most frustrating time possible is one thing, but having to run to your local store to stock up can be the worst part. From personal experience, often the right cartridges for your printer aren’t in stock when you need them and most of the time the price seems astronomical considering you feel like you were only there 3 days ago doing the same thing.
HP Instant Ink provides you ultimate printing convenience because it notifies HP when your printer is running low and then automatically ships the ink and toner you need, right to your door before you run out.
Goodbye ink emergencies, hello smart technology.
2. More bang for your buck
We all know printer upkeep can be expensive. Instant Ink provides you with a flexible pricing model based on the number pages you print per month, and you can choose the plan that best fits your printing needs.
Plans start at $1.99 a month and if you don’t use all the pages allotted to you for the month, the pages rollover to the next month.
With all the added expenses working and studying from home can bring, HP Instant Ink can save you up to 50 per cent on ink costs.
The power to tailor your printing expenses to your actual needs, month-to-month will be in your hands.
Plus the cartridges that get delivered to your door are of higher volume than your average cartridge, lasting that little bit longer between having to replace your printer’s ink.
Basically if you print less, you pay less. Love this for me.
3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Did you know that printer cartridges can take between 450 and 1,000 years to break down in landfill? Pretty grim.
In Australia, e-waste is one of the fastest-growing components of our waste stream. E-waste can cause serious environmental problems due to their toxic chemical makeup. If not disposed of correctly (aka chucked in your curb-side recycling) our soils and water can end up polluted, disrupting our precious ecosystems.
As consumers, it's important to bear in mind our e-waste footprint and make sure we are making environmentally conscious choices to help make a difference - especially when it feels like your technology becomes obsolete way too quickly.
HP Instant Ink makes that choice for you. It offers a new, seamless recycling program that lets you return used cartridges via post. Once signed up, some of your ink deliveries will include recycling satchels for you to pop your empty cartridges in and return. You can rest easy knowing your printer e-waste is ending up in the correct recycling ecosystem.
Whether you’re a parent with school aged kids, a uni student or young professional, this modern printing experience gets rid of those outdated printing frustrations and keeps the planet in mind.
It's a win win!
HP is currently offering Aussie customers a free two-month trial upon sign up - allowing you to try before you buy a flexible monthly plan. You can change or cancel your plan anytime and there's no annual fee.
To launch Instant Ink in Australia, HP has partnered with beloved Australian TV personality and renowned chef Manu Feildel to celebrate Australia’s treasured family recipes thanks to hassle-free printing and Instant Ink.
HP and Manu 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.
Check if your HP printer is eligible and also sign up for Instant Ink subscription here.