MFP included in subscription
Hewlett Packard announced in January that it wanted to create a service in which users would have access to printing by subscription. Now the company has done just that by introducing a product called All-In Plan.
All-In Plan — This is a subscription that includes a printing device and the ability to print something, but with restrictions.
The subscription has three plans: HP Envy, HP Envy Inspire and HP OfficeJet Pro. They are actually called by the names of the printer lines that the user receives as part of the subscription. True, the specific model is not named, but this is because over time new models in the same lines will be released, and if the names of the tariffs were more detailed, these names would have to be changed.
So, for a fixed monthly fee, the user gets a printing device at his disposal. This is always an MFP with a two-sided color printing function. Every two years, HP undertakes to replace the device with a new one, and this will be a new model. The printing device does not belong to the user, but maintenance and ink for it are completely free.
But the most interesting, and at the same time controversial, lies further. The bottom line is that as part of the subscription, the user cannot print as much as he wants. For each tariff there are subclasses: Light, Occasional, Moderate, Frequent (not available for the basic MFP) and Business (available only for the older model). These subclasses indicate how many pages a user can print per month. And the Light subclass means only 20 pages per month!
For such a solution you need to pay 7, 9 or 13 dollars per month for the three specified tariffs in ascending order.
Within the Occasional subclass, 50 pages per month are already available, and the price is $2 higher than Light, regardless of the tariff.
The maximum you can get, — that's 100 pages per month for HP Envy ($11), 300 pages — for HP Envy Inspire ($19) and 700 pages — for HP OfficeJet Pro ($36).
That is, for a certain amount, the user receives an MFP, free access to ink, free maintenance and replacement, and permission to print a certain number of pages per month.
Of course, it is possible to exceed the specified limit, but it will cost $1 for 10–15 additional pages.
And the subscription also includes a 30-day grace period, after which there is a fine of $60 to $270 for canceling the subscription.