Printer Ink Subscriptions Compared: HP Instant Ink, Epson ReadyPrint, Canon and Brother Refresh

An ink subscription replaces buying cartridges with a monthly fee for a set number of printed pages. HP Instant Ink, the Canon PIXMA Print Plan and the Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription all work this way and ship ink before you run out, while Epson ReadyPrint bundles an EcoTank printer, ink and support into one monthly payment. Steady color printers tend to save; occasional printers usually pay more.

How printer ink subscriptions work

The programs differ in the details, but the mechanics are shared:

• You pay for pages, not ink. A page counts as one page whether it is a single line of text or a full-page color photo, which is why subscriptions favor color and photo printing.
• The printer reports usage over the internet. It has to stay connected so the service can count pages and ship cartridges. If it is offline for too long, it may stop printing with subscription cartridges until it reconnects.
• Cartridges arrive automatically and are tied to your account. They are not ordinary cartridges you own outright.
• Unused pages roll over, up to a cap that depends on the program and the plan.
• Going over costs extra. Once your allowance and rollover are used up, additional pages are billed in small blocks.
• Canceling usually takes effect at the end of the billing period. After that, subscription cartridges stop working, even with ink left in them.

The US ink subscription programs compared

Prices change often, so the table leaves them out. As of 2026, HP's plans ran from under $2 a month for the smallest allowance to under $30 for 700 pages, and Epson's ReadyPrint plans started at around $15 a month. Check current pricing and terms on each official page before you sign up.

Each ink subscription program in detail

HP Instant Ink

Instant Ink is the largest and longest-running program. Plans are sized by pages per month, from a small allowance for occasional printing up to 700 pages, and HP also runs toner plans for some LaserJets. You manage the plan through your HP account or the HP app. Our HP Instant Ink software page covers enrollment, the usage dashboard and common errors.

Two other HP programs are easy to confuse with it at checkout. HP+ is a permanent setting you accept during setup on HP "e" models: it restricts the printer to genuine HP cartridges for life, needs an internet connection, and usually includes a few months of Instant Ink. The HP All-In Plan is a separate US subscription that bundles a leased HP printer with ink delivery for one monthly fee. You can use Instant Ink without either of them.

Canon PIXMA Print Plan

Canon's program works only on PIXMA models sold as Print Plan eligible, and Print Plan cartridges work only in those printers. The printer must stay online so Canon can monitor ink. Canon's terms say a disconnected printer will stop printing with Print Plan cartridges after a limited number of pages. If you cancel, the printer is switched back to normal mode and needs standard Canon cartridges. Unused pages roll over month to month, but switching plans resets them.

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription

Brother's subscription covers both inkjets and lasers, which makes it one of the few page-based options for a home office mono laser. The printer watches ink or toner levels over Wi-Fi and ships a replacement when you run low, while billing follows your page plan. Rollover is capped at twice the monthly allowance. Brother's own FAQ is blunt about canceling: subscription cartridges stop working immediately, so have a standard cartridge ready before you cancel.

Epson ReadyPrint

Epson launched its current US ReadyPrint plans in August 2025, and they work differently. Instead of metering cartridges in a printer you already own, ReadyPrint supplies an EcoTank printer, ink and support for a monthly fee on a two-year term, with plans for home, office and business use. Printing is described as unlimited within each model's monthly page limit. The printer has to stay connected to the internet, and the terms cover early cancellation and returning the printer, so read them before you sign. Epson runs different ReadyPrint versions in other countries, and the US offer may change again.

Who saves money with an ink subscription, and who doesn't?

Likely to save:

• Households that print a steady amount every month, roughly 30 to 300 pages.
• Anyone who prints a lot of color, such as school projects, flyers and photos, since coverage doesn't change the price per page.
• People who keep running out of ink at the worst moment.

Likely to pay more:

• Occasional printers. A month with no printing still costs the fee, and rollover caps limit how many pages you can bank.
• Heavy black-and-white printers. A mono laser with high-yield toner is usually cheaper per page.
• Anyone whose printer is often offline, or who wants to use compatible cartridges.
• People who print in bursts, such as tax season or a wedding, and blow through the allowance.

A worked example

Take a family printing 50 pages a month, 35 in black and 15 in color. With standard XL cartridges at roughly 6 to 12 cents per black page and 18 to 30 cents per color page, that is about $5 to $9 a month in ink. A 50-page subscription plan costs about the same or less, so the subscription wins mainly on convenience and in color-heavy months.

At 300 pages a month, the gap widens. Cartridges at those rates cost around $30 or more a month, while a 300-page plan costs well under half that. At that volume, though, an ink-tank printer beats both. Our cost-per-page comparison has the full figures for every system.

Subscription or ink-tank printer?

An ink-tank printer such as an Epson EcoTank, Canon MegaTank or HP Smart Tank costs more upfront but prints for around a cent per page or less, from bottles that last a year or two. You own the ink, the printer doesn't need to be online, and nothing stops working if you stop paying anyone.

If you print more than about 50 pages a month and keep printers for several years, a tank printer often works out cheaper overall. Our ink tank vs cartridge guide runs the break-even numbers, and the best ink tank printers lists current models.

Before you sign up

1. Read your real monthly volume from the page counter on a configuration report, and pick the plan closest to your average month, not your busiest one.
2. Check the current price, the rollover cap and what extra pages cost.
3. Make sure the printer's Wi-Fi connection is reliable. A printer that keeps dropping off the network causes subscription errors; see printer keeps going offline.
4. If you have an HP "e" model, decide about HP+ before setup, because it cannot be undone. Our third-party ink guide explains the trade-off.
5. Set a reminder before any free trial ends, since most roll into a paid plan automatically.

How to cancel an ink subscription without being stuck

1. Buy a set of standard cartridges for your model first.
2. Cancel through your account on the manufacturer's website or app, and note the date the service ends.
3. Keep printing on the subscription cartridges until that date, if the program allows it.
4. Swap in the standard cartridges. If the printer rejects them, power it off and on and reseat them; our cartridge not recognized guide covers the rest, and HP owners can check HP cartridge problem messages.
5. Send empty subscription cartridges back in the prepaid envelope if one was supplied.

If you would rather have someone sort out cartridge errors, or a printer that won't print after a plan change, our independent remote printer support plan covers every printer in your home or office for $79 a year. We are not affiliated with HP, Canon, Epson or Brother and can't change your subscription for you, but we can get the printer working with the cartridges you choose.