HP Instant Ink Download and Setup Guide
HP's ink and toner subscription, billed by pages printed rather than cartridges bought
Representative photo — Solomon203 CC BY-SA 4.0
Instant Ink charges a monthly fee for a page allowance instead of charging for cartridges. The printer reports its ink levels to HP over the internet and replacement cartridges arrive before you run out, with unused pages rolling over up to a limit and extra pages charged in blocks. The cartridges are supplied on a subscription basis, which matters if you cancel, because enrolled cartridges stop working when the plan ends. HP All-In Plan goes further and includes the printer itself in the monthly cost. Enrolment and cancellation both happen through the Instant Ink account page rather than on the printer.
Version and licence: This is a subscription service, not a download. It is managed from the Instant Ink account page, and cancellation is done there too. HP All-In Plan is the newer subscription that bundles the printer hardware with the ink.
Download HP Instant Ink
What it does
- Monthly page allowance with automatic cartridge shipments
- Rollover of a limited number of unused pages to the following month
- Plan changes up or down once per billing cycle
- Prepaid return envelopes for empty cartridges
- Works with HP Smart for enrolment and usage tracking
- Pages count the same whether a page is black text or full-colour photo
How to install it
Step 1
Set the printer up on Wi-Fi first, because Instant Ink needs the printer to report usage to HP.
Step 2
Install HP Smart and add the printer, or go directly to the Instant Ink account page.
Step 3
Sign in with the HP account that the printer is registered to.
Step 4
Choose a plan based on how many pages you print each month, not on how much ink you think you use.
Step 5
Enter payment and shipping details and confirm enrolment.
Step 6
Wait for the first Instant Ink cartridges to arrive, then install them. Keep your old cartridges as a fallback in case you later cancel.
Step 7
Check the usage page after a month and change plan if the allowance is wrong.
Which printers it supports
Most HP consumer and small-office printers with a network connection, including DeskJet, ENVY, OfficeJet, Smart Tank on some plans and several LaserJet models under the toner version of the service. Availability and plan pricing vary by country.
When HP Instant Ink will not work
Instant Ink cartridges only work while the printer is enrolled and online. Confirm the printer still shows as connected in HP Smart, that the subscription is active and paid, and reseat the cartridge. A printer that has been offline for a long time may need to reconnect before the cartridge is authorised again.
You may have used the monthly allowance without additional page purchases enabled, or the payment may have failed. Sign in to the Instant Ink account page and check the plan status and billing before assuming a hardware fault.
Instant Ink cartridges stop working at the end of the final billing period. Fit standard retail cartridges bought separately. This is why HP advises keeping the cartridges that came in the box.
Cancellation is on the Instant Ink account page, under the plan or account settings, not on the printer and not inside HP Smart's print screens. Sign in to instantink.hpconnected.com with the account that owns the subscription.
Every page counts as one page regardless of coverage, so a single photo counts the same as a line of text, and a two-sided sheet counts as two pages. Check the usage detail in the account portal, which lists jobs by date.
Printers that use HP Instant Ink
Frequently asked questions
Is Instant Ink something I download?
No. It is a subscription managed through your HP account. HP Smart just gives you a shortcut into it.
What happens to the cartridges if I cancel?
They stop working when the plan ends. You need ordinary retail cartridges after that, so keep a set on hand.
Does a photo cost more than a text page?
No. Page counting ignores coverage, so heavy colour printing is where the service is best value and light text printing is where it is worst.
How is HP All-In Plan different?
All-In Plan includes the printer hardware in the monthly subscription as well as the ink, so you never buy the printer outright.
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