News

       HP will discontinue the LaserJet e-series printers, as well as the HP+ subscription services and Instant Ink toner associated with them, due to customer complaints.
       The PC and Printers division initially launched HP+ in 2020 as a fully cloud-based ecosystem built on the existing Instant Ink subscription service, which was expanded to include laser printer toner.
       The first devices to support HP+ were the HP LaserJet M200 series and the HP OfficeJet Pro 8000e and 9000e.
       According to German technical publication DruckerChannel (in German), all HP LaserJet printers with the “e” suffix (such as the Laserjet M110we) will be discontinued, and the company will no longer offer LaserJet products with HP+. Existing customers of these devices are expected to continue to use them.
       These LaserJet e-series printers are sold at a discount compared to models without the “e” suffix, but come bundled with HP+ services, require the printer to be connected to the Internet, and limit users to HP-branded toner rather than third-party supplies.
       Customers purchasing HP inkjet printers will have a different experience as they will be able to register for HP+ services during software setup.
       HP will also reportedly stop promoting its Instant Ink toner subscription service this year, and new customers will no longer be able to use the service. Existing Instant Ink toner subscribers will not be affected.
       HP appears to have caved in to customer complaints about HP+, which inevitably leads to problems because HP+ hardware requires an active internet connection to function properly. HP’s cloud-based features, including security, ink level monitoring, and page count, limit the printer’s functionality if it’s disconnected from the internet for an extended period of time.
       However, the company told DruckerChannel that it is aware that some commercial customers in managed office environments cannot meet HP+’s cloud connectivity requirements, and to ensure its products work for all customers, it will no longer offer its LaserJet line with HP+.
       It’s all driven by HP’s desire to maintain revenue growth in a world where users are printing fewer pages by enrolling users in subscription plans that include recurring payments and shipping ink or toner cartridges as needed.
       As The Register previously reported, the company served more than 11 million users in 2022, and its revenue has grown by double-digit percentages since then.
       Late last year, HP’s CFO told investors that locking users into a subscription model was a way to make more money, and that customer value would “go up 20%” if the company could wean customers away from the transactional model.
       HP is also facing a class action lawsuit in the United States, where plaintiffs claim their printers were rendered unusable by firmware updates when non-HP replacement cartridges were installed. The printer buyers said they did not sign any contractual agreements to purchase only HP-branded ink before receiving the firmware update.
       HP is committed to providing exceptional printing experiences to all of our customers. Based on recent customer feedback in the IT-managed office space, we have decided to discontinue a specific line of LaserJet products that support HP+ and are designated with the letter “e”. This move was prompted by cloud connectivity issues in some office environments. No other LaserJet printers or inkjet devices are affected.