HP Printer Replacement Ink Cartridge Program

The primary use for my printer is to make my digital art pet portraits come to life so I can display them at the Wagtime Shop. My old printer bit the dust a couple weeks ago and I researched HP printers and decided on the HP Envy 5660 all in one e printer. Of course, none of my old ink cartridges will work in the new printer, but I was intrigued by the mail in ink replacement program that HP offered. I always seem to have to make special trips to get the ink, never really knowing exactly when it would need to be replaced. So I signed up for the cheapest option at $2.99 a month, with the first three months service charge free, and my introductory kit just came in the mail. The program starts once I insert the replacement cartridges that were sent, and then the printer orders the new ones on line when it figures out it is running low. The program is based on sheets printed rather than by month, and the price for the ink is supposed to be a lot less. Also enclosed in the kit is a recyclable pouch that you send back to HP postage free when the cartridges are empty. So far I am happy with the printer and looking forward to seeing how this works. At least now I only have two cartridges rather than four. It's a necessary evil for my artwork, but it's well worth it! 

HP Photosmart Printer Bit the Dust

When we first moved to DC ten years ago, I had to get a new printer. I remember driving out to some place in Virginia and getting an HP Photosmart printer because back in the day I would print a lot of personal photos. Plus it was nice to have FAX and scanning capability. A few years later, that one needed to be replaced and we got an all in one Photosmart printer that also required four ink cartridges. Now we use it primarily for my digital artwork and it takes FOREVER to print one page. I have a gallery wall at the Wagtime shop and I need the printer to make 8x10 photos that I mount on foam board. Yesterday I was trying to get a bit organized and print up the latest batch of pet portraits. The first one went without a hitch. Then I tried to make my business cards and they looked dreadful. I checked the ink and replaced a couple cartridges. I tried again. No luck. I cleaned the cartridges and ran a quality report. Terrible! I tried to align the cartridges and it failed the test. I turned it off an on, and cleaned the cartridges again. Nothing. It would get a little better, then scratchy again. I changed the black ink cartridge. Still nothing. After messing around with this for a couple of hours, I rechecked the website to see what else I could do. I wasn't about to change the print headers, or whatever they are - it would be easier to just replace the printer. Unfortunately I still have a few unopened and very expensive ink cartridges for this printer. So I spent the rest of the day looking at the newest HP printers available today and planned to get a replacement before the weekend. I also wondered if I should start sending the pet portrait images to a printing place rather than doing it myself. But then we wouldn't have the printer when we really needed it to print something out or make copies of other things. I'm hoping I can get a deal being that the school year just started. That will be the next story. 

Staples and the Expired Ink and Toner Savings Pass

I rarely print anything anymore. The only exception is for all of my digital art requirements - primarily to print 8x10 "photos," mounted on foam board, of my pet portraits to display in the Wagtime Shop on Capitol Hill across from the Navy Yard. My HP printer needs a constant supply of five different ink cartridges. Usually I get a lot of art supplies on line, but for ink I always go to Staples. It was actually worth my while because I had a 10% savings card specifically for ink. So today we ventured out to Alexandria. I took extra time to find all the products I needed to replenish so the art would hang securely on the wall, since I have another 15 portraits to showcase. Heavy duty Velcro works well, but I have also used that in combination with poster putty. When I got to the check out counter, the cashier told me that the card expired... In May! It's been a while since I got ink, but I had no idea it was a limited time stamp on the thing. Maybe I should start looking around for alternate ink stores. What might you suggest? I don't understand why ink is so expensive. If it wasn't for the need to display the art, I wouldn't need it at all - that goes for all the Kodak paper that seems so "out of date" in the digital age. My Etsy shop works so well because it is truly digital. The completed digital hand painted pet portraits are all "shipped" as a jpeg image attachment to the customer's email address. Too bad I can't do the same for myself!