HP to discontinue online-only e-series LaserJet amid user gripes

Printers were locked into HP+ cloud service, which is also getting the chop

Updated HP is discontinuing its e-series LaserJet printers due to customer complaints, along with the HP+ and the "Instant Ink" toner subscription services tied to the hardware.

The PC and printer biz initially rolled out HP+ in 2020 as a totally cloud-based ecosystem based around its existing Instant Ink subscription service, which was expanded to include toner for laser printers.

Among the first devices to launch with HP+ were the HP LaserJet M200 Series and HP OfficeJet Pro 8000e and 9000e series.

According to German tech publication DruckerChannel (auf Deutsch), all HP LaserJet printers that carry an "e" suffix such as the Laserjet M110we are being discontinued, and the company will no longer offer LaserJet products with HP+. It is understood that existing customers that own these devices will continue to be able to use them.

These e-series LaserJet printers were sold at a discount compared to models without the "e" suffix, but were tied in to the HP+ service and required the printer to be connected to the internet and for the user to use only HP-branded toner rather than third-party consumables.

Customers that purchase an HP inkjet get a different experience, where they are given a choice during the software setup whether they want to enrol in the HP+ service or not.

It is understood that HP will also cease marketing the Instant Ink toner subscription service later this year, and it will no longer be available to new customers. Existing Instant Ink toner subscribers will be unaffected.

It appears that HP has caved in to customer complaints about HP+, which caused inevitable problems stemming from the requirement for an active internet connection in order for the hardware to function properly. HP's cloud-based features, including security and monitoring of the ink level and page count, limit what the printer can do if it is disconnected from the internet for any length of time.

We asked HP for a statement regarding this, and will update if we get an answer.

However, the company told DruckerChannel it was aware that some business customers in managed office environments were unable to meet the cloud connection requirements for HP+, and in order to ensure its products worked for all customers it will no longer offer LaserJet series products with HP+.

All of this stems from HP's desire to keep its revenue growing in a world where users are printing fewer pages by getting them onto subscription plans that charge a regular instalment, in return for which ink or toner cartridges are dispatched when needed.

The company had more than 11 million subscribers to the service during 2022, since when it has reported double-digit percentage increases on its revenues, as The Register previously reported.

HP's chief financial officer told an audience of investors at the end of last year that locking people into a subscription was the way to make more profit, with the company seeing "a 20 percent uplift" on the value of customers if it could move them from a transactional model.

HP is also facing a class action lawsuit in the US over a firmware update that the plaintiffs claim disabled their printers if replacement cartridges were fitted that were not HP-branded. The printer buyers said that they had not entered into any contractual agreement to buy only HP-branded ink prior to receiving the firmware updates. ®

Updated at 17.05 UTC on July 10, 2024, to add:

Following publication of this article, an HP spokesperson sent a statement:

"At HP, we aim to provide an exceptional printing experience for all our customers. Based on recent feedback from customers in IT managed office environments, we have decided to discontinue a specific series of LaserJet products, which are HP+ enabled and denoted with the letter 'e'. This is due to cloud connectivity issues in some office environments. This does not impact other LaserJet printers or any inkjet devices."