HP DeskJet 2655 All-in-One Printer | $40 | Amazon
Listen up, nerds. This is a cheap, piece-of-shit printer and you should buy it right now.
If you own a compatible HP printer, like this HP DeskJet 2655, you can get free printouts (until this garbage printer falls apart) thanks to HP’s Instant Ink service.
Here’s how it works: You sign up for the program, the printer monitors your monthly page count, and it contacts HP to order ink refills when you run low.
There’s a supposed monthly fee based on the number of pages you print, but here’s the important bit: Instant Ink offers a 15-page-per-month plan free of charge. Yes, that’s 15 Amazon return labels or 15 photos every month, for free.
Cheaper printers like this one are sold below cost so that the manufacturer can recoup those losses through cartridge sales. But if you’re careful about how you use HP Instant Ink, you can get away with never paying for cartridges again.
If you have room in your house, this all-in-one model is a no-brainer. (And if you are someone who does print regularly, don’t buy a cheap printer. Go with a monochrome laser printer, invest in a reservoir printer, or actually use HP Instant Ink. It is a seriously good program.)