HP Inc.
Ink Costs More Than Champagne
$31B
Value Extracted
7
Key Initiatives
HP Inc. monetizes printers by locking out cheaper third-party ink through firmware. Its 2016 Dynamic Security update bricked rival cartridges, drawing a class action HP settled in 2024 for a $1.5M fund, approved March 2025. EnshitifAi assigns HP an Extraction Index of $31B, an editorial figure anchored to these documented practices.</summary> </invoke>
The Story
HP realized they were leaving money on the table by letting customers use affordable third-party ink. Solution: firmware updates that brick your printer if you dare use non-HP cartridges. Then: make you subscribe to your own printer.
Common Questions
Is HP Inc. enshittified?
Yes. HP turns a one-time printer purchase into a recurring ink obligation, using firmware to reject non-HP cartridges and pushing customers toward Instant Ink. Its 2016 Dynamic Security system triggered a December 2020 class action that HP settled in August 2024 with a $1.5M fund, approved by a federal judge in March 2025. By EnshitifAi's reckoning it is a textbook hardware-to-subscription extraction play.
What dark patterns does HP use?
DRM on ink cartridges enforced via 'Dynamic Security' firmware that bricks third-party ink; cartridges programmed to 'expire' with ink remaining; and printers that refuse to scan if an Instant Ink subscription lapses. HP also settled a 2023 suit alleging it disabled cartridges after customers cancelled Instant Ink, then kept the model running.
Why is HP ink so expensive and when did HP start enshittifying?
HP's enshittification dates to 2016, when it introduced Dynamic Security to block cheaper rival cartridges and steer buyers into Instant Ink. It has raised subscription prices repeatedly, including a January 2024 hike and an April 2025 increase that pushed add-on charges from $1.00 to $1.50 per set, a 50% jump. EnshitifAi's $31B Extraction Index is its own opinion, not an HP-reported figure.
Key Achievements
- 1
Pushed firmware updates that disabled third-party ink cartridges
- 2
Launched HP Instant Ink subscription (rent ink you used to buy)
- 3
Made printers that refuse to scan if ink subscription lapses
- 4
Programmed cartridges to 'expire' even with ink remaining
- 5
Implemented DRM on ink cartridges (yes, really)
- 6
Settled multiple lawsuits and kept doing it anyway
- 7
Made printer ink more expensive per ounce than human blood or Chanel No. 5
EnshitifAi showed us that the printer is just a vessel for ink subscriptions.
Printer Division
Chief Ink Extraction Officer
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