The HP OfficeJet Pro is a Simple, Reliable Printer

Maybe it’s because I live in an apartment in a big city, as do all my friends, but nobody I know owns a printer. It used to be a homeowner’s essential, and now it’s something you use at the office (or home office). For the modern once in a blue moon print job, you just go to Staples or, like, FedEx. Plus, owning a printer has long held a reputation for being a pain in the ass. They can be loud, break often, and always require more money than you expect to sink on paper, ink, and replacement parts.

As an adult who has never owned a printer, these were always the reasons I didn't get one. But I wanted see what modern smart technology has done to make printing easier, if it's done anything at all. That’s what led me to HP’s All In Plan. Designed to be a hassle-free way to print, it's (of course) a monthly subscription that includes a brand new printer, ink refills sent automatically when you need them, and the ability to print from anywhere with your phone.

Turning printing into another subscription service has its advantages, but it doesn’t solve every roadblock I had. The short of it is this: Think of an All In subscription as your secretary. It orders ink, lets you print from anywhere on Earth, and makes everything less worrisome. If that's valuable to you, buy it. If you just need a printer for the occasional important document, skip the subscription; get the printer.

HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e All-in-One Printer

When you sign up for HP All in, you go to a webpage and pick from one of four plans (basic, versatile, high volume, or professional) based on your needs. This determines both which printer you receive, your monthly cost, and how many pages you can print per month (which can be adjusted regardless of the plan you choose). You can bundle in paper if you need, but beyond that there’s nothing else too it. Just a few clicks and then wait for the package to arrive.

Once you have everything in your hands, it’s time for the real setup. This is where things have become more complicated, in order for them to become easier down the line.

It’s more than just plugging the printer in and loading it up with paper and ink in the right places. You still need to get your device online, and then you’ll need to download updates and drivers. This is best started by downloading the HP Smart app. You’ll want the app anyway to print from your phone. And while it does help guide your set up (by opening a web page with the digital handbook), the process was far from flawless.

My main issue came in the initial detection of the printer. The app wasn’t seeing it. Classic home electronics problem. I’ve been dealing with Bluetooth my whole adult life, and it wasn’t hard to troubleshoot (brute force), but I know I’m a bit more tech savvy than the average bloke. Regardless of if you run into connection issues or not (once the app recognized the printer it was good for all future connections), the process of setting up your printer will still likely be a time consuming one.

I reviewed the Professional plan which comes with the HP OfficeJet Pro printer, switching Esquire shopping team's daily printing of shipping labels for returning the products we test to its own printer. One we can send files to from our phones at our desks, or when we’re working from home.

Double-sided, color, anything we needed. The OfficeJet Pro is a capable, and loud, printer. It can do scan and fax. Honestly, the printer exceeded expectations but it isn’t really the exciting part here. What's exciting is how everything comes together: the app, the printer, and the plan all in one.

You can use the OfficeJet like a traditional printer, go to file->print on your Word doc or PDF, and add the printer once its online. But my favorite part of the All In plan was printing from my phone. Everything’s on my phone, including my email, which is where all the documents I print come from anyway. The HP Smart app makes it possible to print from anywhere as long as the printer is online, and it integrates with my accounts on Drive and Dropbox for more complete access to all the files I need. If I'm running around and need a label printed, I can just do it on the train. You can also use your phone camera to scan documents in the same on-the-move fashion.

A month or so into the plan, I received an email that my black ink was running low, and I would be sent more. Literally the next day, the ink showed up. Saved me stress and hassle. And even though I know the cost is built into my monthly plan, it’s a genuine convenience you can only get with the All In plans.

HP All In Professional Plan

To figure out if its for you, you have to weigh of genuine conveniences (printing from anywhere, not having to worry about ink refills) against the financial and mental cost of another subscription. If you're on the go and don't have an assistant to deal with this bullshit, yes, buy an All In plan. If you're only printing from your computer and looking to do it for cheap, skip it and just buy the printer.