The four recommended plan tiers are as follows:

• Basic – HP Envy inkjet printer with 20 pages of printing for $7.99/mo
• Versatile – HP Envy Photo inkjet printer with 20 pages of printing for $9.99/mo
• High-Volume – HP Smart Tank all-in-one printer with 100 pages of printing for $12.99/mo
• Professional – HP OfficeJet Pro all-in-one printer with 50 pages of printing for $14.99/mo

The “High Volume” plan is marketed as the best value. It includes the HP Smart Tank 7602 all-in-one printer (retails for $470) and up to 100 pages of monthly printing. At $12.99 per month, it’s not much more expensive than the “Basic” and “Versatile” plans, which come with a lower-end printer (with no all-in-one capabilities) and significantly less pages of printing per month. The one caveat is that it requires a three year commitment compared to two years for the other plans. Fortunately, HP offers a 30-day trial period during which you can test out the service with the freedom to opt out.

Is the HP All-in-One Plan worth it?

The big question is whether or not HP’s All-in-One Plan is worth it in the first place. We can first break this out monetarily. The “High Volume” plan will run you $12.99 per month for 3 years, or a grand total of $467.64. As mentioned above, the printer you get retails for $469.99. That’s about the same cost, but there are other factors to consider.

By buying the printer outright, you could probably find a discount. For example, it’s currently on sale at Amazon for $349.99, saving you $120 right off the bat. Also, after 3 years, you’ll still own the printer so that you can use it for many years after. If you subscribe to the plan, then you’re out of a printer after 3 years unless you re-enroll.

However, by signing up for the plan, you avoid having to pay $400+ instantly, which is replaced by a more manageable monthly fee. You also essentially get three years of warranty service, as opposed to just one year if you bought the printer outright. You don’t need to pay for ink during the life of the subscription. This is important because ink refills can get pricey very quickly to the point where it’s often cheaper to just buy a new printer.

All things considered, it really depends on your situation. If you can justify the upfront cost, you plan to keep the same printer for more than three years, and you feel comfortable enough sourcing cheaper third-party ink, then just buy your own printer. If you’d rather stick with the convenience of letting HP worry about the printer along with its refills and maintenance, and you know that you can stay within tothe monthly printing allotment, then it’s worth checking it out.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.