Brother Industries, a Japanese electronics and electrical equipment company, has launched an ink and toner subscription service called EcoPro in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Not to be confused with the EcoPro Printing Subscription service in the United Kingdom, EcoPro in mainland Europe is a straightforward option to book a specific contingent of printouts per month.
EcoPro in the United Kingdom includes the option to rent a “refurbished or new Brother printer”, which is delivered free of charge to customers. Plans of the UK subscription plan include up to 6000 pages per year, with ink and toner provided to customers as part of the plan.
The new EcoPro plan that launched recently in three European countries is a much simpler offer. It is available for select black and white laser and ink printers, and color ink printers, which the customers must own already.
Plans include 50, 100, 300 and 500 pages worth of printouts per month, depending on the chosen plan. Customers may switch plans and unused printouts remain available for two months before they expire. Customers who print more in a period pay extra per sheet, depending on the selected plan. Costs range between €0.98 to €0.79 per extra sheet.
Plans start at €3.98 per month for 50 printed pages per month and goes up to €18.98 per month for 500 printed pages per month for ink printers. For laser printers, subscriptions start at €1.99 per month for 50 printed pages and go up to €17.99 for 500 printed pages.
Printer ink and toner is supplied automatically, thanks to software detecting the status and ordering new printer ink or a toner when it becomes necessary.
Customers need a compatible Brother printer to make use of the subscription. Printer models that are supported are listed on this webpage. Brother lists 19 different printer models on the page currently. Brother gives a commercial guarantee throughout the subscription.
Closing Words
Brother EcoPro is an optional subscription plan for certain Brother printers in select European countries. Brother plans to launch EcoPro in other European countries, including Germany, in the coming months.
The pay-per-sheet model may work well for some customers, as Brother counts only the printed papers and not used materials. Some customers may also like the extended guarantee that is included with all subscription plans.
Brother customers still have all the options to purchase printer ink or toners for their devices without subscribing to a plan.
EcoPro is comparable to HP’s Instant Ink subscription service.
Now You: what is your take on Brother’s EcoPro subscription model? (via Born)
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