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HP is the largest printer brand in North America and the default install for most home and small office buyers. Its lineup spans cheap inkjets you can buy for under $100, photo-leaning Envy models, do-it-all OfficeJet Pros, and small mono LaserJets that run for years. HP also pushes Instant Ink the hardest of any vendor, which is the cause of more than half the support questions people send us about their HP printer.
HP product lines
DeskJet
Entry-level inkjets sold at the $40 to $80 price point. Tri-color cartridge plus black, so you pay for the whole color cartridge when one color runs out. Fine for occasional homework and forms, painful if you print regularly.
Envy
Mid-range inkjets that target home photo printing. Better paper handling than DeskJet, slightly higher resolution, supports the HP Smart app for phone printing. The Envy 6000 series is what most people end up with from a big-box store.
OfficeJet and OfficeJet Pro
Aimed at small office use with higher monthly duty cycles, faster print speeds, and individual color cartridges instead of one tri-color. The OfficeJet Pro 8000 and 9000 lines are the workhorses and the most common pages we get asked about.
LaserJet
Mono and color laser printers. The compact M15w and M110we are popular as second printers in homes that mostly print text. The Enterprise Mxxx series is what corporate IT actually buys.
Tango and Smart Tank
Tango is a closed line at this point. Smart Tank is HP's answer to Epson EcoTank: refillable ink reservoirs instead of cartridges, much cheaper running cost per page if you print a lot.
Common HP printer problems
Printer offline, especially after Windows or macOS sleep
Almost always a driver state issue rather than a real network problem. Restart the print spooler service on Windows or remove and re-add the printer in System Settings on Mac. If it keeps happening, give the printer a static IP in your router and assign that IP in the driver instead of relying on mDNS discovery.
Cartridge rejected as Used, Refilled, or Counterfeit
HP firmware updates over the last five years have repeatedly blocked third-party cartridges and refilled originals. If your printer suddenly stops accepting a cartridge that worked yesterday, a firmware update is the usual culprit. You can sometimes downgrade the firmware on older models, but on anything from 2020 onward you are stuck buying HP-branded cartridges or rolling back the printer to factory settings.
Black ink not printing on inkjets
Most common cause is a clogged or dried-out printhead on the black cartridge. Run two or three printhead cleaning cycles from the HP Smart app or the printer panel, then print a nozzle check. If the nozzle check still shows gaps in the black bar after three cleans, the cartridge or the printhead is done. On Envy and Smart Tank models the printhead is integrated into the cartridge, so replacing the cartridge fixes it. On OfficeJet Pro you may need to replace the printhead assembly itself.
WiFi connection drops after a router change
HP printers store the WiFi password on the device, so changing the router SSID or password forces a reconnect. Use the HP Smart app to put the printer in setup mode, or hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons together for five seconds to reset the wireless config. From there you can reconnect to the new network.
Instant Ink subscription locked the cartridges
If you cancel Instant Ink, HP electronically disables the cartridges that came with the subscription. They become paperweights. Buy retail HP cartridges and the printer works normally again. This catches a lot of people out and there is no software fix for it.
HP drivers and downloads
All HP printer drivers are at support.hp.com. Search by your exact model number, which is usually on a sticker inside the cartridge access door. Avoid third-party driver sites. The HP Easy Start installer also pulls the right driver if you would rather not search manually.
What to buy and what to skip
If you print fewer than 20 pages a month, a basic DeskJet is fine but expect ink to dry out and need replacing even if you barely use it. If you print 20 to 200 pages a month, a Smart Tank is the cheapest long-term option because you refill instead of buying cartridges. For office use, OfficeJet Pro 9015e or 9025e are the safe picks. Avoid the cheapest LaserJet models if you need to print to a phone, since the older ones do not support AirPrint cleanly.
HP printer FAQs
Are HP printers compatible with Mac?
Yes. Most HP models published in the last decade ship with AirPrint support, which means macOS detects them on the same WiFi without a driver. For full feature support including scanning and ink levels, install the HP driver package from support.hp.com.
Why does HP keep asking me to subscribe to Instant Ink?
Instant Ink is HP's main margin product. The printer ships pre-enrolled in setup, and the HP Smart app will keep promoting it. You can decline at every prompt and use retail cartridges instead. There is no penalty for skipping the subscription, only the lock-in if you start and then stop.
How long should an HP printer last?
Three to five years for a $60 DeskJet, five to eight years for an OfficeJet Pro, and ten years or more for a LaserJet that stays under its rated duty cycle. The most common reason HP printers get retired is not failure, it is a Windows version upgrade that drops the driver.
HP Setup & Troubleshooting Guides
All guidesStep‑by‑step guides for common HP printer setup, driver, and error problems.