People dismiss ink/toner subscriptions so readily, but don’t consider that for some usage patterns, they’re actually a really good deal. I’m not saying that they’re the right thing for everyone, but it’s dumb to reject them categorically without even knowing what they do.
I guess this is aimed at me. I'm not saying that a subscription model is bad. But it should be clear upfront so people can make a well informed choice. With many super cheap printers where you more-or-less get the printer for free and are paying through the nose for the consumables it is absolutely not clear you are buying into a subscription. I get that people feel tricked especially when third party consumables are actively blocked because the manufacturer didn't make clear they are renting equipment.
But they
are up-front about it. It’s not like you can’t use the printer without a subscription. It’s entirely up to you whether to opt into that during setup or not. And up to you whether to cancel it later and return to purchased cartridges.
(There are some large enterprise printers that exclusively use rental-only toner, IIRC. But they're models that are also only available by rental agreement, where you aren’t buying the machine at all.)
HP has a
separate thing (mockingly called “HP+”) that isn’t a subscription, but an agreement to only ever use HP ink/toner, with internet access so it can update the firmware to block newer clone supplies. On LaserJets, this is actually done by selling separate, cheaper versions of the printers, just with an “e” on the end of the model number. (So you must decide before purchase whether you want HP+ or not.) On the inkjets, “e” on the model number means that it is
capable of HP+, but whether or not you choose it is an irreversible decision you make during initial setup: permanently activate some extra (software) features but block third party inks, or permanently forgo it and give up those features. Unlike with the ink subscriptions, HP has earned some well-deserved criticism for this, because of not making it clear that the HP+ selection cannot be changed once made.