This discount code could get you up to nine months of free ink for your printer

Buying a new printer can be surprisingly cheap. Keeping it supplied with ink is usually where the pain begins, but a new promotion by one of the biggest printer brands out there could take that problem off the table for as long as nine months.

HP is currently offering customers three additional months of its Instant Ink subscription, and the deal becomes much more interesting when you look at how those free months are applied.

That's because the promotion can be stacked on top of the Instant Ink trial already supplied with an eligible new HP printer. Some models come with as much as six months included, meaning buyers who follow the right steps can potentially get up to nine months of Instant Ink without paying the normal subscription fee.

There is a specific code you'll need to know, and a promotion window in which to use it.

Customers need to enter the promotional code SUMMER26UKI in the "Promotional or PIN code" box when enrolling in Instant Ink. HP says this adds three additional trial months to however many free months are included with the eligible printer.

So a printer supplied with three months of Instant Ink could effectively become a six-month offer. Buy one that includes six months and the same promotion can take the total to nine months.

It's a potentially useful saving, particularly for families preparing for the new school year or anyone who regularly prints photographs, documents and return labels at home.

HP Instant Ink is a subscription service rather than a conventional supply of cartridges. Customers choose a monthly plan based on the number of pages they print and the connected printer automatically tells HP when more ink is required, with replacement cartridges then delivered.

HP currently charges from £1.79 a month for a plan covering up to 10 pages, rising to £4.49 for 50 pages, £6.49 for 100 pages and £13.49 for 300 pages. Its 700-page plan costs £28.99 a month.

According to HP's terms, the SUMMER26UKI promotion requires HP+ to be activated and customers must complete their Instant Ink enrolment within seven days of setting up the printer.

The promotional code is available from August 1 until October 31, 2026, so anyone buying an eligible printer during that period should make sure they don't leave the Instant Ink registration sitting on their to-do list.

Instant Ink is an ongoing subscription, and HP says customers who don't cancel during the promotional period will begin paying the normal monthly fee for whichever plan they have selected. Printing more than the allowance included with a plan can also result in additional charges.

Exactly how many free months you receive will depend on the Instant Ink trial offered with the printer you buy. The code itself adds three months, rather than automatically giving everyone nine.

The subscription offer can also be applied to printers you already own, as long as they're compatible with the Instant Ink system.

To check your model, or to sign up for the promotion and use the code, click here.