Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service: Difference between revisions
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*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page. | *No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page. | ||
== | ==Subscription Analysis== | ||
=====Case Study===== | =====Case Study===== | ||
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]] | [[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]] | ||
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup: | |||
#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <small><ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref></small> | #Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <small><ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref></small> | ||
Line 165: | Line 165: | ||
It should also be noted that: | It should also be noted that: | ||
*the credit applies to additional page cost | *the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost. | ||
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the | *bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time. | ||
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages. | *drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages. | ||
======Printer====== | ======Printer====== | ||
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The | The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows: | ||
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page. | *it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page. | ||
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program. | *it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program. | ||
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======Analytics====== | ======Analytics====== | ||
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing: | |||
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> | *the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> | ||
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> | *[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> | ||
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" /> | *monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" /> | ||
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" /> | *color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" /> | ||
By comparing the user data | By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user. Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program. | ||
======Assumptions====== | ======Assumptions====== | ||
To create a more realistic comparison | To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case: | ||
*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months. | *the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months. | ||
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#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother assumes that the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert. | #'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother assumes that the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert. | ||
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of | #'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother. | ||
We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing. | We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing. | ||
====== EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix <!-- Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix. --> ====== | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! | |||
!Brand | |||
!Yield | |||
!Price | |||
!Pages | |||
!Cartriges | |||
!Total Cost | |||
!Page Cost | |||
!Generic Lockout | |||
!Internet Required | |||
|- | |||
|'''Brother''' | |||
|Brother | |||
|1200 +- | |||
|$43.19 | |||
|6000 | |||
|5 | |||
|$215.96 | |||
|$0.036 | |||
|Yes | |||
|Yes | |||
|} | |||
====== Validated Claim ====== | |||
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother. | |||
== Subscription History == | |||
====== Overview ====== | |||
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales revenue have historically developed within the markets that they operate. | |||
====== Brother Industries, Ltd. ====== | |||
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: an high-quality industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today. | |||
The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization. And by the early 1950's and 1960's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. This foundation, coupled with the large national labor pool, a highly protected market and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost technology products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''. | |||
====== Segment Reliance ====== | |||
'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024''' | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! | |||
!Printing & Solutions | |||
!Personal & Home | |||
!Machinery | |||
!Network & Contents | |||
!Domino | |||
!Other | |||
|- | |||
|Sales Revenue | |||
|'''58.92%''' | |||
|6.64% | |||
|15.22% | |||
|7.00% | |||
|10.41% | |||
|1.78% | |||
|- | |||
|Segement Profit | |||
|'''72.50%''' | |||
|5.55% | |||
|13.61% | |||
|2.50% | |||
|5.42% | |||
|0.55% | |||
|- | |||
|Operation Profit | |||
|'''73.57%''' | |||
|5.56% | |||
|13.77% | |||
|2.22% | |||
|1.03% | |||
|1.11% | |||
|} | |||
Brother Printing & Solutions (P&S) Business | |||
==Data Privacy== | ==Data Privacy== |
Revision as of 03:18, 10 February 2025
Basic Information | |
---|---|
Release Year | 2021 |
Product Type | Subscription-as-a-Service |
In Production | Yes |
Official Website | Brother Refresh |
The Brother Industries Ltd.: Refresh Program Subscription Service is a Subscription-as-a-Service (SubS) launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.
The Brother Refresh service currently offers two programs: EZ Auto Reordering (abbreviated as EZ-ARP), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or EZ Print Subscription (abbreviated as EZ-PSP), where the the user pays per page printed.
Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
EZ-ARP | EZ-PSP | |
---|---|---|
Auto Cartridge Ordering | Yes | Yes |
Free Trial | No | Yes |
Payments | Pay-Per-Cartridge | Pay-Per-Page |
Cartridge Type | Standard or XL | XL or Super XL |
Shipping Costs | >$19.99 Free | Free (plan-based) |
Warranty | No | Limited (plan-based) |
Customer Service | Yes | Yes |
Flexible Plans | No | Yes |
Easy Cancellation | Yes | Yes |
Subscription Eligibility
Brother currently lists these printers available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.
EZ Print Subscription (pay-per-page)
Printer Type | Models | Promoted | Free Trial | Cartridge Series Disclosed | Cartridge Yield Disclosed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mono Laser Printers | 13 | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
Color Laser Printer | 0 | Yes | No | N/A | N/A |
Inkjet Printers | 8 | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
EZ Auto Reordering (pay-per-cartridge)
Printer Type | Models | Promoted | Free Trial | Cartridge Series Disclosed | Cartridge Yield Disclosed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mono Laser Printers | 141 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Color Laser Printer | 31 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Inkjet Printers | 0 | Yes | No | N/A | N/A |
False or Misleading Promotion
- Brother clearly advertises color plans in the EZ Print program yet no color printers are currently eligible.[1]
- Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the EZ Auto Reorder program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.[2]
- Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.[3]
Subscription Claims
EZ Print Program
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can save the end-user up to 50% on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.[4]
It states: based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.
Obfuscated or Misleading Claim
- No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
- Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
- Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
EZ Auto Reording Program
Brother offers a 10% discount on all orders of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.
Obfuscated or Misleading Claim
- No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the EZ-ARP yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.
Subscription Analysis
Case Study

To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the EZ-Print program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:
- Mono Laser Printer: MFC-L2710DW [5]
- Highest Cost Plan: Power Plan
- Standard Yield Cartridge: TN730 [6]
Notes
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:
- Credit $30: for add-ons only
- Bonus Toner Eligibility: once only
- Drum Replacement: undefined
It should also be noted that:
- the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, not subscription cost.
- bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
- drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a DR730[7] drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.
Printer
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
- it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
- it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
- it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
- it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.
Analytics
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
- the average home office / small office user prints 3.4 monochrome pages per day [8]
- Consumer Reports.org reports their subscribers print a median of 33 monochrome pages per month [9]
- monochrome printing now makes up to 80% of total print jobs in a home or small office environment. [8]
- color printing has decreased in use by 34% over the 3 year period measured. [8]
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user. Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon "average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge" for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.
Assumptions
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:
- the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
- the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
- the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
- the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.
EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix
Brand | Yield | Price | Pages | Cartridges | Total Cost | Page Cost | Generic Lockout | Internet Required | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother | Brother | 1200 +- | $24.99 | 6000 | 5 | $299.88 | $0.050 | Yes | Yes |
Staples | Brother | 1200 +- | $47.99 | 6000 | 5 | $239.95 | $0.040 | No | No |
Office Depot | Brother | 1200 +- | $47.99 | 6000 | 5 | $239.95 | $0.040 | No | No |
YB Toner | Generic | 1200 +- | $18.95 | 6000 | 5 | $94.75 | $0.015 | No | No |
True Image | Generic | 1200 +- | $19.50 | 6000 | 5 | $97.50 | $0.016 | No | No |
False or Misleading Claim
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can "save the end-user up to 50%" is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:
- Scenario Manipulation: Brother assumes that the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
- Comparing Different Programs: this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user owns the cartridge bought from Staples and only the rents the ability to print a certain number of pages from Brother.
We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.
EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix
Brand | Yield | Price | Pages | Cartriges | Total Cost | Page Cost | Generic Lockout | Internet Required | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brother | Brother | 1200 +- | $43.19 | 6000 | 5 | $215.96 | $0.036 | Yes | Yes |
Validated Claim
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a 10% discount on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.
Subscription History
Overview
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales revenue have historically developed within the markets that they operate.
Brother Industries, Ltd.
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 [10] primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: an high-quality industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.
The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization. And by the early 1950's and 1960's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. This foundation, coupled with the large national labor pool, a highly protected market and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost technology products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, dot-matrix printer.
Segment Reliance
Brother Business Segment Return 2024
Printing & Solutions | Personal & Home | Machinery | Network & Contents | Domino | Other | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sales Revenue | 58.92% | 6.64% | 15.22% | 7.00% | 10.41% | 1.78% |
Segement Profit | 72.50% | 5.55% | 13.61% | 2.50% | 5.42% | 0.55% |
Operation Profit | 73.57% | 5.56% | 13.77% | 2.22% | 1.03% | 1.11% |
Brother Printing & Solutions (P&S) Business
Data Privacy
References
- ↑ EZ-Print Eligibility List
- ↑ EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List
- ↑ Brother Assistance Transcript
- ↑ Brother Subscription Information
- ↑ MFC-L2710DW Overview
- ↑ Brother TN730 Product Detail
- ↑ Brother DR730 Product Detail
- ↑ Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 8.2 West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) "2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics" ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025
- ↑ Pinola, Melanie (2024) "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?". Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025
- ↑ Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png