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Have Alexa automatically order print cartridges when they are low
Amazon’s Echo devices have some great features on board. Not only are they capable of giving you control of your smart home devices, but they are also useful for ordering products using just your voice.
That’s not all of course, Alexa will tell you the weather, play music, help the kids with their homework and you can set up something called Smart Reorders which will see items like printer cartridges automatically reordered when your printer runs out of ink or toner. they run out.
Smart Reorders works with certain manufacturers and products, such as Canon, Epsom, and HP, and Alexa can print for you, too. Here’s how to set up smart ordering and receive items like printer cartridges before you need to print that all-important document.
what you will need
- The Alexa app
- Your smartphone or tablet
- A compatible product
The short version
- Open the alexa app.
- Touch the ‘Further‘ eyelash.
- Touch ‘Skills and games‘.
- Find the company you want to set up Smart Reorders for.
- Follow the instructions to add the device to your Alexa account.
- Go to ‘Devices‘ tab in the Alexa app.
- Find your device and go to Settings.
- Touch ‘Supplies‘.
- Open ‘Smart reorders‘.
- Choose your preferences.
Smart Reorders is a feature offered by Alexa that will automatically reorder items you may need regularly, like printer cartridges, when they start to run out. It’s a feature that’s only available with certain manufacturers and certain devices, and the process may be slightly different depending on the device.
You may also want to follow the steps below to have different devices set up multiple smart orders. We’ve used our Canon printer as an example to give you the basic steps for setting up smart ordering below, but other manufacturers and devices may have slightly different steps, depending on what you’re setting up.
Time needed: 5 minutes
- Open Skills & Games in the Alexa app
The first thing you need to do is enable the skill of the manufacturer you want to set up smart ordering for. Open the Alexa app, tap the “More” tab, and then tap “Skills & Games.” From here you will need to search, for example, for the manufacturer of your printer.
- Enable the skill and log in to your account
Within ‘Skills & Games’, find the company name of your device. So in our case, we search for “Canon” and select “Canon Inkjet Printer” from the options. We then clicked “Enable Usage” and logged in with our Canon ID. If you don’t have one, you can create one from this page. You’ll also need to make sure your Canon printer is registered, as Alexa will ask you for the printer’s registration ID. There are steps you can follow in the Alexa app pop-up window to do this.
- Find your device in the Alexa app
Once you’ve enabled the manufacturer’s skill and followed the instructions, you’ll need to find your device in the Alexa app. In this case we are looking for our printer. Tap the “Devices” tab in the Alexa app. If it’s a printer, tap the “Device Type” drop-down menu and select “Other” and then “Apply.” Your printer should be listed here. If you don’t see it, go back to the Canon Inkjet Printer skill and tap “Start.” Then you must select the Echo device from the list that you want to use. You’ll also need to make sure the printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Echo device.
- Go to Supplies
Tap your printer and select Supplies at the top. From here, you should see Smart Reorders and then you’ll be able to select “When supplies are low, Alexa will do it.” You should also see your current ink levels.
- Choose your preferences
We’ve set our preferences to “Automatically reorder,” but you can choose to have Alexa “Send a notification” or “Do not reorder or send a notification.” You’ll also want to choose the threshold for how much ink must remain before Alexa automatically notifies you or orders new cartridges; This is a percentage. Make sure to press “Done” at the bottom of the screen.
- Set up smart reordering
The last thing you’ll need to do is follow the instructions to set up the new order details, including which cartridges Alexa should reorder, where they should be delivered, and how you want to pay. Tap ‘Set up smart orders’ to finish the process.
That’s all! When your printer cartridges reach the threshold you’ve set, Alexa will automatically reorder new ones. You have 24 hours to cancel the order if you have decided that you do not need them, or do not want them at this time. Every time the cartridges run out, Alexa will order new ones.
Frequently asked questions
All new smart orders have a 10% discount on printer cartridges and toner.
No, there are no subscription fees. You only pay for the ink or toner, with no additional charges.
Only select brands support Smart Reordering. These include HP, Brother, Epsom and Canon. However, your printer should also be compatible, so look for the “Works with Alexa” badge on your printer’s packaging.
