Your Printer Can Now Order Ink For You, Thanks to Amazon

Heads up, everyone: We now live in a world where your printer can automatically order ink for you when it's running low. And we have Amazon to thank for that.

The online retail giant on Tuesday launched the first devices that sync with its Amazon Dash Replenishment service. It enables connected devices — like your Brother printer, General Electric washer, and Gmate Smart blood glucose monitor — to automatically order supplies before you run out.

"With Amazon Dash Replenishment, we want to make customers' lives even easier so they won't run out of items like laundry detergent, pet food or printer ink again — customers simply activate Dash Replenishment when they are setting up their connected device and then rely on Amazon to automatically deliver those everyday essentials," Amazon Devices Director Daniel Rausch explained. "It's exciting to make Dash Replenishment a reality — customers can start taking advantage of the service today and we will continue to launch and add new devices to the program this year."

If you own a Brother connected printer, you can start using the service right now. Just head over to Brother's website, sign up for Dash Replenishment, and you'll never have to make an emergency trip to the office supply store for ink or toner again.

By the end of the month, the service will also be available for GE's washer with Smart Dispense technology and the Gmate monitoring device so you'll never run out of laundry detergent or blood sugar testing strips and lancets. In the future, Amazon is planning to offer this feature for even more products, including Purell soap and hand sanitizer and the Whirlpool Smart Dishwasher.

Amazon Dash Replenishment is an offshoot of the Amazon Dash buttons. The company currently offers small Wi-Fi-connected Dash buttons from brands like Tide and Gerber. Affix near your washing machine or fridge and press when you need more detergent or baby food. Amazon will send an alert to your phone; confirm and Amazon will ship the order.

In other Amazon news, the company is moving ahead with its Prime Air drone deliveries. In a recent interview with Yahoo's David Pogue, Amazon's Vice President for global public policy, Paul Misener, said the service will "get packages to customers within 30 minutes of them ordering it online at Amazon.com."

Meanwhile, Amazon's Echo device is gaining a new skill: the ability to read to you. It can read any books you purchase from the Kindle Store, borrowed from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library or Kindle Unlimited, or shared with you using Family Library.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio