This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of HP Canada for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Picture this: It was September 6, 2004. I was in my third year of teaching but, having recently married and taken up residence in Toronto, I was still apprehensive as it was my first day at a new school in an entirely new school board. It also marked my first year teaching French. The eager young teacher that I was, living in the year 1 BC (before children), I had stayed up late the night before typing out classroom rules, designing workbook cover pages, creating labels for French folders and typing up my first week of day plans. After countless hours perfecting it all, I sent all the documents to print. And the printer had every intention of fulfilling my request, save for the fact that it had run out of ink. 

[Cue horror film sound effects.]

As I desperately searched desk drawers for a replacement cartridge, beads of sweat began to form on my brow. (Okay, I lie. I rarely experience brow sweat.) My heart rate, however, did escalate while I developed a sickening feeling in my stomach. I certainly couldn't show up for my first day of work unprepared. What would my colleagues say? Or the students? Or my principal? The thought was simply mortifying. This all happened at a time when I didn't own a single USB key. Oh, no. I used to save files to a disc using a... gasp... CD burner! I had never even stepped foot in my new school and I had no idea where I would find an available computer to print off my documents in time for my classes.

At this realization, I decided to place all the blame on my husband. You see, I had only been living in Toronto for a month and was still unfamiliar with the roads. When I had set out to find the nearest Staples just a week earlier, I had discovered that the map book my husband lent me was outdated and many of the one-way roads had since been reversed and I got lost, so lost that the local mail carrier couldn't even help me in my state of despair and so I missed Teacher Appreciation Day and I didn't replenish my school supplies, which included ink for my printer, and... I think I cried.

Since that ill-fated day, I swore I would never let that happen again and promised to stock up on ink cartridges whenever they were on sale. But flashcards were a French teacher's best friend at that time and so my printer got quite a workout that year. And yes, I eventually ran out of ink mid-print. Many times.

Fast forward to over a decade later and teachers like me can now rely on a handy subscription service that will save us from ever running out of ink again. Allow me to introduce you to Instant Ink by HP Canada. This service works on Instant Ink enabled HP printers, such as the Desk Jet 3755 Printer, which will order ink for you before you run out. The ink is delivered right to your door for free, cartridge recycling included. There are three plan options from which to choose based on your printing frequency. Plan starts at $3.99 per month but, if you sign up between April 2, 2017 and May 15, 2017, you can get three months free by using promo code 3MONTHS! For more details, watch this video: