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HP Printer

HP Updates Firmware, Blocks Its Printers From Using Cheaper Ink Cartridges from Rivals (telegraph.co.uk) 212

Hewlett-Packward printers recently got a firmware update that "blocks customers from using cheaper, non-HP ink cartridges," reports the Telegraph: Customers' devices were remotely updated in line with new terms which mean their printers will not work unless they are fitted with approved ink cartridges. It prevents customers from using any cartridges other than those fitted with an HP chip, which are often more expensive. If the customer tries to use a non-HP ink cartridge, the printer will refuse to print.

HP printers used to display a warning when a "third-party" ink cartridge was inserted, but now printers will simply refuse to print altogether.

The printer company said it issued the update to reduce the risk of malware attacks, saying "third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to the hardware performance, print quality, and security." It also said it used regular updates to improve its services, such as introducing alerts for some customers telling them when their ink is running low. However, according to HP's website, the company also blocks the use of rival cartridges in order to "maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property".

Outraged customers have flooded social media with complaints, saying they felt "cheated" by the update. HP ink cartridges can cost more than double the price of third-party offerings... Some customers can choose to disable HP's cartridge-blocking feature in the printer's settings, HP said, but it depends on the printer model. Others will be stuck with a printer that only works if they commit to spending more on ink cartridges approved by HP.

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HP Updates Firmware, Blocks Its Printers From Using Cheaper Ink Cartridges from Rivals

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  • business (Score:5, Insightful)

    by awwshit ( 6214476 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:10AM (#63518583)

    HP used to be a place where talented people made very high quality technology products. HP is now a place where MBAs attempt to make very high profit garbage products. But they'll sell more cartridges this quarter and some MBA will make that a resume bullet point and move on to a higher paying job to do it again somewhere else.

    • Re:business (Score:5, Insightful)

      by GrokvL ( 673310 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:13AM (#63518589)
      And they've been doing this for decades. Ever since realizing they made a way-too-good Laserjet III that lasts forever and can be operated cheaply. Abandoned that model for the $10k/gallon properietary "for your protection" racket.
      • Re: business (Score:5, Interesting)

        by e3m4n ( 947977 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:39AM (#63518621)
        The laserjet 4 was the peak goodness IMO. But totally agree with the rest of your points. Back then you paid money for the product. Now they practically give away the printer for the revenue on consumables.
        • Re: business (Score:2, Insightful)

          by saloomy ( 2817221 )
          Everyone is surprised by this. All the companies are doing it. They compete with each other on loss leader printers, and make money selling cartridges. Then you get surprised when they are cartridge locked. This is just how game systems work. Nintendos cost more to make than they sell, but the game cartridges were only made my Nintendo. Same difference. My printer does not connect to the internet and does not get updates for this reason. It is in my IoT network which blocks all outbound traffic except from
          • Re: business (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @11:03AM (#63518773)

            Can't say that about my Brother printer. Takes any kind of toner that even remotely fits into its cradle and while it makes assumptions about when it's empty, it believes me when I tell it it's not.

            • I swear by brother but still buy OE toner because it's so fucking hard to not buy third party toner that jams your shit or gets all streaky these days. Never had a brother printer not print, though. Sure can't say that for HP, which always failed me even before the drm consumables days.
              • Re: business (Score:4, Informative)

                by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @11:43AM (#63518875)

                The only bad thing I can say about third party toners with Brother is that they may require color calibration because they ain't 100% on par. If you're not concerned about the red being the JUST correct kind of red because the marketing department goes into hives because of corporate identity being broken, you'll be fine, though.

                • You can't really blame the marketdroids for that, though. If the landsharks were anal enough to specify the exact shade of color when they trademarked the logo, you have to make sure that what gets printed matches the specification exactly. I've heard of that being done, but not being a lawyer, I neither understand why nor want to.
                • Streaky toner because the wiper or whatever regulates the output of toner is the issue I've had moat often. You'll get a fat line of toner because a chunk comes out and contaminates the main drum and it requires thorough cleaning to eliminate even after replacing the toner cart that's bad. These were amazon offbrand (aka slam the elbows on the keyboard random "ducjwdu" brand) straight from china garbage. When i used to be able to go to Fry's and buy a third party cartridge they at least stood behind, i w
          • All the companies are doing it. They compete with each other on loss leader printers, and make money selling cartridges

            Epson seem to have missed the memo. They've produced a printer (example: L3250) which costs more to buy (the thing which happens once) but then printing (the thing that happens often) is cheap.

            https://www.epson.eu/en_EU/pro... [epson.eu]

          • Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)

            by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @11:36AM (#63518853)
            Comment removed based on user account deletion
            • This:

              Never ever recommend an HP printer. If someone really needs an inkjet, recommend an Ecotank, otherwise recommend a Brother Laser printer.
          • All the companies are doing it.

            Not they aren't. This isn't Demolition Man. Every restaurant isn't Taco bell, and every printer isn't HP. Precisely zero printers I've ever owned or currently own block the use of 3rd party toner or ink. Heck printer companies will actively sell you printers with external refillable tanks for ink that you literally pour new ink into, and I don't think even HP has figured out how to put chips in actual liquid drops, though I'm sure their R&D team is hard at work.

            Don't normalise this shitty behavi

        • by mspohr ( 589790 )

          I have an HP Laserjet 4L which still works perfectly. It's about 30 years old.
          Added a Centronics to Ethernet adapter and it's happy.
          Cartridges are cheap (about $10).

      • malware attack = rival ink cartridge. Didn't you know? This is one of many reasons why we have standards. All consumables should be designed to compatible specifications so that they're interchangeable.

        I recently discovered that my local supermarket has an "own brand" electric toothbrush head replacement that is just as good quality as Braun but costs half as much. It's a major supermarket chain so I'm sure that Braun Gmbh are aware of it.
    • by Brain-Fu ( 1274756 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:44AM (#63518633) Homepage Journal

      I have had excellent luck with this [amazon.com] printer model. Brother is a company based in Japan and their focus is more for office use than home use, but their printers are still top quality.

      This printer "just worked" on Ubuntu, absolutely nothing to install. Of course it worked on Windows too, and there was a bit of a fussy driver installation process to get it working, but it ran beautifully after that.

      Unlike HP printers, this does NOT require a phone app to set up and use. It has support for an optional one. Also it does not require an internet connection, ever (again optional if you want to update firmware). So, if you don't want your data harvested, this printer has got you covered.

      Sorry for being a shill. I don't work for Brother, I just really hate HP and so I am happy to push knowledge of viable competitors whenever I can.

      • by Al_Lapalme ( 698542 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:06AM (#63518665)

        I'll second this.
        We switched both our printers to Brother brand (one b/w laser, one color multifunction later) and they just work. No issues with third party ink, no driver issues, wifi printing works well, really can't complain.
        Also, I don't work for brother either

        • by tk77 ( 1774336 )

          I'll third this.

          I was looking for a good replacement for an HP CP2025dn laser printer. I wanted just a color laser with a real manual load tray (not a slot) with no multi-function, for under $500. I was just looking at HP and Canon, didn't even think of Brother (all I knew of Brother were word processing systems from like 30 years ago). Canon seems to mainly have MF at this point, and HP's that looked decent were well above my price range. I ultimately went with a Brother color laser and couldn't be hap

          • by Kazymyr ( 190114 )

            My Brother HL3170CDW has been a true workhorse for many years. Reliable, cheap to operate, multi-OS compatibility etc. Would highly recommend it except I don't think they make this model anymore.

          • by _merlin ( 160982 ) on Sunday May 14, 2023 @10:46AM (#63520477) Homepage Journal

            Canon is the worst for DRM on cartridges. You can't even use a Canon cartridge for the same model printer sold in a different region. I worked for a company that closed its Netherlands office and moved a Canon MFC to Australia. It wouldn't work with Australian toner cartridges. The only option was to import cartridges from Europe. As far as I'm aware, Canon is the only company with region-locked toner cartridges.

        • My original draw to brother: a PCL6 driver at like 485kb worked. HP wants you to install 600+mb of spyware and in the end the printer may not even work. I don't necessarily need drivers to print, as PCL has been a standard for thirty years now?
      • I agree with the sentiment about Brother, but they are not present in all markets with consumables, spares, services and warranty, so, if you are not in the USoA, W-EU, UK, OZ, JP, KR or some other developed markets, check the brands available in your market and go from there.

        For all their ills, warts, and all, HP is a global brand, which means spares, consumables, services from HP or third parties, and warranties from HP, and there are so many hackers trying to defeat HP silliness that this will be a non-i

      • by glatiak ( 617813 )

        Agreed. And the problem with this approach is that when Hp decide you need to buy another printer they just discontinue the ink cartridges. And a year ago, even inserting an off-brand replacement bricked the printer. So we got a Brother laser... and it just worked. The unsolved problem this left me is how to print my colour and monochrome art images. Am ignoring it for now. Never got rid of my wet process materials... maybe.

      • Another very satisfied Brother customer here. I have a monochrome laser version that is entirely fuss free.

      • My only problem with Brother is their support is TOO good. A few years ago I bought an MFC-L2710 and a month after I bought it (like two days after the in-store return period) a circuit board inside it died. This was a common problem apparently as forums were full of people complaining about the same symptom I had. So I sent an email to Brother's warranty or support dept (I can't really remember) asking if they could send me a replacement board since this was a common problem with this specific model (I

      • by kbahey ( 102895 )

        Although I have an HP multifunction, it is now relegated to being a scanner only.

        For printing, I have a Brother laser printer, and also from Xubuntu.

        The model is HL-2270DW.

        Got it from a recycling center for $20, connected its Ethernet, and it works.

        The driver that work is "Brother HL-2250DN - CUPS+Gutenprint v5.3.3".

    • Re:business (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Joce640k ( 829181 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:54AM (#63518641) Homepage

      You have to a sucker if you're still using ink these days.

      Get a laser.

      • I had a color laser from Canon. It started jamming paper before the included demo cartridges ran out. It started to complain about empty cartridge and would only print one print job at a time and you had to power cycle, even though there was still toner for about 200 pages. There was no way to say "got it, toner is low and print quality might be reduced". The toner was hugely expensive, too, and Canon just said basically "Yeah, there are problems with this model, tough sh*t, but we aren't going to do anythi
      • by Okian Warrior ( 537106 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:57AM (#63518759) Homepage Journal

        You have to a sucker if you're still using ink these days.

        Get a laser.

        When you get your laser, purchase a couple of extra ink drums and stick them in a closet somewhere. A typical ink drum will last for 5,000 pages (more or less, check the specs), which might be 2 years of usage, at which time you may find that drums are no longer available. This depends on your individual usage, but for many home office applications it'll save you a lot of headache.

        As many people pointed out, inkjet ink is wildly expensive and the ink tends to dry in the inkjet head and clog up the inkjet holes. Which is not a problem if you are printing every day, but if you print infrequently it will happen, the "clean the print heads" option *might* work (it's iffy), and the cleaning process uses a fuckton of ink in that process. You can *maybe* clean the print head manually (check YouTube videos for how to do this), but it's a PITA and not guaranteed to work. (I got gifted a very nice $500 inkjet printer with clogged heads, and couldn't free the clogs by forcing IPA through the head with a syringe. It's now a very expensive scanner/fax machine.)

        If your printer has an embedded scanner (many do) and you print infrequently, keep the printer turned off between prints. Many scanners have a special bulb that needs to warm up for proper color balance, the bulb has a limited lifetime, and warming the bulb up every time you boot your computer will rapidly eat up that lifetime. Keep the unit (and scanner) turned off unless you actually need to scan or print something and it will last a lot longer.

        Of course, lock your printer down so that it can only send and receive to IP addresses on your home network (and not, for example, to or from the internet at large). If the printer works there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to get a firmware upgrade, unless you are one of the few people who encounter whichever bug was fixed, and in that case you can evaluate as needed.

        Really. Did you *actually* need the update that fixes the problem with certain tagalog characters? Firmware upgrade is a gable each time you get it.

        Epson printers are well known for simply refusing to print after a certain time. Epson printers have a sponge to wipe the heads and to receive the "clean print head" extra ink, and when the unit believes that sponge is full it will simply refuse to print any more. Go get a new printer - no fix, no repair. Literally. Check YouTube channels for Epson satisfied customers taking a sledge-hammer to their really expensive (like - $4,000) printers once they've finally had enough of Epson.

        Per several recommendations here, I've had good luck with Brother printers. They work, and the only reason I got a new one (recently) is because the one I had was simply too old - driver problems and cartridge no longer made.

        (*) I used to work in that industry making the firmware that goes into laser printers.

        • I sent in my Epson stylus photo ?850 that cost 180 with a full set of cartridges costing about 100 bucks. Expensive but worth it to me (photos, discs, fantastic quality and colours that don't fade even after 5+ years on a sunny wall), it indeed had the sponge (surplus ink receptacle) in a form factor that only service personnel can deal with. I decided to send it in. The cartridges were close to empty. I sent it in for 25 for the service plus just over 10 bucks for the parcel to ship by post. Got it back fu
          • (10 cts per borderless A4 colour photo). Please tell me which laser comes close.

            LOL! Even the paper costs more than that.

      • Why would a laser printer be immune to this sort of business practice?

      • You have to a sucker if you're still using ink these days.

        Don't be stupid. Ink vs laser is a question of application. If you spend all day printing text and graphics, you'd be right, get a laser. That doesn't mean there aren't many applications where inkjets are more appropriate.

    • Its a broad problem in industry, and a broad range of other organizations- its always possible to trade long term gains for short term ones. Reputation, research, employee goodwill - these all are very positive in the long term but expensive to maintain. New leadership can get in, burn these for a couple years of profit, then get out before the long term effects appear.
    • HP used to be a place where talented people made very high quality technology products. HP is now a place where MBAs attempt to make very high profit garbage products. But they'll sell more cartridges this quarter and some MBA will make that a resume bullet point and move on to a higher paying job to do it again somewhere else.

      The HP of today Is not the HP of yore.
      The people doing meassurement instruments and calculators departed by the spinoff of agilent.
      HP Globbed Compaq which not long before Globbed Digital Equ Corp and Tandem computers.
      HP Globed Cray as well.

      HP then Split into HPE (servers, storage, networking, HPC and enterprise Stuff) and HP Ink (pun intended) purveyors of Crappy PCs and Printers for consumers. (as well as great printers for enterprises and Pros).

      Many supper smart people still work at HPE. Guys from the PA-

    • Hewlett Packard was maybe the first big tech company in the Silicon Valley area, literally started out of a garage. Their first product, as I recall, was an audio oscillator built for the Disney company that they needed when they were making 1940's Fantasia. I remember that same model lasted well into the 70's. It had a unique circuit element, a simple incandescent flashlight bulb used as a feedback resistor. If the oscillator stopped working we were invariably told to replace the light bulb.

      Hewlett
    • But HP printers provide you the valuable service of informing you that your cartridges will need replacing âoesoon,â and these reminders begin about a week after refilling the cartridges.
  • by cahuenga ( 3493791 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:17AM (#63518597)
    Dear HP, You have extracted your last dollar from me. Hope it was worth it
    • To be fair they were drastically undercharging for their printers and banking on consumables. They should stick to charging a lot for a good printer and forgo the consumables.
      • Reaching out and crippling an existing product over the Internet is simply beyond the pale though. I'd be shocked and disappointed if this survivies a lawsuit.
        • Why a lawsuit? Why isn't the local sheriff marching these people out of their offices in handcuffs? If I ran around and broke a few hundred thousand printers, I don't think I'd survive my prison sentence.

      • If they have the power to "change all terms" at any point, what stopping them from charging to update firmware, requiring HP paper or transmitting the contents of all printed documents back to HP Headquarters?
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:19AM (#63518685) Homepage Journal

      Can you return your printer?

      In many European countries you probably could, depending on how long since you bought it. Changing the fundamental deal that the product offers to something you wouldn't have purchased, with a mandatory firmware update, is grounds for a return.

      As an example, people got refunds on their Playstation 2s when Sony removed Linux support.

      Usually the retailer picks up the bill for that, but that's okay because it will encourage them not to stock HP products. Even if HP judge that the profit exceeds the cost, retailers with thin margins are much less likely to come to the same conclusion.

  • by mpercy ( 1085347 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:18AM (#63518601)

    A long trail of doing this sort of thing. But people keep buying printers from them?

  • Not that printers are still in high demand, but the technology by this point is ancient enough that office device companies should just start giving generic ones with ink supplies as deals.
  • Is your printer working? Don't update. It's an appliance.

    What issues exist on a working printer that an update would be needed? Is there something that won't print that an update would fix? Does anyone actually need a better low ink warning? Are you worried about hackers driving by to print out some documents, then knocking on your door to collect them?

    Other than security updates on computers/tablets/phones, updating a device (printer/TV/whatever) that works just fine for you is asking for problems.

    • They auto update. However expect some black market previous firmware to start floating around; Followed by some spyware to scan your network. They did the same thing once before. I thought some law passed that forced them to turn that off? Its anti-competitive and doing it to already sold printers could be a legal jeopardy. Doing it to an unsold printer they could bury in fine print. Older printers only highly suggested using their ink.
    • The printers update automatically because people connect them via wifi.

      • by Gabest ( 852807 )

        If you want a network printer the only other option is USB and a server that can share it. Not really ideal.

        • If it's just a printer that's fine, it works easily and you can buy a print server that's little more than a dongle rather than a whole actual server.

          If it's a MFC then that probably won't work, and you would need an actual server. You won't be able to scan at all through a minimalist print server, let alone get the "Scan to" button functionality to work.

          I have a somewhat older Brother MFC and that stuff is kind of iffy anyway, but with some udev rules mangling it does work... on my desktop.

    • Is your printer working? Don't update. It's an appliance.

      But... security, and viruses! An unprotected printer could infect your entire house!!

      Plus it'll probably print better afterwards, right? Who turns down a free upgrade!!!

  • I suspect new cartridge prices could eventually make a laser printer look attractive. Certainly did for me .
    • Yea I rarely print and often print only in b/w yet magically my yellow or cyan will run out of ink and the damn thing refuses to print. I even print in draft mode to save ink. I dont print pics, its cheaper to use shutter-fly. Usually its just for reference info, backup boarding docs and travel insurance, and the luggage tags. Sometimes i have to sign a doc and send it back so i print the signature page, sign, scan, and merge into the pdf again. If kinkos were closer i might send them my print jobs since i
      • Yea I rarely print and often print only in b/w yet magically my yellow or cyan will run out of ink and the damn thing refuses to print.

        Your yellow runs low, and the printer refuses to print when there is no yellow, because in the mid '80s, to avoid liability in cases of counterfeiting, manufacturers devised a scheme in which color printers print some small yellow dots (invisible to the naked eye) which allow law enforcement to track info about which printer printed what.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      • If you need to sign things and send them back, do what I do: I scanned in an image of my signature, and cropped it to remove everything but that. Then, when I need to sign something and send it back, I edit the file, adding the image in the right place and return it. Anything they send you that can be printed can be edited like that, and I've never had anybody complain. I've even used it to "sign" cover letters for resumes before faxing them, and they've always been accepted without question or comment.
  • "HPB?" you ask.

    Hewlett Packard-Bell.

  • by MindPrison ( 864299 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:40AM (#63518625) Journal

    There goes my next week...

    As a lone IT supporter for thousands of printers, holy hell I'm going to be busy trying to stop people from updating drivers, oh god, as if I didn't have enough to do already.

    • by jsonn ( 792303 )
      I would actually return the printers as faulty and demand a full refund. "You brick it, you pay for it!"
  • Ink printers (Score:4, Interesting)

    by RitchCraft ( 6454710 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @09:42AM (#63518631)
    If you are still using ink based printers after all these years then you ask for these headaches. Get a laser and be done with it. NOT an HP laser by the way. Avoid ALL HP printers to improve the quality of your life. I used to swear by HP printers back in 80's an 90's. Such a shame they went to crap.
    • Samsung lasers are good.

    • by jsonn ( 792303 )
      Ink jets are fine as technology. Make sure it is refillable, e.g. a tank printer like Epson EcoTank, and make sure that you print often enough (every 1–2 weeks at most). Under those circumstances, they can actually give you better results for a lower price than lasers. If you don't print on a regular basis, a laser printer is the better choice.
      • Modern inkjets are not nearly as prone to clogging if left unattended as they used to be. I had to print a photo a few months ago, so I fired up an inkjet that had been idle for over a year (maybe as long as 2 years). It printed just fine - no cleaning needed beyond the normal stuff that happens at the start of a printing cycle. Result was perfect.

        • by jsonn ( 792303 )
          My printer doesn't do a cleaning cycle at all before printing if (1) it has been used recently (2) it has not been disconnected from power. But that used to be a favorite of cartridge based printers.
  • In the Razorblade market something similar happens.

    Gillette debits the Mach3 behind a wall of patents and copyrights defended by an army of lawyers, so that smaller companies (not shick, shick does exactly the same) can not make cartridges until long after the patents and copyrights expire.

    Then they release Fussion, again behind a wall of patents and copyrights, defended by an army of lawyers.

    Just 2 weeks ago I saw my first non-gillette Mach3 cartridge (but I am certain they existed a while before), while I

    • Those umpty-ump blade razors are crap anyway. I went back to el cheapo two blades and I have fewer ingrown beard hairs. I can't reasonably use an electric because my facial hair is too coarse, I dull the blades almost immediately.

  • They' showed their true colours with the HP/Compaq merger. I haven't given them a dime in over twenty years.

    Anyone still buying HP anything at this stage of the game should not be surprised by this sort of behaviour.

    • They' showed their true colours with the HP/Compaq merger. I haven't given them a dime in over twenty years.

      Anyone still buying HP anything at this stage of the game should not be surprised by this sort of behaviour.

      Agreed. I actively avoid anything HP, both as a home consumer and an IT professional. They are not the company they used to be, years ago.

      • Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.

        You sound like the IT guy that get's laid off the second business slows down and then blames his boss and peers for not liking him.

  • by JoeRobe ( 207552 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:22AM (#63518689) Homepage

    I abandoned inkjets a long time ago and never looked back. I've had 2 laser printers in the past 15 years, both Brothers and have been extremely happy with their quality, durability, and the fact they don't pull this crap with cartridges.

  • by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:30AM (#63518707)
    ...to make us miserable. Obligatory cartoon: https://theoatmeal.com/comics/... [theoatmeal.com] I haven't owned a printer in decades. On the few occasions I absolutely need to print something, I go to a local shop with a USB. Nothing online. No hassle. Just print.
  • Thanks for the article. There is one inherited HP printer here (we buy Brother by default) that got missed on a network re-IP a while ago. It's once again blocked from talking to devices outside of 10. .

    Generally all printers are blocked but this one is on a special-project network and a human did the stupid. Fortunately it's been off for several weeks.

  • Alternatives (Score:5, Informative)

    by roc97007 ( 608802 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @10:47AM (#63518733) Journal

    "Others will be stuck with a printer that only works if they commit to spending more on ink cartridges approved by HP"

    Or, go with a different manufacturer.

    I haven't purchased a printer in years (I switched to a color laser printer and suddenly all my issues with dye cartridges just went away) but I remember a time where the printer itself, which came with cartridges, was on par with the cost of replacement cartridges. This made practical buying a new printer (watching for sales) after the old printer ran out of ink, and just throwing the old printer away.

    I do IT for friends and family members, and in one use case an elderly woman needed to occasionally make color prints, but infrequent enough that the head was always clogged and the ink dried up, making the cost per page huge for the dye based printer. Not to mention having to replace cartridges and clean the head every time she needed to use it.

    I replaced her printer with one of the smaller color laser printers, and all her print problems went away. She could print some photos of her grandkids off Facebook, then two months later print something else, and the printer just worked. As printers should. (Laser printers have dry powdered toner that isn't affected by long down periods.)

    Consumer dye based printers are a scam, to lock you into buying cartridge that'll just dry out between usages.

    When I need a high resolution print on glossy or poster board, it turns out that the local supermarkets and the local drug stores have industrial dye based printers, and (I checked), they all use the same model Epson or HP that the professional shop downtown uses. AND, maintenance of said printer is their problem, not mine.

    So for home printing, invest in color laser. It has a higher cost up front but will save you hugely in ink costs. For high resolution or special paper, do printing as a service. Submit online or carry a thumb drive, and get your prints along with your groceries.

    Just my opinion.

  • I use HP printers because of their great compatibility with linux, but...
    I disable anything resembling an "online service" from their setup menu.
    I disabe automated firmware upgrades.
    On Windows, I don't install the bloatware-filled crap they propose, but download the driver-only installer from the HP site, and then don't go for the "install all" option, but carefully pick what you want to install.
    My OfficeJet 6950 happily works with compatible cartridges, it just gives me a warning when I replace one, click

    • I couldn't find any other all-in-one printer+scanner with wifi connection and solid linux support

      Brother has a bunch of them. I am using one on Devuan right now and I have everything working. It is older so I had to munge the udev rules file before scanning by button would work. The behavior comes down to shell scripts so you can make them do whatever, which is nice. I didn't need any drivers to print, only the PPD, because it speaks standards. I did have to install a scanner driver, it works with libSANE just fine. Mine is a HL-L2395DW but I would buy a newer model than this, I bought it a while ago a

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @12:48PM (#63518993)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I'm very happy with my Epson 8550 ET, cost per print page 0.29 cts, A4 borderless colour photo 10 cts, prints up to A3+ (scans slightly larger than A4 though, I don't know the format name), has user replaceable ink receptacle, and excellent quality. It's slow to print text and photos. Linux support is great, Epson have always been. It may not be the best choice for office like stuff (slow) but I now do my own photo albums, an additional couple of A4 pages costs 1 A3 sheet (Epson matte archival) around 80 ct
  • The printer company said it issued the update to reduce the risk of malware attacks, saying "third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to our profits.”
  • Easy fix, fuckwits. Get rid of the fucking chips in ink cartridges.
  • by localroger ( 258128 ) on Saturday May 13, 2023 @11:23AM (#63518821) Homepage
    Last year I got assigned a service call for a customer for whom I'd designed a PC-based data system. They had a HP printer which the customer had supplied, but it failed, and they could not get the replacement printer to work. Part of the specification for this system is that it cannot have internet access for security reasons. I was told to purchase two printers and toner cartridges myself, deliver, and install one of them. At Office Depot website I saw that every single HP printer came with a warning that it would not work without continuous internet access, presumably to prevent blocking these hostile updates. I bought two Brother printers. This cost my customer north of $2K but they were happy. The HP printers went in a dumpster, and I warned my own company to never buy another HP printer.
  • I blocked my non-HP printer from internet access a while back. It currently works, I don't need new firmware to be compatible with the new Windows 38, nor having it bricked with the new code. Furthermore, I don't need a new path for malware to get into my local network.

  • I'm just glad HP desn't make a refrigerator.
    Fridge: I have just updated my firmware. Stand by.
    processing - processing... Door opens and items fly out.
    Fridge: unacceptable ... (spits out kimchi) unacceptable ... (limp green things spat wall)... HP no like kale.
    Doors begin shuddering open and closed, theme from 'The Exorcist' plays.

    • by PPH ( 736903 )

      HP no like kale.

      Suddenly, I like HP a lot more.

      You should always prepare kale with a little bit of butter.
      It makes it easier to scrape your plate off into the garbage.

  • Business as usual? Haven't they (and some other printer companies) been doing this since they started chipping carts in the first place?

  • Ha ha - it's another brexit benefit (weakened consumer rights)!
  • The practice of pushing malicious updates should be excoriated more often than it is. We're all too happy to blame end users for not keeping their hardware up to date, but every time something like this happens, more people just go "f it" and ignore or even outright disable updates.
  • For what's actually on the chip of those printer cartridges, malware is only likely if the engineers at HP are eating paint chips. The security excuse is complete and utter bullshit.

This is the theory that Jack built. This is the flaw that lay in the theory that Jack built. This is the palpable verbal haze that hid the flaw that lay in...

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