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HP "software timebomb" disables 3rd party ink cartirdges

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Jackpot

Banned
Anyone hit by this?

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...rinters-unofficial-cartridges-software-update

HP 'timebomb' prevents inkjet printers using unofficial cartridges

Delayed effect of March 2016 software update sees third-party printer cartridges stop working in Hewlett-Packard machines

Hewlett-Packard printers have suddenly started rejecting ink cartridges produced or refilled by third parties, apparently due to a “ticking timebomb” left by the manufacturer in an update released in March 2016.

The printers, in the company’s OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Pro X ranges, accepted refills made by third-parties and sold at a significantly lower price than the official ink made and sold by HP itself. But on 13 September, the printers began to reject those refills, with error messages including “cartridge problem”, “one or more cartridges are missing or damaged” and “older generation cartridge”.

Adding insult to injury, the printers themselves have not received a software update recently, suggesting that the last update, six months ago, had a delayed-action effect. In doing so, it prevented affected users from getting the word out about the lockdown and discouraging others in a similar situation from updating their own printers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37408173

Dutch printer ink vendor 123inkt said it had received more than 1,000 complaints in one day.

HP said such updates were rolled out "periodically" but did not comment on the timing of the last instalment.

"The purpose of this update is to protect HP's innovations and intellectual property," it said in a statement.

It has angered some of its customers as HP branded cartridges are notably more expensive than unofficial brands.
 

RS4-

Member
Yeah, happened to me about two months ago, but it wasn't from third party cartridges, but from refilling it.

You can sorta by pass it, I don't always get the popup. Stupid really.
 

StayDead

Member
I hated printers and printer companies before, but this is on another level of annoying.

How is using someone elses (usually cheaper) printer cartridges in your printer protecting your IP? All you're doing is screwing over customers even more than you've tried to.

It doesn't help as well that half the time it's cheaper to buy an entirely new printer than it is to refill the ink if it's a desktop one.
 

Podge293

Member
I hated printers and printer companies before, but this is on another level of annoying.

How is using someone elses (usually cheaper) printer cartridges in your printer protecting your IP? All you're doing is screwing over customers even more than you've tried to.

It doesn't help as well that half the time it's cheaper to buy an entirely new printer than it is to refill the ink if it's a desktop one.

I'm guessing their logic would be that third party ink cartridges might not deliver the same quality as their own therefore damaging their brand.

Still a douche move tho
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I hated printers and printer companies before, but this is on another level of annoying.

How is using someone elses (usually cheaper) printer cartridges in your printer protecting your IP? All you're doing is screwing over customers even more than you've tried to.

It doesn't help as well that half the time it's cheaper to buy an entirely new printer than it is to refill the ink if it's a desktop one.

They fixed that loophole. New printers don't come with full sized and fill carts like the refills you buy.
 

Saganator

Member
The last HP printer I bought seemed like it's sole purpose was to consume ink as much as possible. I'd print like 10 black and white documents and I'd start to get low ink warnings. There's a reason those HP printers are so damn cheap, to get you suckered into buying expensive ink cartridges. Next printer I get is gonna be a black and white laser not from HP. More money up front, but I think it'll be cheaper in the long run.
 

Fliesen

Member
I hated printers and printer companies before, but this is on another level of annoying.

How is using someone elses (usually cheaper) printer cartridges in your printer protecting your IP? All you're doing is screwing over customers even more than you've tried to.

It doesn't help as well that half the time it's cheaper to buy an entirely new printer than it is to refill the ink if it's a desktop one.

because they're selling the printers themselves at pretty much zero profit. Their business model is about being the cheapest printer so you'll buy their printer, therefore buying their cartridges. - and consumers tend to look at the upfront cost, mostly, not the price of the ink in the long run.
Third party ink / ink refills completely ruin that business model.

They created this monster themselves, now they're defending it in the shittiest ways possible :/
 

SigSig

Member
because they're selling the printers themselves at pretty much zero profit. Their business model is about being the cheapest printer so you'll buy their printer, therefore buying their cartridges.
Third party ink / ink refills completely ruin that business model.

Is this my problem, though?
Should sell their printers at a higher price, then, and not impose dumb fucking restrictions on it.

edit: oh, saw your edit. alright
 

Fuchsdh

Member
I'm guessing their logic would be that third party ink cartridges might not deliver the same quality as their own therefore damaging their brand.

Still a douche move tho

And they absolutely won't; I know people who have destroyed their printers in a quest for cheaper ink. But ultimately it's about money, because few people would try for non-HP ink if the ink wasn't so ridiculously expensive and printers notorious for saying "refill" when the cartridges still have plenty in them.

Brother for life

Yep I have been pleased with my Brother printers; toner lasted me through college and I've never had any issue with it going on 10 years now.
 

Fliesen

Member
Is this my problem, though?
Should sell their printers at a higher price, then, and not impose dumb fucking restrictions on it.

edit: oh, saw your edit. alright

yeah, i should learn to not submit fist and edit in clarifications to get my personal stance across, later ;)
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
The original sin was self-inflicted, by buying an HP printer in the first place.

Brother for life.

.

I think my Brother laser printer will survive me. It's a tank of a printer, but still. It may be the only printer yet to turn me into a murderous maniac with bizarre glitches, print managing and whatnot.
 
Prices of original ink are just so damn ridiculous. Not in the market to by a new printer soon, but once I am, I'll make sure to avoid printers that don't leave me the choice to by 3rd party ink.
 
Saw that article yesterday, so glad we switched to a brother color laser printer instead so we don't have to deal with this bullshit
 

ShowDog

Member
I'm very happy with my Brother laser, as are friends and family that all seemed to have gotten one as well in recent years. HP's days in the consumer printing business are numbered.
 
"The purpose of this update is to protect HP's innovations and intellectual property," it said in a statement."

No, stupid, you're supposed to say "I have no idea what you're talking about, these allegations have no merit."
 
Even if you decide to go HP, at least be smart enough to go laser. Inkjet printers are beyond worthless. Slow and expensive, I don't know why anyone would ever want one. I have a brother at home that is a hell of a machine, but we use HP lasers at work and I don't really have a problem with them.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I'm guessing their logic would be that third party ink cartridges might not deliver the same quality as their own therefore damaging their brand.

Still a douche move tho
Their logic is we want money
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Jesus, did the Brother marketing department just open GAF accounts?
It just happens to be the only major manufacturer not hellbent on fucking over their customers. It also helps that their products are largely nag-free, specially if you look at their laser offerings.

Edit: I've owned Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark printers. Not only they all sucked, but at some point I was buying new printers because it was cheaper than buying a new cartridge. My printer-related frustrations came to and end when I bought my beastly MFC-7420.

brhCcnB.jpg


Sure, it's monochrome and has the footprint of an Honda Civic, but it works flawlessly even with non-official toner.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
So don't update your HP printer software, I suppose.


..why would anyone ever update their printer software, anyway?
 

Mato

Member
Inkjet can go f*** itself. Got a monochrome laser printer and freed myself from the tyranny and financial abuse of inkjet cartridges.
 

NH Apache

Banned
I purchased third party ink off amazon for my 8620 but haven't installed it yet. I also haven't updated the firmware.

I received an email from the vendor, unprompted, that said if I was having any issues, that they would send out a new chip to put on the cartridge and that would solve it.

Printer-as-a-service business model coming up

Already exists in the business environment.
 
get fucked HP.
My HP printer gives me the warning "NOT SANCTIONED INK" or something, and I tell it to screw off. The ink works fine.

I barely use my HP printer and even though I tried to buy a good, expensive printer at the time, it is a complete piece of shit that over 2 or 3 years has become impossibly slow, constsntly needing to be reset, loses it's wireless connection, always prints test pages before actually printing, and never really works. So the moment this happens I will HAPPILY throw my printer in the dumpster.

I wouldn't even want a home printer, but my wife is a teacher and it's convenient for her to sometimes print stuff at home. Otherwise I'd just print everything at work for the rare times I need to print something. I also use it for signing NDAs and contracts, but since I've setup an e-signature I haven't needed to do that.

Printer-as-a-service business model coming up

I believe this has been a business model for ... about... 40 years and it's basically failed. Kinkos, Staples, etc., and then all of the smaller, local printing houses.
 

Tigress

Member
I hated printers and printer companies before, but this is on another level of annoying.

How is using someone elses (usually cheaper) printer cartridges in your printer protecting your IP? All you're doing is screwing over customers even more than you've tried to.

It doesn't help as well that half the time it's cheaper to buy an entirely new printer than it is to refill the ink if it's a desktop one.

Because these days hey don't make money on the printer. They make money on the refills. They want you to buy the printer so you get locked into the refills so they sell the printer cheap to try to get you.

Last time I bought a printer hp made good ones but I hear they are crap now. But I barely ever need a printer these days (like maybe once a year) so I just borrow my husband's brother laser printer. I hear these days not to deal with proprietary ink cartridge shit you gotta buy a laser printer.
 

Tigress

Member
You wouldn't do this with coffee pods or video games, why is ink special?

Uh, what? Yeah they do. They definitely tried to do this with coffee pods and you try playing an Xbox one game on a ps4. I think with the coffee that maybe the backlash was bad enough they backed off but I could be wrong.
 

Redd

Member
I remember having to deal with ink printer nonsense. Takes me back. Laser printer keeps trucking along with no hassle.
 
After a decade of dealing with HP nightmares, both personally and for my family, I've switched over to Canon and have been pleased. By no means perfect, but they're lasting 2-3 years instead of 6 months now.
 
Huh, I thought they'd already been preventing 3rd party inks from working.

FWIW, when I'm recommending printers to people, I try to steer them towards the Brother 985. Great printer, comes with a full set of ink too.

Don't get Canon unless you're prepared to buy your body weight in ink every year. Gorgeous quality, but by god you pay for it.
 

Davilmar

Member
It just happens to be the only major manufacturer not hellbent on fucking over their customers. It also helps that their products are largely nag-free, specially if you look at their laser offerings.

Edit: I've owned Canon, Epson, HP and Lexmark printers. Not only they all sucked, but at some point I was buying new printers because it was cheaper than buying a new cartridge. My printer-related frustrations came to and end when I bought my beastly MFC-7420.

brhCcnB.jpg


Sure, it's monochrome and has the footprint of an Honda Civic, but it works flawlessly even with non-official toner.

This man right here is absolutely right. I have been using either Canon or HP for more than a decade. Moved onto HP since 2005, and has been one mini disaster or another. My father and I took a chance with a Brother, and their quality has certainly stepped up. Easily the best printer I have ever used, even with the delays in print prompts sometimes.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Uh, what? Yeah they do. They definitely tried to do this with coffee pods and you try playing an Xbox one game on a ps4. I think with the coffee that maybe the backlash was bad enough they backed off but I could be wrong.


I was joking about coffee pods and video games didn't make sense. I guess razor blades is a better comparison.
 

FerranMG

Member
Oh, so that's what happened to my printer, then.

Does this mean I won't be able to use 3rd party cartridges never again?
Because I will get a different printer if that's the case.
 
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