HP firmware snuck in September 12 failure date for non-HP cartridges

[DAOWAce]

My family's been buying a new printer when the cartridges run out because replacement cartridges cost the same or more than the damn printer itself.

Printers are like phones, unfortunately. You don't need one, but you have to have one because of the government.. or things like warranty replacements and whatnot.

We're still decades or even centuries in the past with some things..

 

[Fbarnett]

It's a violation of anti-trust(anti-monopoly) laws to charge so much for ink and not allow anything but proprietary products to work with products, which apple does and ibm did. For some strange reason, microsoft and ibm are/were allowed to exist as large monopolies. My brother printer had the same issue; if the firmware update were applied you couldn't use 3rd party cartridges. I knew not to apply the update. If the newspapers were printed with such ink each paper would be $100. To say the reverse, hardware doesn't usually make much of a profit. Ibm earned their money from selling punched cards, much like the boxer engine (boxers punch) in the new 2017 subaru I bought "selling smartphone apps." Gonna drive that baby to equador someday.

I like how you think companies that make products are suppose to make ones that they loose money on so you can buy any manufactures ink to put in them. It is no monopoly you can buy anybody's printer so how is a monopoly?

 

[tonylukac]

I like how you think companies that make products are suppose to make ones that they loose money on so you can buy any manufactures ink to put in them. It is no monopoly you can buy anybody's printer so how is a monopoly?

It stifles competition of the, for example, cartridge world (a company selling cartridges in downers grove, il), from selling cartridges. Like folgers and maxwell house sell coffee you put in a coffee maker. The coffee maker manufacturer may include some. Most everything is a monopoly. It is actually the worst part of COMMUNISM with no profit for the government.

 

[fktech]

Dell printers anyone?

Dell doesn't update its Printer Drivers. Take your pick as they all have their flaws.

 

[fktech]

Dell printers anyone?

Dell doesn't update its Printer Drivers. Take your pick as they all have their flaws.

Just don't pick HP as you have been warned.

 

[Squid Surprise]

I suspect if you do some digging, you can find a fairly simple way of circumventing HP's "error message"... Other than not updating the firmware in the first place (which I assume won't work with new printers anyways).

The thing is, unless we're talking high-end printers, it's almost always more economical to buy a new printer than replace the toner. And if you DO have a high-end printer, risking its health with non-HP toner is probably not a smart move...

Yes, HP looks evil for doing this sneakily - but when you come down to it, it's actually not a horrible thing to have to use HP toner in an HP printer...

 

[JohnnyStone]

HP is a devil for this!

I would rather pay a lot more for my printer and get ink at a better price. This is theft on a large scale. Printer ink can cost more than gold. This ridiculous!

I have a Canon IP7240. Canon does the same with the pricing. A new 451XL black cartridge costs about $25 here is RSA. The Chinese one that works absolutely flawlessly, costs $1.6. People are worried for loosing their warranty, but would gladly pay more for the ink than what they paid for the printer. How does this make sense?

HP (and the rest) go ahead and charge more for your printers, but please do not rip us off with the prices of the ink. You can make the printers more serviceable as well and more durable. You are killing productivity.

For one thing, after this article, I'll never again buy an HP!!! That is for sure!!!