HP Is Blocking Third-Party Printer Inks Again via Firmware Update

Megalith

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HP has released new firmware for its Officejet models blocking non-HP ink cartridges: the company actually did this last year but dialed back after complaints, so this convenience may just be temporary. Those who seek an immediate solution can try disabling HP’s “Dynamic Security Feature,” which reads security chips on ink cartridges for authentication.

HP’s new firmware update seems to force HP’s Dynamic Security Feature to block non-HP cartridges. But there is a fix. HP provides a new firmware update on its HP support page that disables HP’s Dynamic Security Feature. Go to HP’s support page and search for a firmware update for your printer model. Download and install the new firmware. After deactivating the Dynamic Security Feature via firmware update, non-HP ink cartridges should be accepted again.
 
This is one of those unforeseen/ unintended consequences of the DMCA. It's intent was for copyright, but it is now commonly used to prevent competition.
 
Stopped using HP products long ago. Screw your customer once, you'll never get my business back.
I've using Epson for years now. I especially like Epson because they sell cartridges in individual colors instead of the all-in-one's HP does
 
Same reason I use Brother printers.

Doesn't brother say you can't print at all if any one cartridge is empty? Pretty sure my old one did. I've moved to Epson and if I'm out of black, it has the option to use my photo black ink for black temporarily.
 
People still print?

Why not just save all of your documents on a CD and bring that with you instead.
 
People still print?

Why not just save all of your documents on a CD and bring that with you instead.

Mobile, flash drive, online storage of your choice.... but CD!!!!

I am 99.9% paperless. That .1% still happens, and those tend to be of high importance. Like submitting docs to government that still requires them. At least they dont still list Poney Express as the required delivery service or charge a $.01 convenience fee for using telegram.
 
Doesn't brother say you can't print at all if any one cartridge is empty? Pretty sure my old one did. I've moved to Epson and if I'm out of black, it has the option to use my photo black ink for black temporarily.

Shit, I forgot that was an issue. I rarely run out of ink.
 
Shit, I forgot that was an issue. I rarely run out of ink.

Yeah, not an issue for people with replacements on hand, but really sucks if you don't, especially if you do use third party ink and order online, but need to Print now. Brother makes a good machine but that's a deal breaker for me.
 
Inkjets are still a thing? Switched to laser printers a long time ago after a brief run in with an Epson Inkjet type printer. Between low cartridge ink capacity, heads drying out, streaking, and slow print speeds, gave up and gave the printer away. Still have my HP Laserjet 1200. Depending on the amount of images, get between 2000 and 4000 sheets per toner cartridge. Its connected to a Dlink print server for network capability. For color printing I picked up a Dell 3110 from their Outlet store for $295 delivered and they included a set of full toners. Don't do a lot of color printing and still on the original toners several years later. Being unused for several weeks doesn't bother it.
 
Why do people still use ink for anything except printing photographs?

Laserjet is way, way, way , way cheaper to print with AND you don't have to worry about print heads clogging up or about the printer wasting a tone of ink every time it decides it needs to run a cleaning cycle.

I have been ink printer free for 11 years now and recently switched to color laserjet after my old B/W unit finally died. It was a 30ppm Dell (Lexmark) unit that I got used for $7 at a thrift store. Must have printed through at least 4-5 5k boxes of paper with it and spent a whopping $14 on toner and still had a full bottle of toner left when I got rid of it.

I did have to replace the toner cartridge and drum once, but even then, that was only about $35 for a cartridge and drum kit.

If I printed that many pages with ink, it would have easily cost me over $1,000 for ink.

Now that toner has come down even further in price, I can get a full set of high capacity color toner for less than $60. Not even worth it to even bother with refilling the toner carts anymore.
 
B&W laser is better than inkjet but if you want color and don't have lots to spend inkjet is damn hard to beat.

Especially if you want top notch color prints without resorting to going to a print shop. Some of the inkjets that use 8+ inks can do a damn fine job with the right paper.

I use Brother only now for SOHO stuff rather than HP or Lexmark because of the crap they're pulling now with ink refills and stuff. I swear the drivers are better done and less intrusive too at this point.
 
Mobile, flash drive, online storage of your choice.... but CD!!!!

I am 99.9% paperless. That .1% still happens, and those tend to be of high importance. Like submitting docs to government that still requires them. At least they dont still list Poney Express as the required delivery service or charge a $.01 convenience fee for using telegram.

I've been nearly paperless for 3-4 years. That's all coming to a halt with my oldest daughter in school. Really hate getting back into that anti-consumer system just to print out school assignments.

Oh well, maybe this will teach me to keep it in my pants...
 
We bought an HP color laser all-in-one waaaay back in probably 2009/2010. It has worked great, although the driver package is ridiculous (unless you just want to print, in which case you just use the bare PCL6 driver). The toner, though, is obnoxiously expensive. Laser printing has been around for, what, three decades now, and a toner cartridge still costs $70?!
 
People still print?

Why not just save all of your documents on a CD and bring that with you instead.

I was going to make a comment about "who still has a CD drive"... and then I figured this must be sarcasm, right? You didn't use the required amount of sarcasm smilies.
 
I'm seriously considering a damn dot matrix at this point. Only things I print (few times a year) are contracts or similar documents. They are cheap as hell to run, no crazy toner rape.
If I need a proper picture, I'll get it done by a professional printer. Even better than a home job for something I want to last a long time..

This scene sums up how much I like printers.

printers.jpg
 
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Time for me to consider getting a new printer. Given the fact that my wife and I are starting to print home school stuff, we will print a lot. Question is, do I go with a Cannon or Epson?
 
I've been nearly paperless for 3-4 years. That's all coming to a halt with my oldest daughter in school. Really hate getting back into that anti-consumer system just to print out school assignments.

Oh well, maybe this will teach me to keep it in my pants...


At home, I'm nearly there also. Wife is a student but basically, all assignments are on the computer. It's pretty rare that she has to print something. The only things in recent memory that I've printed are rebate form, a receipt for a set of will-call tickets, and a pre-paid parking pass.

At work, complete different. I manage a small retail store. Every invoice, purchase order, sales order, etc. gets printed and filed. We don't print high volume, but we do print a few sheets nearly every day.
 
I've using Epson for years now. I especially like Epson because they sell cartridges in individual colors instead of the all-in-one's HP does
Most officejet printers at least the ones that cost more then 50 dollars from HP have used split Cyan, magenta, yellow, black cartridges for years now. The photosmart ones do the same some with a photo black cartridge as well
 
Why limit your choices? $200 color laser: http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-color-laser-printer-c1760nw/apd/225-4111/printers-ink-toner

Never used that model so do your homework before sending money.

Double ++ If you don't print frequently do NOT go ink jet. After having the print unusable despite only a dozen pages or so on a set of ink cartridges, I tossed the worthless POC and bought a color laser. Toner doesn't dry out and go bad just because you haven't printed in a week or two.
 
Haven't use an inkjet printer in years. Laser is cheap now, lasts a fuckload longer, looks a lot better, doesn't clog, and doesn't smear.

As far as photos, get em printed professional.
 
I was going to make a comment about "who still has a CD drive"... and then I figured this must be sarcasm, right? You didn't use the required amount of sarcasm smilies.
Hey now wait a minute! I still buy music cds. And once and a while I'll burn a Linux ISO onto a DVD.... I think that makes me old... :(
 
Same reason I use Brother printers.

Ironically my best friend has a brother laser printer that would say he was out of toner but he knew he wasn't. He would input a debug code which lets him print 1 more job despite the "out of toner" warning and the print would come out perfect. He did this for another month or 2 before the toner actually ran out.
 
Ironically my best friend has a brother laser printer that would say he was out of toner but he knew he wasn't. He would input a debug code which lets him print 1 more job despite the "out of toner" warning and the print would come out perfect. He did this for another month or 2 before the toner actually ran out.
That's been a problem with Brother laser printers for ages...

The BOTL Dell lasers have a reasonably decent rep.
 
My brother color laser has an option that lets you ignore the toner out sensor.

https://printerthinker.com/brother-hl-3170cdw/

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-3...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GBXF1KPSTMB0Q9WFRP5K
Officially supported, if hidden menu options.

But only works for your purchased toner carts. The starter ones are still mined to explode when the sensors trip.

I think it's a decent compromise. Makes sure you don't milk the original toner forever (and they hope you'll buy their replacements), but they don't gyp you after that.

Previous models gypped you forever, which almost turned me completely off the brand. Would have been VERY SAD because their build quality and drivers are superb.
 
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Doesn't brother say you can't print at all if any one cartridge is empty? Pretty sure my old one did. I've moved to Epson and if I'm out of black, it has the option to use my photo black ink for black temporarily.
Why just pick up a laserjet printer there of lot better and don't have worry about the ink drying up in the service able print head.
I pick Brother MFC-L2700DW
 
I stopped using HP products about 7 years ago.... i rarely print but I had a set of brand new genuine HP cartridges that sat in their package for a good long while, when I actually did need to print, popped them in and got a nice message the cartridges were "expired" and basically go fuck myself and spend another $50 if I wanted to print something.

I threw the whole fucking thing in the trash and bought a Samsung Black and White laser printer for $40 and it's never given me a single problem.
 
I used to do a lot of photo printing from 1999 to 2014. We printed photos onsite. I used this giant HP 4500 for Sporting events since it had acceptable image printing quality, but mainly for the speed.
Inkjets at the time couldn't print the volume of images in the time required. Was printing up to 200 8x10 photos in a couple of hours.
We bought the printer for $2400, and the cartridges were about $125 each, so almost $500 if you had to replace all 4.

It was still working great in 2014, I tried to give it away since I didn't use it much anymore, mainly due to the fact that it takes about 15 minutes or so to warm up when it was powered on.
I ended up just scrapping the thing.

hp-4500-1.jpg
 
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