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HP disables customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from cheaper rivals
(www.telegraph.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 13 May 2023
26 points (90.6% liked)
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@Heterokromia @yogthos Brother will happily take your money. https://www.theverge.com/23642073/best-printer-2023-brother-laser-wi-fi-its-fine
(Or Epson, or Canon. Any of them if you ignore their stupid ink subscription or use refilled cartridges or tanks, they'll still print.)
@uninventive @Heterokromia @yogthos FWIW Brother has started chipping their toner cartridges over the past few years. I just set up an HL-L6200DW and immediately made sure it had no internet access to make sure it stays on its current firmware and doesn’t upgrade to one that might lock-out 3rd party toner.
@zachnfine @Heterokromia @yogthos Most refills have chips.
Brother's method of a IR light shining through a semiopaque window on the side and not going through the other side had some downsides. (Want the most out of your cartridge? Stick tissue over the window, run it dry.)
Most manufacturers just stick with a count chip that disables the cartridge after X000 uses.
And to be honest, if all the businesses start going that anticonsumer across the industry, happy to sell the printer and just go paperless. Probably best for all involved. Force offices to change their processes faster, better for the planet over time, and they can stick it to the holdouts who won't change.
@uninventive @Heterokromia @yogthos I’m referring to laser toner cartridges, there’s no IR window on those that I know of. The printer just keeps track in memory of the remaining page count and you used to be able to reset the count if the cartridge still has some toner and the printer declares it empty. Brother did not try to lock out third party toner cartridges until fairly recently.
@uninventive @Heterokromia @yogthos This does remind me I need to go refill some inkjet carts and reset chips for my Canon. Messy process. Glad some manufacturers are finally making inkjets with refillable tanks.
@uninventive @Heterokromia @yogthos Was just looking through your timeline and saw you’ve worked as a technician and serviced these things — so if I’m wrong about the sensor my apologies. I’d expect IR windows to not work for toner but maybe at best there’d be a density sensor to detect when it’s truly out. In any case I like simple brother laser printers and was sad to learn they were starting to do the same lockout stuff everyone else does.
@zachnfine @Heterokromia @yogthos Nah, it's cool.
And just a technician. Not Brother trained nor on their payroll. 👍
@uninventive @Heterokromia @yogthos And a printer lock-in accelerationist! I'll be ready for scrolls and fountain pens when-the-toner-cartridge-hits-the-fan.