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How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

kevin.deldycke.com

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Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#121

Post by londons_explore »

ta988 wrote: post #106
paulgb wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most infuriating thing about Epson inkjets is that they refuse to function if any color ink is low. I can't print black and white right now because I'm waiting on a yellow cartridge to arrive. Most bizarre is that I never actually print color, except for running calibration, so I don't know where all the ink went.

Every time you turn an inkjet printer on and regularly if it stays on, it will squirt some ink on a sort of pad or in a padded reservoir. This is to avoid the cartridge to clog (and maybe also forcing people to buy new ink, but it is probably hard to prove what is the right amount for just unclogging).

And if you have your inkjet too long, that reservoir will overflow and leave sticky ink sludge all over your desk and floor... If you wipe it up with a cloth, that cloth will be forever black. If you use hands to do it, your hands will be black for months.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#122

Post by pizza234 »

vetinari wrote: post #45
pizza234 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Confirmed, although it should be noted that some may require a blob ("Binary plugin") in order to print and/or scanning (mosts frequently scanning). See table here: https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imaging-and-printing/bina... . > Most Linux distributions include HPLIP with their software, but most do not include the plug-in This is not exactly pleasing for open source enthusiasts (me included).

That proprietary plugin for scanning provides WSD and eSCL (AirScan) support. However, your distro might use recent enough sane and sane-airscan, that does support these protocols. Due to recommendation here on HN, I've been checking Brother laser printers. They also require installing a proprietary package from the manufacturer, and a proprietary tool for the print queue setup.

I've tested two HP laser all-in-one models (MFP series), and the scanner did not work at all without the plugin. But I have no experience with other models.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#123

Post by colejohnson66 »

Symbiote wrote: post #113
artificialLimbs wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could configure your router to only allow traffic from the printer to devices on the LAN, but at this point I would throw it out and buy a new one.

Return it for a refund and buy a different one. Otherwise, how will HP and the shops selling this crap learn?

If it’s outside your return period, you’re SOL usually. You may have a civil case over what could be argued as “crippling” the product, but it wouldn’t be as easy.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#124

Post by londons_explore »

trboyden wrote: post #109

I still have no idea why people don't buy printers by first looking at what refills cost. It is simply baffling. The only way to penalize manufacturers that practice this type of anti-consumerism is to stop buying their products, not coming up with work-arounds. The average toner cartridge replacement from HP is $150. My Ricoh C261SFWn's replacement cartridge from Ricoh is $50. The quality is just as good and the Ric…

Most people don't print much. For typical home use, a printer might last 5 years printing 10 pages a month.

That's 600 pages in the lifetime of the printer, which is less than a single cartridge.

The real mistake people make is they don't realise they'll have to buy a new cartridge every 6 months because the old one has dried out.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#125

Post by tomatocracy »

numpad0 wrote: post #95
bonoboTP wrote: post #74

Mine doesn't have the allow downgrades option I think. But this worked for me: > "Unplug printer’s power cord from the back of the printer Press and HOLD the power button Plug power cord back in (keep holding power button) The HP logo will appear then the screen will go blank Hold power button for 10 seconds and then release it Press HOME BUTTON ONCE (top left) Press RETURN/BACK ARROW ONCE (bottom left) Press HOME BU…

How do I use a printer without an Internet connected computer either connected to or integrated into it?

If you don't want to go the USB route, put the printer on its own separate VLAN and/or Wifi network and filter all outbound traffic from that network at the router unless (1) part of a connection initiated from the other side and (2) aimed at another local host. Filter traffic going the other way (opening those connection) to taste - perhaps allow access only to the IPP port and certainly don't allow any inbound traffic to hit it from the wider world.

It's far from perfect - most importantly it doesn't stop manufacturers from making printers which only work if they have an always-on internet connection, and also doesn't stop a scheme where the proprietary Windows/etc drivers send the firmware as part of a print payload, but it probably works "enough" for now.

One other problem with this approach is that it isn't easily open to anyone non-technical.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#126

Post by darkport »

I made the mistake of buying an HP printer years ago. But I found a 'neat trick'. You can subscribe to the free Instant Ink program using a test credit card, i.e. a number from https://developer.paypal.com/docs/payflow/payflow-pro/payflo.... And ~2 days later you have ink sent to your door. Fuck you HP.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#127

Post by colejohnson66 »

AtlasLion wrote: post #57
jug wrote: post #33

I thought this was illegal and why the third party cartridge market is so big. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend inkjet printers for normal home users: for plain text, I'd use a B&W laserjet printer and if I had to print in color (like broschures or food recipes with photos), I'd use a color laserjet. For quality photos, I'd send them in to a professional service: it's still pretty cheap compared to inkjet printing... I'v…

I use inkjet printers and I am very satisfied. I am using an Epson printer with what they call EcoTank. Just tanks with different color inks that you can refill yourself.

How’s the ink life? As in: does it “dry up”? Because inkjets have a tendency to do that over time.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#128

Post by simonboulton »

Chris2048 wrote: post #98
simonboulton wrote: post #35

I don't want to be an apologist for HP or any other printer manufacturer, but there is at least one point that seems to be missed in this debate. If I design a printer, whether inkjet or any other type, I probably design it to some pretty tight tolerances in terms of the ink or toner. So I probably don't want people to drop in cartridges where the manufacturing tolerances might be way off the mark as they might well…

If the printhead is part of the cartridge, what problems could there be? When HP test the machine with a HP cartridge, there will be no fault found.

A good point. However, if, for example, the quality of the output is poor, I think that most people would not be sufficiently technically informed enough to be able to point to the printer head as the source the problem. Even if they do, there may well not be a brand sticker on the printer head. To most observers, then, it would be the printer that was faulty. Most printer manufacturers are protective of their brand images and don't want negative associations with that brand. Reasonable enough, as far as I can see. Let's face it, most branded ink or toner is expensive irrespective of brand. The best way of reducing printings costs? Probably just print less.

Re: How to revert HP printer’s ban on 3rd-party ink cartridges

#130

Post by tomatocracy »

vetinari wrote: post #45
pizza234 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Confirmed, although it should be noted that some may require a blob ("Binary plugin") in order to print and/or scanning (mosts frequently scanning). See table here: https://developers.hp.com/hp-linux-imaging-and-printing/bina... . > Most Linux distributions include HPLIP with their software, but most do not include the plug-in This is not exactly pleasing for open source enthusiasts (me included).

That proprietary plugin for scanning provides WSD and eSCL (AirScan) support. However, your distro might use recent enough sane and sane-airscan, that does support these protocols. Due to recommendation here on HN, I've been checking Brother laser printers. They also require installing a proprietary package from the manufacturer, and a proprietary tool for the print queue setup.

Is that a more recent thing for Brother? I have one (probably c5 years old) and although there are proprietary drivers if you want them, it will happily accept PCL or even PostScript (PostScript is slower though) over IPP and it has a basic interface on its http port (toner levels, page counts, etc).

It wasn't the lowest-end model but it wasn't super-expensive either. I think the next model down was the same but wouldn't take PostScript.

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