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Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

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Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#81

Post by Mistletoe »

cm2187 wrote: post #76
carpenecopinum wrote: post #13

I can't wrap my head around how the printer market has turned into this absolutely dispicable, foul state that it is in right now. Decades of innovation that have been invested, not to make a better product, but mostly on how to extract more and more money from their victims, I mean "customers". I would like to own a printer again, but for printing something like once a month, I just can't financially justify spendin…

And the question is why competition isn’t working

I’m sure I’ll get a settlement for like $7 in a few decades because of printer manufacturer collusion and price fixing. Like my recent optical drive settlement.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#82

Post by hotpotamus »

sricks3 wrote: post #59
hotpotamus wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you print something once a month, then shouldn't the starter cartridge last for about the life of the printer (maybe a decade or so)? That's been my experience with the B&W Brother laser printer I bought about 2010. I've never changed anything on it. And really I don't find much need to print anything these days anyway.

This is actually the biggest problem with my current home printer. My wife or I will print something after installing brand new ink cartridges. Then a month or two later, we try to print something again. The printer acts like it's printing (and seems to think that it's printed the document correctly), but the page comes out with little or no ink inconsistently spread around the page, as if the cartridges were empty.…

Yep, inkjets need to periodically "clean" the heads by squirting something through them, and they happen to be filled with ink, so that's what they use. I successfully got one working once with vodka when its self cleaning routine couldn't do the job and rubbing alcohol wasn't close to hand.

This is why I use and recommend a black and white laser printers - total cost of ownership is easiest and cheapest in my experience. I suppose they're more expensive than an ink jet to start off with, but it's not that big a difference and a decade of near trouble free printing is worth something for sure.

I don't see the need for color printing documents, but if so there's office stores. For photo prints I'd be looking at places with high end inkjets most likely these days, but there are other color processes that should still work well - I did RA-4 chemical photo printing way back when and it was excellent at the time and should hold up well, but I don't know that anyone bothers with that today.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#83

Post by hahamrfunnyguy »

Disappointing. I am on my second Brother HL series laser printer. They've been great for me. Fast cheap printing and readily available 3rd party toner and drums.

The first one I got it in 2010 and I purchased a 2nd in 2018 when the first stopped working. I would have kept using the original if it were possible to repair it. I would have also paid more than the $80 sticker price

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#84

Post by maxerickson »

hotpotamus wrote: post #25
carpenecopinum wrote: post #13

I can't wrap my head around how the printer market has turned into this absolutely dispicable, foul state that it is in right now. Decades of innovation that have been invested, not to make a better product, but mostly on how to extract more and more money from their victims, I mean "customers". I would like to own a printer again, but for printing something like once a month, I just can't financially justify spendin…

If you print something once a month, then shouldn't the starter cartridge last for about the life of the printer (maybe a decade or so)? That's been my experience with the B&W Brother laser printer I bought about 2010. I've never changed anything on it. And really I don't find much need to print anything these days anyway.

My 10 year old laser printer finally got dirty or something, the tops of pages have mottled spots on them now. I haven't tried cleaning it yet.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#85

Post by chrisjc »

ztrlp wrote: post #18

Soon they'll have a hidden 5G Internet connection that sends all printed material to the manufacturer, who will then sell the data to advertisers and the state. Are there still any new printers (postscript, laser) that are reasonable? Black and white printing is sufficient.

Or use it themselves. They can just print little tailored ads while you're printing based on your print history.

Not too far out of the question the more i think about it. Remember when we used to print directions and they were often littered with ads intermingled with the steps.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#86

Post by wccrawford »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #5

Ok... so if I need a printer, that won't fuck me with stuff like this, what should I buy now? Except HP of course, and now Brother

I've also got an Eco-Tank, and so does my mother. Ink is so much cheaper that way that I'm not even tempted to buy generics, but there's nothing else stopping me from doing it.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#87

Post by b112 »

serf wrote: post #17
charlieyu1 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had one, looks good at first, but a few months on, the inkjet is just stuck with ink

I have an ecotank monochrome epson, it's been fine for a few years now. that said, they don't seem to like to sit. if I go for awhile without printing I need to do a cleaning more so than conventional inkjets, but i'm okay with that tradeoff, it's nice just refilling with ink. also the software/driver package on Windows sucks, but unless you're doing firmware upgrades then why bother installing it, anyway.

A separate bottle with pure h20 would be perfect for a post print clean.

Far cheaper, and better for the environment, than using ink for cleaning.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#88

Post by s0l1dsnak3123 »

danpalmer wrote: post #50
carpenecopinum wrote: post #13

I can't wrap my head around how the printer market has turned into this absolutely dispicable, foul state that it is in right now. Decades of innovation that have been invested, not to make a better product, but mostly on how to extract more and more money from their victims, I mean "customers". I would like to own a printer again, but for printing something like once a month, I just can't financially justify spendin…

> I can't wrap my head around how the printer market has turned into this absolutely dispicable, foul state that it is in right now. This is the dying gasps of an industry that is mostly irrelevant in the modern age. When I was growing up we always had a printer, and while ink wasn't cheap, it wasn't too bad, so we used it a lot and printed everything we needed. The industry grew to expect this, most households with…

Once again the "market" is abusing everyone in the pursuit of endless economic growth. Our economic system forces successful businesses into enemies of the consumer once they can't keep momentum.

Coupled with the concentrating monopolisation of the economy, this creates a phenomenon where helpless consumers are held at ransom: the ultimatum being that they either continue to be exploited in ever more devious ways, or to simply do without. Small businesses that spring up to fulfill the void are bought up quickly in order to squash any hope of real competition.

This is not an economy that works for ordinary people. Ordinary people does include temporarily embarrassed millionaires (and real millionaires, and startups and micro-businesses for that matter) on Hacker News.

The only people who are benefiting overall from these practices are major shareholders and those chasing endless quarterly growth targets.

Re: Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia

#90

Post by the_biot »

hotpotamus wrote: post #25
carpenecopinum wrote: post #13

I can't wrap my head around how the printer market has turned into this absolutely dispicable, foul state that it is in right now. Decades of innovation that have been invested, not to make a better product, but mostly on how to extract more and more money from their victims, I mean "customers". I would like to own a printer again, but for printing something like once a month, I just can't financially justify spendin…

If you print something once a month, then shouldn't the starter cartridge last for about the life of the printer (maybe a decade or so)? That's been my experience with the B&W Brother laser printer I bought about 2010. I've never changed anything on it. And really I don't find much need to print anything these days anyway.

I don't know why you're getting downvoted, but that's my experience with a Samsung of about the same vintage/type. Still on the original cartridge.
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