An nameless reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: HP clients are exhibiting frustration on-line as the seller continues to make use of firmware updates to discourage or, as customers report, outright block using non-HP-brand ink cartridges in HP printers. HP has already confronted class-action lawsuits and unhealthy publicity from “dynamic safety,” however that hasn’t stopped the corporate from increasing the observe. Dynamic safety is a function utilized by HP printers to authenticate ink cartridges and forestall use of cartridges that are not HP-approved. As the corporate explains: “Dynamic safety depends on the printer’s capability to speak with the safety chips or digital circuitry on the cartridges. HP makes use of dynamic safety measures to guard the standard of our buyer expertise, keep the integrity of our printing techniques, and defend our mental property. Dynamic safety geared up printers are supposed to work solely with cartridges which have new or reused HP chips or digital circuitry. The printers use the dynamic safety measures to dam cartridges utilizing non-HP chips or modified or non-HP digital circuitry. Reused, remanufactured, and refilled cartridges that reuse the HP chip or digital circuitry are unaffected by dynamic safety.”
HP is about on persevering with to make use of DRM to discourage its printer clients from spending ink and toner cash exterior of the HP household. “HP have up to date their printers to outright ban ‘non-HP’ ink! They not exhibits the ‘cannot assure high quality’ message, however as a substitute cancels your print fully till you inset a HP ink cartridge,” Reddit consumer grhhull posted Tuesday. “After contacting HP, they suggested ‘that is as a result of current ‘replace’ of all printers.'” It is unclear when HP issued updates for which mannequin printers, however there are alleged buyer complaints on-line stemming from late final 12 months, exhibiting loads of clients shocked their printer not labored with non-HP ink cartridges after an replace. Some pointed to third-party manufacturers they’d relied on for years.
HP group assist threads embrace complaints concerning the OfficeJet 7740 and OfficeJet Professional 6970. HP lists each printers, in addition to others, as capable of circumnavigate dynamic safety underneath particular circumstances. Nevertheless, HP’s assist web page states this solely applies to fashions manufactured earlier than December 1, 2016. For extra examples, there are feedback on HP’s assist group suggesting that HP’s OfficeJet 6978 and 6968 have been not too long ago affected. Each printers are discontinued, however HP’s product pages make it clear that the fickle nature of dynamic safety signifies that third-party ink may cease working at any time. And HP’s dynamic safety web page additionally leaves the door open for the sudden bricking of functioning ink: “Firmware updates delivered periodically over the web will keep the effectiveness of the dynamic safety measures,” the web page reads. “Updates can enhance, improve, or prolong the printer’s performance and options, defend towards safety threats, and serve different functions, however these updates may block cartridges utilizing a non-HP chip or modified or non-HP circuitry from working within the printer, together with cartridges that work at the moment.”
