In a world where things have mostly gone digital, printing documents and other content on paper may seem passé, but this is still a treasured activity. And for those who still find the need to have content on paper, they might face hurdles, especially with this news policy from the world’s leading printer brand, HP.
The news came from The Telegraph, which reported that HP had released a new firmware update that would block customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from rival brands. The company will disable your device if you try to use somewhat cheaper ink cartridges from competitor companies.
HP ink cartridges are usually not on the more affordable end of the spectrum. For instance, the HP 802 Small Ink Cartridge costs almost $10 on Amazon.
HP has fitted its ink cartridges with a specific chip that the HP printer will register once an ink cartridge has been inserted.
“Dynamic security equipped printers are intended to work only with cartridges that have new or reused HP chips or electronic circuitry,” HP said. “The printers use the dynamic security measures to block cartridges using non-HP chips or modified or non-HP electronic circuitry.”
HP printers previously just displayed a warning when they detected that the user had “third-party” ink cartridges. But this time, the devices will simply refuse to print.
Prevent risks, protect intellectual property
According to the company, it did this since it believes “third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to the hardware performance, print quality, and security.”
A separate news report in The Mirror indicated that HP introduced this update also because they want to keep the integrity of their printing systems and protect their intellectual property.
HP faces backlash about this
HP has good intentions for introducing this new policy. Still, instead of receiving affirmation from its customers, the company got a backlash from customers who feel they have been cheated with this update.
For instance, @Lazecapri took to social media to air their grievances. They posted on Twitter, “We’ve been confused about why the printer won’t print. Turns out HP has ink cartridges that won’t work if you’re not paying their monthly subscription. That’s an absolutely crazy thing to do. Got my printer blocking the ink that’s IN THE CARTRIDGE”
But this has seemingly caused more problems. Twitter netizen @_RYB_J said their HP printer mistakenly detected they inserted a cheaper cartridge, disabling their printing.
“My HP printer mistakenly thought I inserted a cheap rival cartridge and disabled the printer. It was a brand new HP cartridge from Office Max. A week or two out of warranty. Never buying HP again,” they said.
Other HP news
Meanwhile, in other HP news, the company early last week announced it would reveal its second quarter fiscal 2023 earnings via a live audio webcast of a conference call to review these financial results on May 30th at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
Its second fiscal quarter ended on April 30th.
