It appears that it is happening in Australia as well. Copy of email below: New subscription plans below in AUD. Edit: changed BB Code to quote.
I'll be buying an HP printer never. That said I wasn't planning on it anyway. Let's raise the price of the already most expensive liquid in existence because... I guess because they can.
I get that ink is a very high-tech, proprietary substance. And the printer makers can only guarantee the printer, cartridges and print quality with the OEM inks. But they (and it is NOT just HP, BTW) really need to do something to reduce the costs of these consumables or risk pushing more and more users to 3rd party inks. I think one of the very first things they need to do is settle on 1 standard cartridge format per color for their entire line of printing devices. But instead, it seems every time they come out with a new printing device, it uses some new model number cartridge that is NOT compatible with any of their other printing devices. For example, just some of the common HP series cartridges include the HP 60, HP 61, HP 62, HP 63, HP 64, HP 65 and HP 67 series. While some "look" similar and may even fit inside the printing device, they are NOT interchangeable! And to make it even worse, in many cases, the only reason they are not interchangeable is because the little IC (chip) inside the cartridge is programed to look for a specific series of printing devices. If a cartridge is inserted in a device that’s not in the chips' approved printer list, it won't work and the printer will error out. This again, only causes disgruntled users to look for 3rd party alternatives. And again, while HP is often the focus, they all do it in one way or another. Have you ever seen a printing device that advertises support for 3rd party ink/toner?
Agreed. A lot of their "excuse" for the high prices is ongoing R&D. If they didn't change the cartridges that excuse would run out. I'm sure it's understood by most that this is not an HP exclusive situation. That said the thing I dislike about them is putting expiration dates in their cartridges and not allowing you to use them after that date, even if they are full and would otherwise work fine.
I have used HP devices (ink and laser) for decades and never had one stop working because a cartridge went past the expiration date. Not all devices connect to a network so how would it know today's date? My HP is networked, but it does not automatically get the date/time. I have to go into the Fax menu and set it manually - and I only have to do that if I want a timestamp with my sent faxes. And for the record, inkjet inks do indeed have a shelf life and it is not very long. Typically 2 years or less and that is only when still sealed in its original packaging. As soon as you open the sealed package and install the cartridges, that clock speeds up and the cartridges will start to dry out. This is why it is recommended to print something once a week - to keep the ink flowing and more importantly, the printheads moist. This is also why those big "tank" type inkjet printers are NOT a good choice for those users who don't print frequently. Laser toner does not have this problem. It will last for years - though you may need to give it a soft shake if not used in awhile. That already is a lame excuse. It is not about changing the physical characteristics of the cartridge. It is about the ink inside the cartridges and that is where the R&D comes in.
When you would ask me which vendor I remember for lots of firmware updates where consumers later raged that third party ink didn't work anymore? HP At least that was the vendor that made it so often to the news that I remember them specifically for that. I know there are no saint printer vendors but some just seem to make the news more often than others (at least for my reading profile).
And HP got a lot of heat from Congress and the EU over that. But so did other makers. As is often the case seeming to get the most attention, I note the company with the biggest market share typically gets the most scrutiny.
If your point is that you don't believe me I can say for a fact we had to toss a full round of cartridges once because the printer refused to print because they were expired. They worked fine the day before. If your point is that it hasn't happened to you, lucky you.
My point was exactly what I said. Cartridges may have the manufactured date coded in the imbedded chip, but there's no ticking clock (or battery to run it) to keep track of the number of days since made. And, printing devices don't know the date or time, unless connected to a time server somewhere, or the user sets it.
I agree. I will say however, I really hate when sites like that neglect to put dates on their articles. I am quite sure none of the printing devices HP manufacturers today do that. Some may still be on retailer shelves, but I also believe they all (unless really old) have the firmware bypass feature. That said, printer companies do still have the right to refuse warranty repair "IF" they can somehow determine expired (or even 3rd party) ink/toner was used. The date would be good to know because HP did indeed get into serious trouble for forcing users to use only genuine inks/toners. But that was several years ago now. For example, back in 2016 and 2017, as seen here. That said, a $1.35 million penalty? For a $30 billion company? Of course they didn't learn their lesson - or rather the lesson learned is such a piddling fine is just the cost of doing business. I got involved in much of this mess because I was the network manager for a major military base when PCs, LANs, and local printing devices were beginning to permeate units down to the individual office/work-center level. One of the primary duties of all managers/supervisors in the military is avoiding wasting taxpayer's money - or preventing FWA (fraud, waste and abuse). One of the concerns with this particular problem, and one I believe was presented before the courts, is consumers have, or should I say "had" no clue when these so called warranty periods started. One would assume it was the date of purchase but the printer makers were trying to go by the "expiration date", or the "manufactured date" printed on the outer packaging. What if the cartridge sat on the retailer's shelf for 12 months? What if the consumer purchased the cartridge on-line and was unable to check the date, like they might a carton of milk at their local grocer? How is that fair to the consumer? The answers are still rather "gray". I will say this about 3rd party inks/toners. If you buy a new printing device, I recommend using genuine OEM ink/toner during the printer's warranty period. After that, if you wish to go with 3rd party ink, go with known supplier (Best Buy, Walmart, Office Depot, LD Products). AND to ensure consistency, stick with the same 3rd party supplier. And don't stock up. Wait until the current ink is just days away from running out before buying new. This is because ink does indeed "expire". It thickens and can even get lumpy. And sadly, 2 years is about the best one can expect, if lucky.
Yes, dates would be nice. As for 3rd party ink, I have never seen it fail to ruin a printer. Don't use it if it can be avoided.
I am confused. You say you have never seen if fail or ruin a printer, then say "don't use it". I have had 3rd party ink fail on several occasions. I have also seen printing problems clear up just by replacing the 3rd party inks with genuine inks. I have not, however, seen 3rd party ink ruin a printer - with one exception. I had a colleague who had a 3rd party ink cartridge leak and the ink went everywhere. He ended up tossing the printer. He did inspect the cartridge and learned it was a recycled OEM cartridge. However, he was unable to determine if the cartridge had a manufacturing defect or was damaged later on, perhaps by the 3rd party supplier. The biggest problem I see with 3rd party ink is consistency. I believe it is safe to assume OEM ink will be consistent, batch after batch after batch. But with 3rd party inks, first it has to be reverse engineered since HP, Epson, etc. are not going to publish their copyrighted formulas. Second, I doubt the various 3rd party ink suppliers are going to share that information among themselves. So each 3rd party ink maker will have their own formulas. This is why I suggested sticking with the same brand of 3rd party ink. But even then, we cannot assume consistency batch after batch after batch with 3rd party inks. Is that a problem? I don't know but again, I have seen printing problems clear up just by replacing 3rd party cartridges with genuine OEM cartridges.
You misread that. I said I never saw it fail to ruin a printer. Which means that it ruined it every time. Inkjet or laser.
Sorry, I did misread it. And I misread your clarification until I re-read it a couple more times. I must say, if EVERY TIME you used 3rd party ink it ruined the printing device, some intentional sabotaging, or something equally malicious must be going on. I for sure, would have gone with a different 3rd party ink supplier after the first ruination.
Different people, different employers over time. Certainly not repeating the same mess over and over. Different brands, HP, Xerox, Brother, Epson, etc.
I don't see how different people or different employers matter. And I was not pointing to the printer makers - but the 3rd party ink and toner. 3rd party ink and toner destroying EVERY printing device, ink jet and laser from different makers, EVERY time time 3rd party ink and toner was used is just something I cannot wrap my head around. That's all I'll say about that - moving on.
