
Tell HP: Still a long way to go to make up for breaking our printers - dwaxe
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/09/hps-run-keep-pressure
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rebootthesystem
I go back to the HP LaserJet. As someone noted, quality has been on a constant
downward spiral. This is particularly true when it comes to firmware/software.

HP printer software has ranged from annoying to down-right stupid. And their
firmware, at least the visible portions of it, nonsensical.

For example, every single HP ink-jet I've owned refuses to print with black
ink if any of the color cartridges are empty. My current HP is supposed to
revert to black-and-white only if you run out of color ink but I'll be damned
if I know how to make that work. And, of course, this always happens when
someone is in a hurry to print. I ought to be able to print down to the last
drop of ink, regardless of color. The user ought to have ultimate control of
this, not the printer.

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krupan
I spent time working in Inkjet Land at HP. If you dry fire a thermal inkjet
print head you will damage it. Some of these built-in restrictions really are
there to protect you and your product. It's hard to tell where protecting you
and your product from actual damage ends and protecting HP's ink business
begins, and that's unfortunate.

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nikanj
Don't HP cartidges have the print heads in them, i.e. the only thing you'll
damage is the "empty" cartidge?

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derobert
No, at least for the last Officejet I used. The cartridges are just ink tanks,
the print heads are separate. I think that's fairly widespread now; e.g., it's
also true on my Canon Pixma.

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DougN7
For the past 15 years I've been an "HP only" printer buyer and user for home
and my business.

They've changed. Quality (my original reason for sticking with them) has
dropped noticably in the past 4 printers. This ink issue is the last straw.
I'll never buy HP again.

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unclebucknasty
Ditto. I switched years ago, largely because the last two HP printers I'd
bought were crap, right out of the box.

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emp_zealoth
Yes, this, so much. I've got a HP LaserJet Proffesional for riddiculous price
and the only thing "proffesional" about is that the cartridge costs as much as
another laser printer 100$+! (what the hell) and the aftermarket ones cost as
much as original ones for different printers. Doesnt work with Linux apart
from basic stuff, wireless interface is broken, have to powercycle repeatedly
after any amount of idle time. Great machine!

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nickff
Many, if not most, printers come with partially-full cartridges, so buying a
new printer instead of a new cartridge may cost less, but will get you less
than half as many printed pages. The only printers that I am sure come with
full cartridges are costly industrial inkjets ($5000+).

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mikestew
I already "told HP" (as prompt to do by the article) when I bought a Brother
laser instead of new cartridges for the HP we already had. What HP does in the
future is no concern of mine.

The article tries to argue that it _is_ my concern (armies of printer bots),
but HP won't care what I think because I'm no longer a customer nor stand a
chance of becoming one again.

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5ilv3r
So now that building a decent printer completely from scratch is possible,
remind me again why we still need hp printers?

