HP firmware update breached Australian consumer laws.

[killcomic]

The Australian consumer protection watchdog (ACCC) has found HP guilty of breaching Australian consumer laws with a firmware update released for their OfficeJet printer series om September 2016 which causes the printers to stop operating when loaded with third party cartridges.

HP admitted to not disclosing this to new and existing customers and not offering the choice to reject the update.

Under Australian law this is defined as engaging in false, misleading or deceptive conduct.

the court has ordered to compensate affected customers the sum of $50 and to clearly state that the printer will not function with third party catridges.

 

HP has since bactracked and released a new firmware update that will allow usage of third party cartridges again.

 

Source (ARN): https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/640751/hp-compensate-aussie-customers-after-third-party-ink-cartridge-block/

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Kumaresh said:

Original ink cartridges are one of the biggest scams ever. Selling the printer cheap and making up for it with overpriced ink cartridges which most people will just blindly buy because of the fear that other ink cartridges or manually refilling a used cartridge won't work.

In some cases it is cheaper to just buy a new printer, instead of buying the official refill ink cartridges.

[Spotty]

30 minutes ago, Kumaresh said:

Original ink cartridges are one of the biggest scams ever. Selling the printer cheap and making up for it with overpriced ink cartridges which most people will just blindly buy because of the fear that other ink cartridges or manually refilling a used cartridge won't work.

You mean like these $48 and $49 HP printers
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-deskjet-wireless-inkjet-mfc-printer-3720-hpdj3720
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-deskjet-inkjet-mfc-printer-2620-hpdj2620

That take $63 printer cartridges

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-65-ink-cartridge-combo-pack-ow653pkv2

 

Or this $77 Epson printer
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-expression-home-mfc-printer-xp-442-epxp442#!specifications

That costs $75 to refill
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-29xl-black-and-29-colour-ink-cartridges-value-pack-eps29vp

 

Or this $69 Canon printer
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/canon-pixma-home-wireless-inkjet-mfc-printer-mg5765-camg5765ws

Which costs a whopping $129 to refill the ink with this "value" pack.
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/canon-cli-671-and-pgi-670-ink-cartridge-value-pack-cac671a5vp

 

 

Seems like you would be better off just buying a new printer each time rather than buying the cartridges, however the cartridges that come with it usually don't last as long as the refill cartridges, not that it matters since they will likely be empty by the time the machine is finished printing out its multiple pages of 'calibration' when you first plug it in anyway. Oh, and you changed a single ink cartridge in the printer? Time to print all those pages of calibration again.
 

 

 

[paddy-stone]

That's one reason when I bought my newest printer, I looked for a model that had relatively good printing to cost of replaceable cartridges. I ended up getting a Dell color laser printer, only approx £22 for a full set of black and colour cartridges. I am still on the ones that came with the printer, but have the spares stored for when it does eventually run out.

[dalekphalm]

9 hours ago, paddy-stone said:

That's one reason when I bought my newest printer, I looked for a model that had relatively good printing to cost of replaceable cartridges. I ended up getting a Dell color laser printer, only approx £22 for a full set of black and colour cartridges. I am still on the ones that came with the printer, but have the spares stored for when it does eventually run out.

Laser printers also have the benefit of using a powder based toner. Toner, unlike ink, will never clog or dry out from sitting and not being used. 

 

With inkjet printers, you typically have to keep using them on a regular basis, or else the ink cartridge print head will dry up and clog the printer. Then you have to replace the cartridge even if it’s not empty. 

[paddy-stone]

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Laser printers also have the benefit of using a powder based toner. Toner, unlike ink, will never clog or dry out from sitting and not being used. 

 

With inkjet printers, you typically have to keep using them on a regular basis, or else the ink cartridge print head will dry up and clog the printer. Then you have to replace the cartridge even if it’s not empty. 

Yep, that was the other reason I got a laser printer. I don't print that often these days, mostly only when some backward authority wants paperwork rather than a pdf etc. I would never go back to ink again, IIRC it was around 10 years ago at least the last time I used an inkjet printer, horrible bloody things.

[bcredeur97]

3 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Laser printers also have the benefit of using a powder based toner. Toner, unlike ink, will never clog or dry out from sitting and not being used. 

 

With inkjet printers, you typically have to keep using them on a regular basis, or else the ink cartridge print head will dry up and clog the printer. Then you have to replace the cartridge even if it’s not empty. 

 

12 hours ago, paddy-stone said:

That's one reason when I bought my newest printer, I looked for a model that had relatively good printing to cost of replaceable cartridges. I ended up getting a Dell color laser printer, only approx £22 for a full set of black and colour cartridges. I am still on the ones that came with the printer, but have the spares stored for when it does eventually run out.

sounds like im getting my dad a color laser printer for his office.. and likely a dell if they are that cheap... or is that a third party cartridge?

I Just have good luck with HP printers usually... just the ink and toner prices are RIDICULOUS

[paddy-stone]

1 minute ago, bcredeur97 said:

 

sounds like im getting my dad a color laser printer for his office.. and likely a dell if they are that cheap... or is that a third party cartridge?

I Just have good luck with HP printers usually... just the ink and toner prices are RIDICULOUS

Yes, 3rd party cartridges, but that's for the full set of 4 (1 black 3 colour), the printer itself was around £120 IIRC, but could have been £20 +/-

Yeah, I am so glad I got this one, had it a few years now even. My last laser printer (samsung), even the 3rd party cartridges were around £55, the proper ones were around £80+ IIRC. I only paid £50 for the printer itself, that was ridiculous. The printer itself though was pretty good, was an AIO scanner/printer mono, had it for around 8 years I think, in that time only used 2 sets of toner, and the printer itself was still going strong TBH, was just too damn big, and toner was expensive. Ended up junking it, nobody even wanted it for free, LOL

[NumLock21]

I still have my printer when i did my p3 build. The ink cartridge, is still crazy expensive. $100+ for both black and color. 

[mr moose]

This is why I brought a brother MFW, it has refillable cartridges.  I can buy the ink in a bottle from anywhere and it's almost as cheap as laser. 

HP/Epson?cannon can go suck fried turd.

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

 

sounds like im getting my dad a color laser printer for his office.. and likely a dell if they are that cheap... or is that a third party cartridge?

I Just have good luck with HP printers usually... just the ink and toner prices are RIDICULOUS

HP laser printers are typically quite good. So are Brother models. I have a Brother DCP-L2520 that I got on clearance and it’s very good. I can also pick up 3rd party toner for very cheap. 

 

The difference between Brother and HP is that Brother units have separate drums and toners. The Drums generally last around 20,000 copies or so (depends on model), whereas the toners last only a few thousand copies. 

 

HP units on the other hand include an integrated toner/drum unit. When you replace the toner, you get a fresh drum every time. 

 

This means HP’s require less maintenance, but the toner is generally more expensive than their Brother counterpart. 

 

The brother toners are usually cheaper but a drum can often cost upwards of $200. Some people just get a new printer when the drum is due for replacement. 

[Castdeath97]

On 04/05/2018 at 10:13 AM, Spotty said:

You mean like these $48 and $49 HP printers
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-deskjet-wireless-inkjet-mfc-printer-3720-hpdj3720
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-deskjet-inkjet-mfc-printer-2620-hpdj2620

That take $63 printer cartridges

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-65-ink-cartridge-combo-pack-ow653pkv2

 

Or this $77 Epson printer
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-expression-home-mfc-printer-xp-442-epxp442#!specifications

That costs $75 to refill
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/epson-29xl-black-and-29-colour-ink-cartridges-value-pack-eps29vp

 

Or this $69 Canon printer
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/canon-pixma-home-wireless-inkjet-mfc-printer-mg5765-camg5765ws

Which costs a whopping $129 to refill the ink with this "value" pack.
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/canon-cli-671-and-pgi-670-ink-cartridge-value-pack-cac671a5vp

 

 

Seems like you would be better off just buying a new printer each time rather than buying the cartridges, however the cartridges that come with it usually don't last as long as the refill cartridges, not that it matters since they will likely be empty by the time the machine is finished printing out its multiple pages of 'calibration' when you first plug it in anyway. Oh, and you changed a single ink cartridge in the printer? Time to print all those pages of calibration again.
 

 

 

The fact that a printer from 1999 doesn't look out of place today says a lot about how stagnant that market got.

[CTR640]

17 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Laser printers also have the benefit of using a powder based toner. Toner, unlike ink, will never clog or dry out from sitting and not being used. 

 

With inkjet printers, you typically have to keep using them on a regular basis, or else the ink cartridge print head will dry up and clog the printer. Then you have to replace the cartridge even if it’s not empty. 

Can you recommend me a laserjet printer? I got one that's now almost 6 years old and it prints like smeared crap now.

 

And HP, if you read this reply, you can somply f***k off with your dirty tactics. I'll never ever buy any printer doesn't allow me to use third-party inkcartridges.

[dalekphalm]

6 hours ago, CTR640 said:

Can you recommend me a laserjet printer? I got one that's now almost 6 years old and it prints like smeared crap now.

 

And HP, if you read this reply, you can somply f***k off with your dirty tactics. I'll never ever buy any printer doesn't allow me to use third-party inkcartridges.

It depends on your needs. Do you need just printing? Or is copying and scanning useful too? All-in-one laser printers are a bit bulkier and more expensive, but typically are very useful. They often use the same toner cartridge as the comparable printer of the same brand. 

 

As I mentioned above, Brother and HP are both great laser printer companies. I use a Brother right now and it’s great. 

 

Samsung, Dell, and Canon make decent models too. There are also discount brand names but I typically stay away from them. 

 

I would look at your local flyers and see if there’s a Brother all-in-one on sale. Then compare that price to your online retailers of choice.

 

Also decide if you need or want colour. They are more expensive to buy and maintain but having colour is nice. 

[CTR640]

5 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

It depends on your needs. Do you need just printing? Or is copying and scanning useful too? All-in-one laser printers are a bit bulkier and more expensive, but typically are very useful. They often use the same toner cartridge as the comparable printer of the same brand. 

 

As I mentioned above, Brother and HP are both great laser printer companies. I use a Brother right now and it’s great. 

 

Samsung, Dell, and Canon make decent models too. There are also discount brand names but I typically stay away from them. 

 

I would look at your local flyers and see if there’s a Brother all-in-one on sale. Then compare that price to your online retailers of choice.

 

Also decide if you need or want colour. They are more expensive to buy and maintain but having colour is nice. 

Yes, all in one. Copying, scanning and printing. But what about HP? We can't afford to buy the 1st-party stuff as they are simply too expensive and knowing HP, they have been blocking the third-party many times. Does Brother and Samsung have the same HP tactics?

[Kamjam21xx]

On 5/4/2018 at 5:13 AM, Spotty said:

 

 

Im so glad you posted this, i havent seen it in forever.

 

Edit: @LinusTech the guy who originally posted this clip on here might be onto something for a video with his comment

@Spotty

[dalekphalm]

24 minutes ago, CTR640 said:

Yes, all in one. Copying, scanning and printing. But what about HP? We can't afford to buy the 1st-party stuff as they are simply too expensive and knowing HP, they have been blocking the third-party many times. Does Brother and Samsung have the same HP tactics?

I’ve never had a problem using third party HP toner, but you should research the specific printer you are considering. 

 

I also buy third party for my Brother and have never had problems. 

[Cole5]

On 5/4/2018 at 3:31 AM, Some Random Member said:

In some cases it is cheaper to just buy a new printer, instead of buying the official refill ink cartridges.

Thats what i do, Bring an empty one to best buy for them to recycle and pick up a new one for 30 bucks 

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, Cole5 said:

Thats what i do, Bring an empty one to best buy for them to recycle and pick up a new one for 30 bucks 

It's an unfortunate business model because that's very wasteful - even with e-waste recycling.

 

But as a consumer, it often is the most economical solution.

[Cole5]

1 minute ago, dalekphalm said:

It's an unfortunate business model because that's very wasteful - even with e-waste recycling.

 

But as a consumer, it often is the most economical solution.

Yup, But liek hell am i paying 4 times the price of a printer to get ink that will dry up long before i even use it

[dalekphalm]

16 minutes ago, Cole5 said:

Yup, But liek hell am i paying 4 times the price of a printer to get ink that will dry up long before i even use it

One of the reasons why switching to laser printers are extremely beneficial.

 

There's really only one reason to own an inkjet anymore: printing your own photos

 

And even that doesn't really make sense when you factor in cost of the photo paper and the cost of ink. You can usually print photos for much cheaper at places like Walmart, Costco, local grocery store, etc, and the quality is usually better than most consumer grade inkjet printers.

 

Invest in a good quality colour laser printer. It'll last you for years, and you can find good quality third party cartridges that are just as good as the original OEM ones.

[Ryujin2003]

Maybe they can get Keurig with the same thing?

[Master Disaster]

On 04/05/2018 at 9:31 AM, Some Random Member said:

In some cases it is cheaper to just buy a new printer, instead of buying the official refill ink cartridges.

And Epson realised this because they now ship printers with "setup" cartridges that can only be used before any other set of cartridges and only contains enough ink to print about 10 pages.

 

If you use a normal set of inks in your printer before the setup cartridges then you put the setup ones in the printer will reject them for no real reason at all.

[mr moose]

20 hours ago, CTR640 said:

Can you recommend me a laserjet printer? I got one that's now almost 6 years old and it prints like smeared crap now.

 

And HP, if you read this reply, you can somply f***k off with your dirty tactics. I'll never ever buy any printer doesn't allow me to use third-party inkcartridges.

I have a brother 2132 laserjet.  It has been immaculate and I used cheap ebay toner (comes in a squeeze botttle) to refill the cartridge.   

[ShortyfromLV]

This is a great video explaining this stuff