If a third-party ink cart can introduce a "cyber threat," your unbelievably shoddy firmware would be the problem, you disingenuous Hamburglars.
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2026
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Nobody buys HP anymore , HP stands for Has Problems
Yeah, the problem is that they're anti-consumer.
I thought it stood for Horrible Product.
I used to work with a lot of HP's industrial printers. The automated maintenance routines always take so damn long, and they break all the time. We always said HP stands for Have Patience.
Nah... My office does, and then pays a vendor to handle the issues (I work in IT, fixing those problems is literally my job) and they still cheap out on knock off toner (some of which works). It makes me sad...
The last time we tried using them, the computer came with Windows 98...
They were horrible back then, not really sure how they are still in business.
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Good, it’s about time
From the article:
According to the GEC's published criteria, printer vendors have three compliance paths. They can avoid firmware changes that disable remanufactured cartridges, offer approved cartridge solutions that maintain device functionality, or make remanufactured options available for purchase through their own channels. Each route is meant to encourage a model in which printing components are reused rather than discarded.
So far, more than 38,000 products remain listed under the older EPEAT 1.0 registry, while only 163 have transitioned to the new 2.0 standard – none of them printers.
It's not binding. Maybe articles like this one will shame hp into stopping that bs one day ☀️ (only joking)
I did tech support for HP DeskJet printers in 1996 - the 600, 600C, and 660C. I had a DeskJet around that time, but that was the last one I got because they started screwing around with the drivers.
Back in the 80s/90s, HP made some great printers. Had a LaserJet 4 that lasted a long long time.
But not long after I moved on to another job - I never bought HP again. And that's now been a recommendation for literally 30 years.
Do not buy HP!
Also, unless you print a LOT of pictures, don't buy inkjets. The ink has so many issues. Get a laserjer. Brother is a good simple brand. I have had a Brother color laser since 2018 and it's still chugging along perfectly. I'm on around my second set of cartridges because I don't print a lot. But whenever I do print, it's there and ready to go.
There's a couple of other brands that are alright, too.
But do not buy HP. Jesus, people, it's been a full generation of people since this has been true! Nobody should be buying HP inkjet crap!
HP used to make a lot of great stuff. Their spectrum analyzers were the best in the business. At some point they flipped a switch and went into full enshittification mode. They burned all their bridges with their most loyal and informed customers.
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Give me Brother printers or give me death.
Hmm. Not sure that's a line I'm willing to draw… but they are certainly pretty decent. hehe
Funnily enough I've owned 2 inkjets spanning two decades, both very infrequently used and... I never had issues. The last one was an HP even. Though after like a decade, the ink dried up I think. Before that I could just take it out of its hiding spot after a year and it'd still work.
Never planning to buy another one though. If I REALLY need to, I'll get a black and white laser one.
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It isn't just third party ink.
They block their own damn cartridges from being used in their own damn printers if that cartridge has been used in another printer.
They also block it if a cartridge was purchased through their subscription plan and you no longer subscribe.
Time for a small fine
HP: "just some business cost."
Never buy HP! Never! They are scum!
It's also rampant assholery, but that's harder to legislate.
But it would make a good law outlawing corporate assholery as a whole and might make a difference. Imagine a world in which corpos are not allowed to fuck over anyone, not their supplier, their partners or the customer... the world would be different.
I paid $0.01 for a flash drive at Microcenter and $0.10 per page(or job, I don't know) to print at the library. I don't even have a library card there. I learned enough about printers taking an A+ class to not want to fuck around with printers at home.
Wait how did you pay 1 cent for a flash drive? I mean they're cheap but I've never seen them for that cheap.
It was what their mailer offers. One for me one for a friend. That or an equivalent microSD card. I got 128 gigs friend got 32. Either or more than enough for a quick print job. Both have a clear plastic shell which is probably cheap but it looks neat. Its "free" but the register rings it up as a penny. Not like I could bang out 128GB storage from the copper in one penny. I had already ordered a trackball mouse I just went over there to look at what they had while I could still change my mind. Walked out with an energy drink and the flash drive. Really broke the bank.
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I bought an HP printer once and im never doing that again. The best printers ive had has all been Brother.
Bought a brother B&W laser a decade ago. Just replaced the toner it came with, with extra toner I purchased at the time... It's a two pack, it may outlast me...
The laser jets are actually fine for small office use. It’s the ink jets that you have to avoid.
One of the only things I regret leaving my ex-fiance was our Brother Wifi Scanner/Printer. That thing was awesome.
Hp printer is in my banned list for decades already.
Next step: When a 3rd party cartridge is detected HP will degrade print quality just enough to make them unusable while blaming the cartridge manufacturers for the problem.
Yeah, the colors will always be off in a random direction in the RGB spectrum, this is easy to blame on the cartridge manufacturer
Wow you have to really suck for the joke certification EPEAT to be mad at you. It’s a fake label that manufactures control to greenwash unrepairable garbage.
I got a cheap Xerox laser printer, the toner is cheap and lasts forever.
I still use a Brother laser printers, that’s at least 15 years old. Got it for free a decade ago. It just keeps printing.
I got ecotank, I can literally pour any ink I want inside and it works fine. Why would anyone buy HP?
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The only reason I would buy an HP printer, is to sue them after.
Just bust the printer mafia already!
Only? What about all the other right to repair and freedom of choice laws?
Imagine bricking a car because it filled up at a competitive brands gas station.
Honey I am going to do fill up the Honda and the Honda station!
One reason I have no printer anymore.. this fucking ink scam.
Me too - the print shop can deal with the issues, i have no problem paying a little extra for not having the headache of troubleshooting printer crap. Although I might get myself a B/W Brother printer for the everyday stuff - my ex sadly got my old one.
New rule: printer cartridges, ink, paper, drums, or any supply needed to operate the device may not be sold with authentication features. The printer can not know any detail about what’s put into it aside from is or is not present. Done.
it's been at least 15 years that I've known better than to buy any HP products. Still - fuck their CEO(s) with a rusty rebar.
EPSON is probably the second worst printer system. we use laser printer instead now. any expensive color pictures, words we need, we just go to a kiosk/print store to do it, or large number of pages at once.
The moment you realize it's sometimes profitable for corporations to actively waste resources, it becomes clear that our current economic system is incompatible with environmental care.
I've started thinking recently about business practices and printing and "Apple printer" jokes, and, well, Apple was making printers in the olden days when I was a baby.
So, they could be making very expensive, but good printers, with no cartridge DRM whatsoever, now.
That would possibly be a good thing, and with such regulations pressing at the opposing business model, could even be a financially good variant.
OK, I think I'm starting to show fanboyish traits. I sort of really liked Apple when I was a kid, but later I started seeing iPhones around and I didn't like their change from home computers and iPods to that.
The way apple is now, you would only be able to print (wirelessly) through Apple products. And probably also DRM ink cartridges on a "security" basis.
Old Apple is not the same as current Apple.
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