HP printers are doing it again

HP printers are doing it again

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HP about a year ago took a drastic step by blocking unofficial ink cartridges in its printers. The controversy eventually led the company to step back and allow them again.

But the company seems to have changed its mind again and now these problems have returned, with a new lock on non-brand ink cartridges.

Ink cartridges are one of the most expensive parts we have when using a computer. This condition leads us to often have an option to unofficial cartridges or to refill them.

HP has part of its business model based on the sale of these consumables and tries, for everything, to use them in their printers. After last year attempt to impose its will, through an update that had to reverse, now do the same and prevent the use of other ink cartridges than its own.

Printers affected by this new limitation are the OfficeJet 6800 series, OfficeJet Pro 6200, OfficeJet Pro X 450, OfficeJet Pro 8600, and more. The error message is the same as previously shown, which indicates that there is a problem with the cartridge and is not official.

This time around, and probably for the problems that have come up, HP offers a solution for anyone who wants to continue using unofficial ink cartridges.

The brand releases firmware versions with Dynamic Security disabled on its firmware page, which must be installed. Just choose the model you want. After that you should disable the firmware update.

It is not yet known if this new block was on purpose or if HP added it by mistake to these new firmware. The truth is that given the company’s history in these situations, it is difficult to think of anything other than a deliberate action to block third party ink cartridges.

In other news, HP introduced Sprocket – a pocket-sized photo printer – in India with a price tag of Rs. 8,999.

“The device is especially made for the millennial segment which is between age 10-24. But we are not restricting our target to that age group only. People who like to preserve their memories would like to own the ‘Sprocket’ which is a pretty affordable device,” said Raj Kumar Rishi, Senior Director, Printing Systems, HP Inc India. “‘Sprocket’ printer allows users print their treasured memories instantly on-the go with just a few taps.”

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I cover technology, utilities and biotechnology for Markets Morning, and I help out occasionally with other industry sectors. I've written about investment and personal finance topics for more than 20 years from a lowly copywriter to editor-in-chief, so I've done a little bit of everything. For what it's worth, I have a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Rollins College. I'm married with one daughter, and that's worth more than everything else put together.

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