HP Inc. has failed to shunt aside claims in a lawsuit that it disables scanners and other functions on its multifunction printers whenever the ink runs low.
HP is not the only printer manufacturer that is demonstrably consumer hostile.
A few years ago I bought an expensive Canon multifunction printer that was only used occasionally. Of course one color of the printhead clogged and could not be cleaned, just as Canon intended. Replacing the printhead cost more than a new printer.
Even though the printer would have been still useful for black and white printing and scanning, Canon completely disabled everything and it ended up in a landfill.
Canon needs to be the target of a similar class action suit.
Edit: Canon was sued, but the lawsuit didn’t become a class action and was settled privately last year.
HP isn’t alone in facing such legal complaints. A different set of plaintiffs sued the U.S. unit of printer and camera maker Canon Inc. in 2021 for similarly handicapping its all-in-one printers without disclosure. The parties settled that case in late 2022. Terms were not disclosed.
Lame. I still hold that the Canon Pixma iP5000 was one of if not the greatest consumer inkjet printers ever made. Nowadays, it seems that all inkjet models are just cash grab vehicles for their manufacturers. You find this behavior all over the industry.
I switched to laser (a Canon, as it happens – it’s what was on sale at the time) and never looked back. I buy knockoff clone toner cartridges for it and they last for ages and ages.
You’re right about Pixma printers. My old Pixma was used for color printing, lasted for many years too and worked great no matter how infrequently it was used. I’m still using a ~15 year old Canon D480 laser that’s falling apart because the plastic is getting brittle after so many years. Been using 3rd party cartridges in that one too.
Although a photo printer would be nice, after throwing away multiple Epson, Canon, and HP inkjet printers (like millions of other consumers) I won’t ever buy another one. These companies have killed their own market.
HP is not the only printer manufacturer that is demonstrably consumer hostile.
A few years ago I bought an expensive Canon multifunction printer that was only used occasionally. Of course one color of the printhead clogged and could not be cleaned, just as Canon intended. Replacing the printhead cost more than a new printer.
Even though the printer would have been still useful for black and white printing and scanning, Canon completely disabled everything and it ended up in a landfill.
Canon needs to be the target of a similar class action suit.
Edit: Canon was sued, but the lawsuit didn’t become a class action and was settled privately last year.
Canon is mentioned in the article:
Lame. I still hold that the Canon Pixma iP5000 was one of if not the greatest consumer inkjet printers ever made. Nowadays, it seems that all inkjet models are just cash grab vehicles for their manufacturers. You find this behavior all over the industry.
I switched to laser (a Canon, as it happens – it’s what was on sale at the time) and never looked back. I buy knockoff clone toner cartridges for it and they last for ages and ages.
You’re right about Pixma printers. My old Pixma was used for color printing, lasted for many years too and worked great no matter how infrequently it was used. I’m still using a ~15 year old Canon D480 laser that’s falling apart because the plastic is getting brittle after so many years. Been using 3rd party cartridges in that one too.
Although a photo printer would be nice, after throwing away multiple Epson, Canon, and HP inkjet printers (like millions of other consumers) I won’t ever buy another one. These companies have killed their own market.
There is only one printer company that doesn’t fuck with people and it is named Brother.