HP Secretly Rendering Printer Cartridges Unusable?

Momoru writes "Looks like a woman is suing Hewlett Packard, claiming that their "smart chip" technology, besides giving information about ink usage, is also secretly programmed to not work after a certain certain date." From the article: "HP ink cartridges use a chip technology to sense when they are low on ink and advise the user to make a change. But the suit claims those chips also shut down the cartridges at a predetermined date regardless of whether they are empty." We've reported recently on printer companies making questionable business decisions.

Slashdot doesn't report...

[Pvt_Waldo]

...it just quotes people who sometimes have agendas.

Modchips

[Folmer]

1: Design a modchip that makes the cartridges work forever

2: ???

3: Profit!

Re:Wow

[bsharitt]

I guess now we know why printers are HP's last profitable division.

In an unrelated note...

[Bionic_Baboon]

HP and Lexmark are discussing a merger.

Re:Wow

[El_Servas]

Oh kmon. Don't wirry about it.

Re:Proof?

[Issue9mm]

How would you know if it "falsely" reported a cartridge as empty?

WTF?!?!?

The nice thing is the cartridges are even a clear case so I can easily optically verify whether they are empty or not.

-9mm-

Re:Wow

[Steffan]

"Just... Wow. This is lunacris"

lunacris?

WTF?

I noticed that too

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

HP Secretly Rendering Printer Cartridges Unusable

and Canon, Epson, Oki, Brother,... They all slowly render my printers unusable by selling me ink at $38000/gal [bizjournals.com], which slowly makes my wallet thinner and thinner until eventually I have no money left, I have to sell my home, put my wife on the street, dress my kids in rags and send them to beg at street corners, and get me a cardboard box to sleep in at night, and protect my (now useless) printer during the day...

Re:Modchips

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me help you out:

2: Sell them!

Re:Wow

[k4_pacific]

It's a perfectly cromulent word.

Re:Wow

[brilinux]

lunacris?

It means that its stupidity is dependent upon the current position of the moon.

Re:Wow

[prockcore]

Lunacris is the white rapper version of ludacris

Are you sure?

[jd]

It is possible they could be more noncommittal. Or less, as the case might be.

However, it may not be so much as noncommitment, which is merely a lack of commitment, as an anti-commitment.

Re:Wow

[Stradenko]

That's the spanish word for the lunar christ...

It's seeped its way into common use in the americas, as a general-purpose word, meaning anything so outlandish it can't be believable.

The south american lunar christ cultists have recently been dissolved (forcibly) by the argentine government, (see news [univision.com] relating to that), I'm sure they're satisfied that their diety will live on for awhile in popular language.

The primary lunacris cultist belief was that upon death, a man will rise to the heavens and join the lord in the Sea of tranquility.

From what I know of the cult, they were most popular in their founding country of Argentina, but they are still quite popular and active in Chile and Ecuador, with inactive members in some of the other South American countries.

Running b&w only on HP printers

[karldavidson]

I used to install HP Printers twice on machines. One for B&W and a second for color. HP drivers now prevent you from printing greyscale only. I spent hours on the phone with HP support, there is no way to do it on HP's newer printers. I am sure that this is to force people to use more expensive ink.

Re:Wow

[jd]

lunacris (n): 1. A crisis, during a lunar eclipse. 2. An alternative spelling of ludicrous, as seen on Slashdot. 3. Hewlett-Packard.

Re:Plotters

[prockcore]

HP's explanation was that old ink cartridges could cause expensive damage to the plotter by clogging up the ink system with deteriorated ink.

Shouldn't this be modded funny? The plotters I've used didn't have an "ink system".. unless you count "markers on paper".

Re:Hack-a-do

[Col. Bloodnok]

I can't think of any legitimate reason for a printer driver to know the current date, so there doesn't appear to be an immediate reason why this wouldn't work.

I can think of one reason - they're waiting for the time when printerkind is to rise up and enslave humanity.

Hell hath no fury like the vast inket printer army of a woman scorned!

Re:Wow

[1010011010]

"Hello. We're the Future Haters. We came back in time to call you a cracker." </chapelle>

settlement

[PoopJuggler]

"...client settled out of court for an undisclosed number of free ink cartridges which turned out to be expired..."

Re: HP SecretlyRenderingPrinterCartridges Unusable

[startling]

They're doing what? That's an outra...

Re:Modchips

[Anonymous Coward]

I believe #5 should be "lunacris" claim

Re:Hack-a-do

[Anonymous Coward]

Great!. My f?#k4!g VCR is still can't tell the correct time. Neither can my Oven, Microwave, TV, Cordless Phone, and lawn-mower after the power fails around the house. But all my printer cartridges... just wonderful!!!!

Re:Slashdot dupes are getting older...April 30th 2

[optimus2861]

A quick google revealed this article, the original of which this article is an effective dupe (along with a bunch of other slashdot stories about the long-standing axis of evil print cartridges that is Lexmark/HP/Epson.

Yeah, but that article's past its expiry date, dontcha know? ;)

Re:Other causes than expiry date

[Anonymous Coward]

Analogy: Milk has an expiry date. If you use old milk, that's your business.

Not at all! Yesterday I have opened a milk, turned upside down but nothing came out. These bastards surely incorporated a chip in it as it correctly recognized it was expired (about three months or so).

Re:Other causes than expiry date

[Anonymous Coward]

The milk company (and the law) can prevent the store from selling it past that date.

Logic is not your strength.

Re:Other causes than expiry date

[soft_guy]

Better yet, they should come to my house and remove the old milk when it expires. They should show up a few seconds before it expires and remove it from the refrigerator, or my hand, just as the expiration happens. That's a valuable service and I would expect people to pay extra for it.

Re:Ink dries out eventually

[Anonymous Coward]

"I'm sure dried ink can reek havoc..."

Your grammar stinks. ;)

Re:Hack-a-do

[Conspiracy_Of_Doves]

I, for one welcome our... AHHGG!

Runs away from /.ers brandishing torches and pitchforks

So that's what happened

[Tablizer]

Forina didn't quit, she Expired, eh?

Re:Hack-a-do

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting AC because I work at HP and don't want to get fired.

Did you cover your printer before you started typing?

Re:Hack-a-do

[Ford Prefect]

Great!. My f?#k4!g VCR is still can't tell the correct time.

<blink>12:00</blink>

Bah. Why did they have to deprecate that tag? ;-)

Re:This surprises you... how?

[dabigpaybackski]

...I don't know many people that will tell you it's safe to take a drug /pill thats been in a bottle for 4 years.

Well, a few years back, I happened to find a joint stashed among my old baseball cards (???) while visiting my parents, and let me tell you, the date of expiration had zero deterrent effect.