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FOSS-Firmware for printers? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 year ago by RandomLegend@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/foss@beehaw.org

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We all are pretty annoyed at how the printer industry is screwing customers over. There are a few printers that are really good but most of them suck and try to suck out your money by demanding ink when none is needed.

And i also know that it's nearly impossible to create an open-source printer that can be build by smaller businesses like the 3D printing space can do.

But are there any projects underway to reverse-engineer printer firmware and make it possible to flash the custom ROM onto a printer? No specific manufacturer in mind right now, but wouldn't that make things better? Simply disable all the stupid checks that claim that you NEED ink to scan or that you NEED yellow to print a black text?

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[–] Auzy@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

Some printers also have trouble connecting to encrypted WIFI networks. So unfortunately people sometimes stupidly make a hidden open SSID opening themselves to attack.

So, there are a lot of additional side effects of crap printers too. Fortunately, the printer industry is possibly dying at this point..