this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
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HP wants you to print things through its cloud service, wherein you pay a subscription fee for ink and your usage is routed through its servers. To encourage you to do this, it covers the USB port …

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[–] kameecoding@lemmy.world 102 points 1 year ago (5 children)

EU needs to get their shit together and clamp down on this, absolute abomination of a company

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[–] Sir_Kevin@discuss.online 83 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Like 15 years ago I bought the cheapest Brother laser printer. It's still going strong. The ink never dries out or fucks up. I've never felt like the company was trying to rape my asshole. Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know. I've boycotted HP decades ago and to this day I continue to see reasons to never change that decision.

[–] ComradeBunnie@aussie.zone 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

We got a Brother laser as well. Only print a few times a year, and the toner is always good to go when it does get switched on. Love my Brother!

[–] d3Xt3r@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know.

Space. At least for me, space is the reason. I'm flatting at the moment and can only keep the printer in my room, and it's already quite cramped with all my gear here. If I could get a compact color laser MFD within the same dimensions as my current Brother inkjet, I'd switch in a heartbeart. Most of the compact laser printers I've seen are either monochrome, or don't include form-feed scanning, or have some or the other shortcomings.

[–] crashoverride@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Initial cost as well. If you only print very small amount, you're not going to spend couple hundred bucks on the laser printer and then 100 or so bucks on a cartridge for it if you're not going to print often

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[–] Irlut_@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ink and dye printers still rule the photo print space. Laser printers simply don't have sufficient image quality.

Other than that I completely agree that laser printing is the way to go.

[–] phareous@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is true but you can always order photos online from Shutterfly, etc. or go to local drug store

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[–] housepanther@lemmy.goblackcat.com 76 points 1 year ago (2 children)

JFC! HP sucks. Just buy a Brother laser printer used and never worry about it because it's bulletproof and a workhorse.

[–] ApplePie@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

And will work OOTB on Linux with CUPS. Easiest process ever.

[–] jrubal1462@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't know what CUPS is, but I had 3 major reservations about switching my barely functional computer to Linux:

  1. Ive never worked in Linux before
  2. My dive computer only uploads to proprietary software using a proprietary cable.
  3. My Brother laser printer was working SO well wirelessly. It's the first time I've ever not hated my printer

Turns out some amazing people made open source dive logging software so I can still download my dives.

And for printing, I meant to get around to setting it up, then one day I forgot and accidentally printed something and it just worked. I was so shocked that for a bit I assumed that reformatting the hard drive and changing operating systems must've somehow preserved my printer settings.

[–] vector_zero@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)
  1. Start with something simple like Mint or Fedora. It's quite easy to use.

  2. Can you be more specific about the specific cable and software? Odds are it works, or it can work with some tinkering.

  3. Brother printers work great in Linux in my experience.

[–] themarty27@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago

While your advice is sound, I think you might not have read @jrubal1462's comment in full. They already installed Linux, found FOSS alternatives for the proprietary dive software and their printer, to their shock, worked OOTB.

[–] nbailey@lemmy.ca 73 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] otter@lemmy.ca 36 points 1 year ago

the original mastodon post

Unrelated to this post:

IMO it's stuff like this, original content that shows up on Mastodon/Lemmy/Kbin first, that will get people to switch over.

Slow organic growth is nice. Keep making good quality content and people will shift over

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Kinda baffling that anyone's still buying HP - isn't it common knowledge that they're one of the worst printer brands?

[–] nerdschleife@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

They're also the cheapest among well-known brands, so the average person buys these

[–] alphapuggle@programming.dev 12 points 1 year ago

Used to sell printers. It's the old people 100%

[–] Lichtblitz@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 year ago

HP has decent enterprise models. So office drones will have a positive image of HP. Also old people who have been out of touch with the market for 20 years or so.

[–] Im28xwa@lemdro.id 43 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wtf is going on with printers market

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The market for people who NEED printers is shrinking. Last concert I went to I had the QR code ticket in my phone, I havent printed map directions in at least 15 years and I literally cannot remember the last item I needed to print at home.

But they also cant say "Oh well, we had a good 30 year run with home printers" they have to keep making more than last year, so they have to get increasingly predatory.

[–] o_oli@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I just don't understand why people fall for it. Who is subscribing to this nonsense? I would never purchase or use something like that when there are still other options available. It should have been a dead idea from day 1.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My parents who are in their 80s only use their printer for printing out the daily crossword puzzle. I made the mistake of getting them to give up their newspaper delivery and just read the paper online, not realizing it would force me to maintain a printer for them. But at least I was able to get them a cheap Brother inkjet where I can refill the cartridges with a syringe.

[–] Techmaster@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

My parents play crosswords on their phones and tablets. You might try that.

[–] phase_change@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Because most people aren’t technical enough to understand there are alternatives, particularly if those alternatives involve removing a scary label telling you not to.

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[–] Heavybell@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago

We let game publishers and adobe get away with charging infinite money for faux services so now everyone else wants to do the same.

[–] gogosempai@programming.dev 42 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Never buying HP printers again, not after I got a Brother one last year. It works OOTB even with linux and there's no such lockdown bullshit.

[–] cynblogger@sfba.social 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

@gogosempai @stopthatgirl7
I ran my business with two Brother laser printers for 20 years, with NO maintenance problems.

In the past year, I’ve discarded two new HP printers as they are just crap. And expensive-ink hogs.

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[–] Techmaster@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You would never know it from the brand name, but Brother is a Japanese company, and the Japanese are known for making elegant, well made, and easy to use stuff. Konica Minolta is also Japanese and makes pretty good stuff, but for a basic printer I prefer Brother. And don't bother with inkjet, get a Brother all in one laser printer, and you'll have a very reliable machine that isn't expensive to operate. The ink won't dry up if you don't use it, and the drivers aren't constantly trying to sell you anything.

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[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago (6 children)

A gentle reminder to those coming in to complain about their prior printers: In some areas, libraries have a computer area where you can print out a reasonable number of pages. It's not totally convenient, but generally a far better option than maintaining your own cartridge-muncher.

[–] Not_Reddit@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Hurray for public libraries!

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[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! Removing this sticker will reveal a consumer-friendly communications port that will deprive HP of even more money than it's already milking you for with overpriced ink!

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[–] TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

I work at a retirement place doing tech. Have had 3 hp printers shit the bed exclusively because of software in the 6 months I've been there. Hp smart is so bad.

Such a shitty company. As most of these people are former professionals they get an hp because they used it at work then get talked into the subscription ink because they aren't 21st century tech savvy.

One printer stopped printing because they did not have the subscription ink. They placed a normal ink cartridge in with a subscription one and the software would not allow printing because it recognized non subscription ink. Disgusting.

So many companies want to enter this subscription hellscape.

[–] Veedem@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I have been contemplating abandoning my HP (with instant ink subscription) for an Epson Ecotank. Stuff like this isn’t convincing me to stay. My subscription has already risen to $80 a year, so the value is gone.

[–] PaulDevonUK@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago

Do your self a favour and check out Brother color lasers. Prices are quite good and the speed and quality outstrip a jet by a long way.

[–] LifeInOregon@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I’ve had an EcoTank for two years and have been VERY happy with it. My only complaint is that I should have gone for a model that allows double sided printing.

The price on the ink is great, that you can fill individual colors as needed is nice, and the print quality is very good.

[–] LazaroFilm@artemis.camp 3 points 1 year ago

I ditched the cartridge crap for an eco tank and it’s great. You can even buy off brand Ink bottle for super cheap.

[–] tabular@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

People will still buy it when they suffer economically or are techonologically ignorance. If there was another system where people could vote on a business death penalty.. HP and other printer IP holders have already earned my vote.

[–] BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 year ago

Nothing like having to pull out the official ink to clear a paper jam and be told afterwards that the ink you just took out is not the same official ink or gasp reused so the printer punishes you by using more ink so you buy the official ink next time that you already bought.

Fuck HP.

[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Wow, HP. Way to make even Lexmark look like a paragon of corporate virtue in the home printer market.

[–] mo_lave@reddthat.com 12 points 1 year ago

For the love of the old gods what kind of Lovecraftian horror is this

[–] slidinggoal@feddit.nl 10 points 1 year ago

I have a m11 laser printer. I bought the compatible laser cilinder thingy with a tiger and a green box because hp laser ink is double the price.

So far I have no problems with printing. Aside from the fact that hp puts an exclamation after each print with the prompt: DANGER! COUNTERFEIT INK CARTRIDGE InstALLED!

Ok man I’ll be careful so it doesn’t explode. Only because it’s not the proprietary ink…. Hope I didn’t give them any ideas…

[–] thejml@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Yet another reason I’m glad I got my Canon Pixima 5000 series a while back. Individual cheap replacement ink carts with no electronics in them. I can (and have) buy 5 sets of carts for $20 that last me years.

If it wasn’t for photos, I’d have picked up a cheap laser printer.

[–] tallwookie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I've been really happy with my samsung laser printer - bought it 10+ years ago, works flawlessly to this day

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