In recent weeks, many consumers have been surprised to find that their non-HP ink or toner cartridges, although compatible, no longer work on their HP printer. Explanations.

HP has blocked the use of non-HP ink or toner cartridges on some of its printers, indicating a message such as "ink cartridge not recognized", which immediately led to a wave of complaints from unhappy customers on Reddit, Twitter and the HP community site.

As a result, many consumers found that their compatible cartridges were no longer working in their HP printers.

" HP has updated their printers to simply ban the use of ink labeled as "non-HP"," said one customer on Reddit. " They no longer display the 'Cannot guarantee quality' message, but completely cancel your print until you insert an HP ink cartridge. After contacting HP, they said this is due to the recent update to all printers."

Hey @HP...do you realize or care that you have lost loyal 30+ year customers with blocking non-hp printer ink from working in your printer? What if @Ford did this with non-OEM parts in their vehicles? I will NEVER buy another @HP product again ????

- Jeannine Smith (@JeannineBSmith) January 6, 2023

The message on this user's screen indicates that the cartridges in question were blocked by the printer's firmware because they contain a non-HP chip. In addition, the user's device clearly indicates that the printer only works with new or reused cartridges with a new or recycled HP chip.

Contacted by Tech&Co, HP France explained that " HP printers use a cartridge authentication process", which for some models " includes a dynamic security chip". The U.S. company added that " printers use dynamic security measures to block cartridges using non-HP chips or modified circuits".

Why?

The manufacturer also explained that the objective was to " protect the quality of the customer experience, maintain the integrity of its printing systems and protect its intellectual property". This decision could also be a desperate attempt to lock users into its ecosystem, given that HP's net printing revenues are declining(HP Instant Ink would be inefficient?).

In its defense, HP said that, as with most equipment today, the company regularly updates its printer firmware to maintain printer security, functionality and features, including dynamic security.

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