Do you like to be forced by HP software to use their own ink?

[MagAnna]

I have use third party inks for my HP wide format printer for a while. With the new software upload the printer stopped working. HP had again released the "stop the printer from working with 3rd party inks" .  Even after HP got sued for this practice they are taking it up again.

The IT company I brought the printer to recommended to toss the printer. There would be a 50:50 chance that the printer would not work even if I would purchase the very expensive HP ink cartridges because the printer heads were clogged by the 3rd party cartridges.  

How very frustrating printers are and the ongoing cartridge war. I hate HP printers so much that I will never again buy any HP product. I have ordered a wide-format printer from a competitors. 

What are your thoughts about companies forcing their customers to use their products only. 

[Repairatrooper]

In some ways I understand HP's stance. 3rd party inks are not identical in formulation to OEM and the minute a customer has a print quality issue, most customers are going to blame HP, quickly forgetting that buying cheap ink might have caused the failure. You state that right in your post that your IT company told you that the print head was clogged because of 3rd party ink. I guess in a Utopia, all ink would be the same just like gasoline pretty much is. The problem is that print systems can be very different and the ink they use can be different. Epson uses a different print head design than HP does and so the inks are formulated differently.

And security is a whole other side of the debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN3MFBZKEDs

[MagAnna]

Hi Repairatrooper,

thank you for the information you emailed me. It broadened my knowledge base. I definitely

understand more of this issues.

But I still think HP should leave it up to the consumer to use what they want.

And bear the consequences like me with clogged printer heads. 

HP ink cartridges are also the most expensive ones out there.