HP printers with “unlicensed” inks are programmed to fail after September 12th



    The HP tech support forums have been hectic in the past few days. Dozens of users complain that their inkjet printers with non-original cartridges suddenly stopped working on September 12 or 13.

    The printer reports a problem with the cartridge with the following content: “The following ink cartridges are missing or damaged [list of cartridges]. Replace ink cartridges to resume printing. ” The problem affected the Officjet 8610, 8615, 8620, 8625, 8630 models with HP 950/951 cartridges (950XL / 951XL).

    It seems strange that users around the world suddenly ran out of ink in one cartridge on one day. Frankly, it is very suspicious.



    “Starting September 12, our Officjet 8610 reports that non-HP production ink cartridges were“ damaged ”... Yes, all four cartridges were mysteriously“ damaged ”at one moment. “We have always used this brand of cartridges, excellent print quality, never had any problems,” writes an infuriated topstarter under the nickname CascadiaHigh . - HP, why do you keep doing this? We DO NOT WANT to buy your ink at $ 100, when the same quality is achievable for one-fifth of the cost. Please provide a workaround so that we can continue to use whatever ink we want. ”

    The problem was confirmed on the forum by other users. In most cases, “cartridge damage” occurred on September 13th. One user said

    Specialists from the store Inkjet411, which sells ink and refilled cartridges, figured out what was wrong.

    The investigation revealed that on March 12, 2016, HP released a new version of the firmware (ends with R1547A), which effectively blocks the operation of older versions of the smart chip installed in HP 950/951 (950XL / 951XL) cartridges. The firmware recognizes only new versions of the smart chip, and many refilled cartridges that were sold before by third-party companies cannot work - the printer simply does not recognize them.

    HP has acted correctly. It does not activate the smart chip lockout immediately after installing the firmware. Then the problem would have been known earlier, and many users have avoided updating. No, cartridges have failed en masse exactly 6 months after the release of the firmware, that is, on September 12, 2016. That is the date to disable the "fake cartridges" set in HP.

    If the user has updated the firmware of the printer and uses cartridges with old smart chips, the printer displays the message: “Cartridge error”, “One or more cartridges is missing or damaged” or “Old generation cartridge”.

    Examples of error messages are shown below (the indicated ink colors may alternate alternately in the message).



    At the forum technical support spoke employee of HP. She advises users who have a printer out of order to install the original cartridge. “If cash costs are a problem, have you considered HP Instant Ink ? With this program, you can save up to 50% on ink costs. Promotions are often held to extend the subscription for several months for free, ”advises affected HP Expert users under the name Ciara_B .

    Inkjet411 experts offer another solution.. If you have already managed to install a new firmware, then you should take the refilled cartridge to the company where you bought it. They certainly know about the problem and can change it to a new cartridge with a modern version of the smart chip. The same should be done with all old refilled cartridges.

    If you have not yet installed a new firmware, be sure to turn off the automatic update feature of HP Update.



    In the automatic update settings, select the update frequency, indicating “Never”.



    If the program shows a firmware update message, do not agree in any way.



    In general, HP's actions can be understood. The company controls the lion's share of the global inkjet printer market. The company receives the main profit precisely through the sale of ink cartridges and ink. If the printer itself is sold at cost or lower, then the cartridges and ink are sold several times higher than the cost, with a margin of hundreds of percent.

    For example, the most popular on Amazon inkjet printer Hewlett-Packard Envy 4520 costs $ 69.99. It seems, oh, how cheap - but only before the moment when the printer runs out of ink of at least one color. The HP 63XL three-color ink cartridge costs $ 31.99 for it, and the black ink cartridge sells separately for $ 31.97. For comparison, refilled cartridges for this printer can be purchased for $ 25.77(for both cartridges: color and black and white). You can find cheaper.



    That is, the user chooses to buy original cartridges for $ 63.96 or non-original for $ 25.77. If cartridges are bought for a company, then there is no problem to buy an official cartridge at an exorbitant price, but if you buy a cartridge for your personal printer, it’s probably better to choose the second option.

    Naturally, the company is trying to block the installation of third-party cartridges. To do this, they equip them with smart chips. The case of blocking old smart chips in the firmware is probably not the last such story.

    Manufacturers traditionally declare that this is done for the benefit of the users themselves, so that they do not spoil their printers with low-quality inks. But saving on three cartridges, you can buy a new printer!

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