Lawsuit Says Epson Printers Disable Themselves If You Use Non-Epson Ink

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A class action lawsuit alleges that Epson wrongly prevents their printers from working with ink made by any other manufacturer. Allegedly, Epson engages in a “systematic campaign” of disabling Epson printers when the user attempts to use non-Epson ink cartridges. The plaintiffs say that the company does this by designing software updates that purposely disables the printers when the non-Epson ink cartridges are installed. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this with Scott Hardy, the President of Top Class Actions.
Link - topclassactions.com/lawsuit-s...
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[@JC-ze2et]

I've known people who found it easier to just buy a whole new printer instead of paying for new ink.

[@christopherlavezzo4709]

It's cheaper to buy the $55 printer vs the $70 ink.

[@mr.mikehunt4286]

@@christopherlavezzo4709 incorrect, $90 ink....yes a $45 epson scanner printer is half the price of the ink and trouble, ive seen people do this and it means they are all contributing to polluting our earth lol

[@2zwaantjes]

I know what printer NOT to buy when I need one.

[@Ancient_Pollyanna]

You're welcome! LOL!! Seriously, anything but an Epson!

[@outinthenortheast2728]

@yumpladukfoo "another idiot" go on explain yourself who is the idiot and why?

[@Mr-Clark]

@@outinthenortheast2728 he works for epson

[@charlieb8788]

I haven't bought a printer in over four years, but when I bought the one I have now, all the manufacturers of inkjet printers were doing the same thing, selling the printers at cost and jacking up their 2 dollar cartridges to 25 dollars. They also shut off your printer when the page counter reaches planned obsolescence. All the states attorney generals know all the ploys they use, but take no real action against it. It all comes down to commerce.

[@geminirat60]

all kinds of companies do things like this! buyer beware!

[@micregil]

I've been planning on buying a printer before long, I'll make sure I don't buy an Epson printer.

[@outinthenortheast2728]

@yumpladukfoo you are paid so little, why not just get a new job?

[@maelwine1]

DEFINITELY

[@nurkeyali8325]

All are a rip off honestly

[@jimthehermit8113]

I stopped owning printers when I couldn't print a b/w document in b/w mode because the Magenta was too low. And this was right after I bought a Black cartridge.

[@outinthenortheast2728]

@yumpladukfoo had to go a little deep in the comment section but I knew I'd find you again reject

[@charlieb8788]

Just one more issue of the tangled mess with inkjet printers. Lawmakers know of this problem, but the industry is too powerful during election cycles for the consumer to do anything about it. A related topic is "right to repair".

[@serialwriteher2467]

This is ridiculous that they no longer allow b/w printing unless all the color cartridges have ink, even if there is a full cartridge of black ink. My printer used to allow this but after an 'update', I was no longer allowed to do this. What a scam!

[@Brian-ip3oz]

I have an Epson printer and I'll tell you what, there's a loud sucking sound coming from my wallet every time I have to print. B🕯️☮️

[@Ancient_Pollyanna]

You literally buy a new printer every time you need ink.

[@outinthenortheast2728]

@yumpladukfoo found the troll hitting all the comments lmao

[@MrHeesbeen]

Either get yourself some ear plugs Brian, or learn from your mistake.

[@katpotter1889]

Its really less expensive to just buy a new printer than it is to buy ink carts for the dang things! Somebody explain that!

[@JanglesPrime999]

Yeah, I knew someone who did exactly that. I just go to the library for my printing needs

[@presentedbyconormctappersp4565]

I have a $40 HP Inkjet that sees minimal use. But the cartridges it has is upwards of $30 for a single black cartridge if you're not going to bother trying to look for as best of a discount as possible. It's a pretty dumb monopoly that so many of these companies have. If you intend to only print black and white and non photo based color, Laser Printers really are the best option.

[@amanofmanyparts9120]

The ink tanks, from new, don't contain as much ink as standard ones do. Lexmark are the 'best' at this. The only advantage, from a commercial point of view, is that each ink tank comes with a new print head, thus avoiding messy prints. Most printer cartridges don't.

[@paulstone472]

Easy explanation. It's not true. My printer...$250. Ink cartridges for my printer....$10. I can buy quite a few before I pay for a printer. Especially when you consider that the cartridges supplied with new printers are low capacity versions of the regular cartridges.

[@alexjohn5086]

@@paulstone472 ...yes,but epson are not good printers anymore ,just filling up land fill now.

[@tammieprintz3975]

I have an Epson & this happened to me several times! I am furious. I will definitely apply for the class action suit!

[@roselmettress6617]

would not own another Epson printer in my life

[@1stPCFerret]

The ONLY printers I ever used in my professional life were HP printers. They didn't seem to have problems like this.

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

I bought an Epson and I ended up body slamming it on to the floor and kicking the front off of it one day. I bought a laser printer after that and have zero regrets.

[@charlieb8788]

They have had an acknowledged reputation for print quality but have matched it stride for stride with their perfidy. Epson lawyers have been kept busy for many years.

[@JonathanSellsDFW]

i did not know about that whole thing and i updated this printer to that BS

[@Redpoppy80]

I've lost two printers to this nonsense.

[@nacook2053]

Same... Plus one at work.

[@mrauay5445]

Did you use Chinese ink ?

[@tonywilliams4223]

@@nacook2053 Which epson ?

[@tigerbalm666]

FYI: It's illegal for car companies to restrict which gas brand you use in YOUR CAR!

[@geminirat60]

don't buy Epson printers!

[@EnzuWiz]

nothing Epson anymore.

[@charlieb8788]

That smacks of boycott, and I've been doing it for at least ten years. I know when I'm being ripped off.

[@xadam2dudex]

So how would one get in on the class action ?

[@tomnekuda3818]

Bend over to tie your shoes and the printer people are there.....love corporate America.

[@rexpimplemyer3839]

Short answer: printer ink is an absolute scam and they know it. I have personally bought a new printer WITH INK that was the same price as subsequent ink refills. What a ripoff.

[@outinthenortheast2728]

@ghgg are you paid to argue for the corporation

[@charlieb8788]

I paid 60 dollars for my Brother printer four years ago. It has never had a Brother cartridge in it. Standard yield cartridge set today costs 41 bucks.and would last me about three months. I use bulk ink and refill my own. I haven't spent more than 20 bucks on ink in over four years.

[@TheUnvarnishedTruth-]

@@charlieb8788 Hello. Please tell me what model printer you have. And also, could you recommend a printer available nowadays? I am absolutely fed up with Epson printers! They are a complete ripoff! Their print quality is excellent, but I am completely tired of having to pay for new ink cartridges when mine are not empty at all! This has happened to me many, many times! This last time recently, I installed brand-new cartridges into my WF-3720 Epson printer. I printed approximately 15 pages black and white, and 2 pages in partial color. Now my printer tells me that all of the color cartridges are empty! What fucking Bullshit! It also will not let me print in black! Again, Bullshit! I am never buying another Epson printer! I called Epson, spent over an hour on the phone talking to a supervisor. He told me there was nothing he could do unless I could prove there was something wrong with the printer itself! And if it was less than a year old! This is all fucking Bullshit! It's a total ripoff! I am so angry at Epson! I need to find another brand of color printer that I can buy that won't rip me off of ink all the time! Can you recommend anything please! Thank you!

[@hermenutic]

Kind of like another kind of pre-planned obsolescence.

[@MrSuperbeast92]

Just another example of how anti consumer the industries in our corporatist hellhole of a country is. >_>

[@hermenutic]

@@MrSuperbeast92 Profit is a habit worse than heroin in the hearts and souls of the people you are referring to.

[@charlieb8788]

Epson uses real planned obsolescence. They use a non replaceable waste pad or bucket that kills the printer when they estimate it should be full. They have a counter built in to turn it into a doorstop. The internet is full of those complaints about most of the inkjet printer manufacturers. And don't ask your congressman to legislate against it, it's part of his graft.

[@HolyFlavorAid]

So that's what happened! I have 2 dead Epson printers. Epson can give me my money back and they can take their printers. I won't buy a third.

[@MrDancermgl]

Michele Croston Similar things happened to me! :(

[@charlieb8788]

Your two dead Epsons are now doorstops. You can't fix them and Epson would never tell you how to do it. But all the inkjet makers use the same or similar underhanded methods. Bottom line is the bottom line. Don't expect product manufacturers to be your friend, they're not

[@faafafineartist]

Evil.

[@akb5531]

Ya, I'd like to know what kind of bs the whole ink thing is.

[@goldendogwoodworks6675]

do you have any inkjet printer

[@akb5531]

@@goldendogwoodworks6675 Yes, an hp, & it was almost as bad. Getting refills @ costco screwed it up.

[@BabylonBaller]

Update April 2021 - Epson is still disabling your printer if you update the firmware and are using ink not made by Epson, they are still getting away with this crime despite the class action lawsuit

[@cdenyb]

DO NOT let the firmware update 2.42.BL28L7 be loaded. It'll screw it up big time!

[@maelwine1]

Sounds like an illegal monopoly

[@Me-th3gj]

Still in November of 2023 too.

[@redacted629]

And in 2024

[@adonaiorion]

I have had that problem with this brand. Didn't know you are able to sue.

[@jursamaj]

Individuals can't afford to sue, which is why it's a class action. Unfortunately, even if they win, they'll get almost nothing for their trouble. The lawyers will get rich tho.

[@allermenchenaufder]

@jursamaj. Triumph for people. Ethical practices for consumers. Nevermind legal fees.

[@jursamaj]

@I See You Except the fines are typically trivial next to the profits they made from their bad actions. And rest assured, they will find new ways to abuse the customers for profit.

[@ibuprofenPill]

It’s been no secret to me for decades these companies aren’t in the printer business, rather the ink business. This isn’t new, Epson has been taking steps to make you buy their ink for 20+ years. There are ways around this, but they’re time consuming and tricky. I don’t print much anymore but when I did, I upgraded to a laser I knew would accept after-market toner cartridges. Basically, ink jet printers are a total ripoff an always have been. But, printers permanently disabling themselves without fair warning (at point of sale) is going too far.

[@NoOne-ii1th]

Holy crap, this just happened to my Epson printer!

[@KDazza]

Me too! Can't even use it as a scanner!!!

[@sk8queen]

Booo! Join the lawsuit!

[@texasblackchip-gregmoore9871]

Mine is disabled too right now

[@blueskdragonFX]

I managed to get it to work but it prints just horrible. But I cannot connect wireless anymore so gotta USB the damn printer.

[@texasblackchip-gregmoore9871]

I saw an Epson post that said I could roll back the last firmware update not sure it will work but it was working with remanufactured ink cartridges then after update it said one was empty mind u all 4 were the same type

[@jimaanders7527]

I can understand their strategy for selling cheap printers and expensive inks. That's an old, old marketing trick. I don't use my printer much and over a year's time, it's ok. The last time I went to buy ink, I found out my ink cartridge (Epson) wasn't available so I got a new printer (Canon) for less than the cost of the Epson cartridges. The Canon printer can be refilled using a bottle of ink, no chip involved. Canon sells the ink and I feel more comfortable using name brand ink rather than some "off brand" stuff stirred up in someone's garage. There is a quality issue to be considered.

[@Leticianieto40]

HP does the same thing. My dad bought cheaper ink and it wouldn’t recognize it.

[@moneybilla]

That's completely diff tho from out right disabling a unit

[@MrHeesbeen]

Had the chip been reset properly Leticia ?

[@vivientaylor3272]

I've had an Epson printer for some while. Recently did an update on printer as suggested by Epson and now won't accept generic cartridges. Sent for different ones thinking cartridges at fault, still no good. Bought one Epson cartridge to replace empty one still won't work. Also cannot get into anything else on printer such as settings etc. Have had to buy a new printer. Would never get Epson again.

[@Lothlann]

Imagine buying a car and only going to 1 brand of gas station lol

[@thebigdoghimself]

You have two options buy a dirt-cheap printer and pay through the nose for ink or buy a high end one where ink is much more affordable. I have an Epson with the refillable tanks and it rocks. My issue has been with HP printers, every one of those I buy has died within 2 years of purchase and they were all high end units.

[@robieg855]

Yep we had to go out and pay big bucks for their Epson cartridges. I want in on this class action suit

[@maelwine1]

ME TOO !!!

[@amanofmanyparts9120]

I'm a Brit. It may not be directly relevant, but I'm just throwing it out there. I've confined myself to just using Epson printers for many years, Why? Because I can (and do) buy remote, refillable, ink tanks for them for a decent price and can refill them for pennies. Since some of my printing involves *horrendously* expensive sublimation printing ink, costs can go through the roof - even if available for these printers. Both my current 600 series printers will use non standard cartridges for a while, but then decide they won't and just lock up. Fortunately I purchased a chip resetting tool that fools them into working again, but that means taking them all out and fiddling with them. The real problem is the error message about 'parts that need replacing'. Specifically the waste ink pads that soak up the ink that is regularly used during printing! I have an aftermarket waste ink collection tank, so the pads *aren't* full! The whole thing is a con and there's sod all I can do about it as class action suits aren't really a thing over here.

[@elaineperry5926]

Wow I just bought the echo about 3 wks ago.....thx for the info

[@morbidmanatee5550]

CIS. Continuous Ink System.

[@jt0774]

How connect this?

[@thisisisabella3634]

Yes I discovered this a while ago. Was getting ink for less than a buck per cartridge on eBay. It ruined three on mine.

[@Winterxfiles]

I was one of the first people to see Epson's bubble jet printers. I worked in Research and development as an intern for a major paper company. On top of this situation, their main concern was to figure out how to get the paper to absorb as much ink as possible before it got over saturated. The first models of their printers allowed for you to be able to dial back the ink but it got taken out for consumer products.

[@charlieb8788]

I have had about a dozen printers in my home over the past 30 years, the first being a dot matrix from Okidata. My first inkjet was an Epson, and I was able to refill the cartridges myself. That one quit because the "waste pad was full". That too is a scam by Epson. After going through more Epsons and into HP junk, and even Lexmark junkier, I swore I would never buy another Epson, though their printers are among the best for printing at home. I have had a Brother for the last four years. Brother does the same as Epson with the model I bought. There has never been a Brother ink cartridge in my home since I set it up. I bought a third party refillable and have saved hundreds of dollars over the years. Only caveat, I have never allowed any firmware download from Brother. That was the admonition from the cartridge maker I bought from. Don't put the supplied Brother cartridges in the printer, and don't accept firmware or software updates,, because the firmware/software "enhancements" will kill your printer. The unwary public knows they are being screwed, but the manufacturers spend millions to thwart third party competition for the ink. Epson should lose this suit, and the other manufacturers should take note of the anger and frustration among the consumers. BTW... I was quality control for a computer and printer manufacturer in a previous life.

[@432b86ed]

Hi Charlie B, which model of the Brother printer are you happy with? Thx, Z

[@wilfredodiaz8743]

That has happened to my Epson printer as well. I was forced to buy a new printer in Germany when the Epson printer to took with me from the states refused to accept these generic inks from Germany.

[@ChildofTHEELight1986]

This is STILL an issue!

[@perry4894]

join the class action suit and go after the corporate greed. time for a payback

[@stephanburgess654]

In Australia it's cheaper to buy a new printer each time the ink runs than to buy the cartridge replacement inks. New printer with ink $79.00. Replacement ink cartridges black, blue, yellow and magenta $119.00

[@Piper7cub]

I don't know what the result was of the lawsuit but a few months ago we purchased an Epson WF2960. The ink is ridiculously expensive so I purchased some non-Epson Ink. Worked great until we updated the firmware and now the non-Epson ink will not work. The ink was still half way full and we still have two more sets that we are unable to use. That is $120.00 worth of ink down the drain and we have to spend $70.00 just to get one set from Epson. So....a $150.00 printer has cost us more in ink in just a few months. I don't know if all printers are like this now but I miss our old Canon printer.

[@LLYoutube565]

I can verify thsi is 100% true - i have an epson and ill never own another.

[@SMFH_USA]

Same thing with HP Instaink program, has a chip in it to not work unless you keep paying a per page fee or monthly subscription to print.

[@alnoorratansi9364]

Re: Canon Mega tank printer , Canon does the same thing with B500 error, which cannot be reset. this error is related to sponge under the print head. after you replace the sponge there are no instructions to reset this error and canon says to buy a new printer. They can disable your printer but they can help to enable the printer after you have corrected the issue.

[@charlesdada6434]

This happened to me! My Epson printer used to be a joy to use. Ever since going with cheaper ink, the printer has not worked right.

[@bruceallert4961]

Now they have updates that makes the printer not recognize the 3d party ink! That’s bullshit!🤬🤯😡

[@ryanw2553]

Epson also extorts you for more ink when the ink is low. If any one of my printer cartridges reach 1/4 of their supply, the printer will refuse to print until you buy more of their ink. And this goes for all colors. If just one of the three colors is it 1/4 left, the printer will shut down. Mine is set to only print in black. I replaced the black ink cartridge and the printer is still refusing to print because the rest of the colors are low, even if its told only to print in black!!!! I will never buy another Epson printer again. I hope the consumers win this lawsuit. The Epson company are a bunch if crooks.

[@Ancient_Pollyanna]

I rarely use color and the Epson printer I bought used ink that cost as much as the printer and the colors mix to make the black so when you run out of a color, the whole thing stops until you replace the color - even if you have a new black cartridge. It's such a racket. Mine went to recycling and I bought a Brother b/w laser that I love, love, love.

[@johnmirra525]

I never use my printer anymore and when i finally do the ink has dried up =[

[@mario12359]

This is why ya go lasers they can generally last up to 2 years before they start to slowly wear over time and they got 1800 to 3000 pages so u are more likely to use what you are paying for.

[@serialwriteher2467]

I have owned an Epson Workforce printer since 2011. Documents print out very well but ever since I installed an "update" that Epson claims to be for security reasons, the cartridges seem to run out so fast. So ridiculous. Didn't the class-action get thrown out though? I haven't seen a clear update on this.

[@maelwine1]

I've owned an Epson Workforce Pro -3733 for about 2 years now, about 2 & 1/2 months ago, I downloaded their "recommended" update, now, my printer is useless.

[@SpecialAgentOso]

there needs to be a new lawsuit regarding "anti user serviceability". no part should be considered "non-serviceable", period. epson claims that the print heads are non-serviceable and you have to go to a repair center (last estimate for my wf-7610 was $800, for a $120 part). ebay used to sell factory sealed units for about $135, bought and replaced mine before at that time, but all you can find today are chinese users selling garbage. the parts are marked as "new", but for $58, i got a piece of plastic that was cracked and leaking ink all over the packaging. got my money back and got the seller banned for mislabeling the item. tried another that was selling it for $180, similar issue. a used part that is half clogged and had dents and finger prints on the underside. again, refund, ban for that user. the only way to get legit parts now is from an authorized repair center, and.. go figure.. they get their parts from ebay. know why? because the part number FA13031 is no longer being manufactured in the US. only canada has these parts in stock, and they won't sell them to you unless you own a canadian printer (serial). instead, they gave me a coupon for 15% off on their site, to buy a new printer. screw that.

[@mamabear_melanie]

Mine has done this! Ridiculous!

[@puirYorick]

Is Epson the same maker that built in a lifetime countdown death clock chip that disables the laser printer units after a pre-set number of pages have been printed? That brand claimed it was because of some buildup of waste toner degrading the quality of imaging over time.

[@charlieb8788]

Inkjet printer makers do the same thing, claiming they are protecting you from waste ink spilling all over your nice table and leaking on your antique carpet. What you should ask with the inkjet is why they don't build them with a waste bucket you can empty and reset..

[@FoScoJo]

This just hit my printer. I don't print a lot and my printer came as a bundle with a bunch of Epson brand cartridges. I finally used the last of those and put in third-party ones. Fail. And what do they think people are printing that non-Epson cartridges aren't good enough. I mostly print out stuff that will either sit in a filing cabinet or stuff for my kids. It does not have to be a spectacular print. I only care about the info being printed. I usually dumb down the settings to conserve ink anyway. And shouldn't I be the one to decide is the third-party cartridges aren't good enough, If they were a problem, I would get the Epson ones. You know, free market bullshit and all that.

[@trevor311264]

I have been using a CISS with several Epson printers for years and never had a problem. It does pop-up a box saying that I am using non-Epson cartridges, but you can just click 'Continue Anyway' I do live in Europe though, so perhaps the firmware is different.

[@gunny1391]

HP does the same with some models.

[@cherylhoude1227]

Absolutely true!

[@williamgeorgefraser]

I had an Epson printer 20 years ago and fitted a continuous ink supply to it. The print heads got blocked and I had to throw it away. I tried cleaning cartridges but nothing worked. Now they have chips which means that even if you refill the cartridge, the printer sees it as empty. However, Epson did an amazing newspaper advert back in the 80s about printing errors. I wish I could find it again. One part was a newspaper apologizing for a misprint in an article about a rugby match. "We would like to apologize for the misprint in last weeks report. The article mentioned 'fucking in the scrum'. This should, of course, read 'fucking in the scrut'." Absolutely brilliant!

[@CaptainScarlet1961]

I've been saying the same thing for years!

[@ursaltydog]

I have an Epson printer, and it doesn't disable itself (XP-430) while using recycled ink cartridges. Now the problem I have is that while using black, printers will often use some color in it, thus you have to buy the color to print black. Printers will also use ink even while not printing, ensuring you have to buy them even if you haven't used them. They will also refuse to print even if there is enough ink in the well..

Let's take them out and go all "Office Space" on them.

[@34-yankee86]

I don't know about every model of Epson but I have two of them at home; one is a photo quality and the other is just for work-a-day crap. My advice to anyone with an Epson is to go on the web or in your manual, if you got one, and DISABLE ANY AND ALL UPDATES AND NEVER MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TAPPING THE SCREEN WHEN THEY TRY TO SNEAK AN UPDATE IN ON YOU. Again, don't know every model and brand but this is a fact most tech types know and that is that printer companies don't, for the most part, make their money on the printer itself. With various models and makes they actually operate at near zero profit on the printer itself but are determined to find ways of holding you hostage to their ink. On various printers I have found that when I buy the affordable ink, I have the printer run the ink carriage out as if changing ink, and when it's not docked, I pull the plug on the printer and insert the new cartridge(s) then start up and override any bull the printer puts out. I have been using the Epson's I have at home this way for years. Don't forget, never, ever accept any updates from Epson.

[@user-fm2nb2zv4r]

Is it too late to become part of this class action lawsuit? I am so angry that this company sends updates under the guise of better operation, and fails to mention your printer will be useless afterward!

[@harryhirsch3637]

HP tried the same a few years ago over here in europe with the then brandnew pagewide ink printers. After a firmware update the printers with generic ink would stop working and display some bs message about print quality and the potential damage to the device by using non-HP ink. Got them a massive shit storm which after a while made them revoke that cartridge check and you can now use any generic ink again - but they still refuse warranty service if you use generic ink, saying this ink had massively damaged the printer and it was beyond repair... I still don't worry because the internet is full of repair and upgrade videos for crippled printers and for those who don't want or dare to take their printer apart there are lots of service companies who will do it for the customer. In the long run HP creates jobs in service businesses _outside_ their own company. Every brand must decide whether or not they want to go that way.

[@ursaltydog]

The best printer I ever had that was easy on ink, and the ink didn't cost an arm and a leg was a Kodak.. however, they don't make them for regular consumers when I last checked.

[@Silverfang447]

Thumbs up and an additional comment to beat the algorithm. Thanks for the video! 👍

[@gnrtradepro]

I have a brother black and white toner based printer. 100,000 pages per $50 toner unit.

[@JazzJams251]

How can I get in on this. I've had a lot of trouble with my Epson...even with "guaranteed" replacements. Their pricing is price gauging.

[@prettyfar33]

We have been known to just buy a new printer when the ink runs out!!! It is cheaper sometimes!!!

[@glennjarvis2672]

This is a surprise? They did this when they first introduced cartridge printers to the market. The printer simply wouldn't work unless there was a Epson cartridge used. I seem to remember some after market gizmo that was created to bypass this little scheme. I suppose now they've made the printer so you can't bypass anymore. I had an old LQ570+ which was a great printer, but that was the last Epson product I ever bought or sold through my business. I couldn't sell that kind of product to a customer and directed them to other brands of equal performance and quality.

[@christopherlavezzo4709]

According to the BBB they have a A+ rating but no refund policy. Check it out and look at the complaints and the dates.

[@waynerongaus6421]

Epson photo/art large format printers do a great job... WHEN THEY WORK. they are so touchy that it isn't worth the fight and certainly not the cost, this is the last one i will ever buy.

[@karlhenkels7035]

Twice they updated my Epson, and again I had to buy theirs.

[@highpeacetess]

Happened to me w my canon w generic 'for canon' ink :/

[@fkkmag8692]

Same here,

[@Dradeeus]

"We don't want your car to have sub-standard parts so if you try using a part we'll fucking shut it down on the highway."

[@cdenyb]

They do that already with the late model diesel pickups with DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) for the mandated EPA emissions crap.

[@tthinker9897]

Manufacturing firms call the supplies they sell for their primary product "consumables", and it's no accident that they want you to purchase only from them. It's been apparent for years that some printer manufacturers will almost give you a new printer due to their expectation that you will pay for it several times over in ink cartridge replacements. This is a slimy, underhanded scheme to lure a consumer into purchasing a "cheap" printer, and then to milk them for the life of the printer for those expensive refills. This type of dishonesty is on display with the vast majority of items sold - food labels that mislead, hype about health benefits that aren't real, writing code to enable diesel exhaust clean-up only during testing and to disable it during normal driving, etc., etc. etc...……. . It's time to re-write corporate law - to reign in sociopathic, profit-above-morality executives. And it's time white-collar criminals get jail and not just a slap on the wrist.

[@eighties73]

Any update on this lawsuit?

[@ebonyfullershopp]

yes my dtg ink is $250 a cartridge and you need 2 white, black, cyan, blue and yellow

[@MrHerks]

i have epson cartridges in mine, did the update and my printer is now a paper weight, so its not just aftermarket ink

[@georgezundell3619]

Had this happen to me. Spent weeks trying to figure out why printer went “offline”.

[@hrufhduehveugrhhty2024]

Try to avoid any updates or firmwares from any company.

[@robertmercer9117]

Epson has a new gimmick. I just purchased a new Epson WF-7820 that lists for $249.00. I set it up and printed out the setup page with the 4 provided cartridges. Next time I went to use the printer it said that the Initial Cartridges were installed and would not print. I called Epson Tech Support and they confirmed that the printer would not print without purchasing 4 new Cartridges. What??? Despite the cartridges obviously having a significant amount of ink, they are not usable. So I got just one page out of those 4 initial cartridge's. Talk about a scam, it's ridiculous. The WF-7820 really does not cost $249.00, it really costs around $329.00, in order to get it to print more than one page.

[@josephgarza5265]

HP does the same thing to this day. I have or should I say HAD an HP Office 3830 inkjet printer, after spending tons of money on HP replacement ink I bought from a company that was compatible with my printer. I put the cartridges in that were compatible and the ink monitor said “Incorrect Ink cartridge replacement” I bought HP ink cartridges figuring the compatible ones were faulty, No! Now my HP 3830 printer locked the ink cartridge chambers and wouldn’t even accept HP cartridges. Totally locked couldn’t even get the HP cartridges back in. Total self destruct mode set into the printer itself.

[@Rhaxx1]

This happened to me this morning!

[@jeremyofficer5038]

I've sold printers in a department store. The saying goes, "you don't buy the printer, you buy the ink". PS you can get around this with a sublimation printer kit

[@ClockworkTexaport]

Shit, and i thought i was getting a good deal when i bought the Epson Work Force 7720.

[@Dangerous_Brian]

Just seen this problem on my neighbours printer - this happened a few years ago the first time, so they went out and bought another Epson - guess what....it has happened again! NEVER going to buy Epson again. The Canon printer works AWESOME now.

[@TheTwick]

Both my Canon and HP printers say “Thank you for using genuine ink” when you use their ink. I’ve never tried an off-brand - just chicken, I guess. [I don’t want my printer to be disappointed* in me]😟 * Young man, we’re not upset, just DISAPPOINTED...

[@charlieb8788]

You will get a "Cartridge not recognized" error. There are many youtube videos on how to circumvent it. Manufacturers have engineers working overtime to prevent you from using third party parts and materials, and lawyers to defend them when they get caught. Class action is only a possible remedy. Lawmakers won't take them on. But, It still depends on the model you have. Get your search engine going and look for "compatible cartridges for...."

[@TheTwick]

@@charlieb8788 Many thanks Charlie. It’s time to take back.

[@thomasengelke7745]

This is ONLY about profit. Apple, via software updates, slow down the CPU speed of their older iPhones. Proof is in independent tests as well as apple's press releases due to customer's complaints. Apple say they slow down the phone as a method of ensuring the highest customer satisfaction rating for the aging phones. Law suits in the past determined that Microsoft as well as software developers could not build in a time bomb when certain conditions were determined, such as when the user enters in a non-unique software licence. Epson will find out quickly that they will not be allowed to "trap" the user into buying Epson original consumables by building in a time bomb that disables the device. If it does passing the courts then car manufacturers will say owners of cars must use their higher priced original parts or risk their cars from being automatically disabled! Where will it end?

[@SameStory_NewEnding]

Yep I got an Epson, and literally just tried my off brand cartridges, that fit perfectly, but my printer says noooooo! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Their ink is super high, and runs out super quick! So if you think your getting a cheap, but nice printer, you will pay out the butt for ink!!! 🤯

[@kwacz]

I think we have gone backwards with printer technology. While inkjet and laser printers do have better output and color output, we are always messing with them. Laser and inkjet printers all have their problems. Inkjet printers are always empty. Always running out of expensive ink. Print heads always need cleaning which uses expensive ink. Laser printers work great until they all of the sudden decide to run streaks and blotches down your page which is caused by either a bad toner cartridge or a bad drum. both expensive parts especially when the cartridge is halfway full but decides to streak your page. HELLO 1990'S THE DOT MATRIX PRINTER. Dot matrix printers are noted for being very slow. Well you can still buy them although hard to find they are still arround. If you get a 24 pin printer the output while only black and white is very good. The older ones can still be used today (most of them). The new dot matrix printers are much much faster than the printers of yesterday cranking out pages quickly (not as fast as inkjet or laser) but still pretty quick. Ribbons for these printers are about 10-20 dollars and last a long time. They will eventually slowly get lighter, but dont just run out in the middle of a job. They stay dark a long time. They dont need to be messed with they just work. When the ribbon is too light for your needs you change it thats it. They are very reliable and CHEAP to operate. THEY JUST WORK. no messing around with them. You know when you print something it will come out right the first time.

[@goldendogwoodworks6675]

go look at some of the high end canon and epson printers. it can cost to 1k for a complete set

[@BetterYet]

I have an Epson SX130 and I buy generic ink cartridges from Uni-Euro for €3.99. So far no surprises. My gripe is that it paper jams every second page.

[@KU84dh37]

I am NOT a computer expert BUT I don't know if this is still true but for sure until recently computer printer manufacturers sold their printers at "cheap" prices [relatively speaking] and made their profit by selling their brand name ink(s) at "very" high prices. Does this help any in the 'class action suit just gone over about Epson ink with Scott and Farron?

[@AA-rc4zr]

My Epson printer stoped working. Was forced to download the software update. Now, the printer does not "recognize" the cheaper ink that I've been using for over year. This is infuriating.

[@pmyou2]

That happened with my Canon, too

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

What model is that? Also, are you sure this was deliberate sabotage by Canon? Or could it be that the print nozzles just clogged because the cheap ink was, well, cheap?

[@lwriker1304]

I gave up. It's cheaper to print at nearest office store, just email or print to a pdf file on a thumb drive. My family had 4 printers in the house. Hardly ever used now.

[@Day.Of.The.GroundBreaker]

I have the EPSON WF-2830 and I buy only their "official" T-212 name brand cartridges. I bought a new Black ink Cartridge to print only in black, then the stupid printer says I need to replace the color cartridges even though before It allowed me to only print in black. Whatever my smart phone did that was linked to it, has caused it to keep making me buy cartridges even after I install new ones. I replace a new black one then it says replace color, then I replace color, then it says replace black. Back and forth a total rip-off. I never used non-Epson printer cartridges. I replaced 4 new cartridges and it still won't let me print a single page. Wasting 4 brand new cartridges before any pages were printed it says " You need to replace ink cartridge(s)", no matter how many you buy it will just scam you to buy ones with one new one in it totally full and brand new. This BS company has gone through a last ditch effort to rip people off since this lawsuit, by causing the update to destroy the usage of the printer even with it's own cartridges. Epson has purposely caused your smart phone to install a software update that tells the printer to never work again, This I suspect is there way of gaining more profit by making people by ink from them they will never be able to use, since this lawsuit made them look dishonest.

[@doberchic]

Suddenly mine won't acknowledge magenta and yellow after replacing entire set 2 months ago with a ratio of mostly black and white printing and half dozen color... The privilege for working 2 whole months? $73+ tax.

[@ynotaz]

What pees me off is the corporations write off the cost of their ink. they don't care what it costs, it benefits them! Epson should not do this with home products.