HP’s long-running use of firmware updates that block third-party ink and toner cartridges is drawing scrutiny again – this time under a new global sustainability standard that explicitly forbids the practice.
The International Imaging Technology Council (Int’l ITC), a trade group for cartridge remanufacturers, says HP’s latest printer firmware rollout conflicts with the requirements of the General Electronics Council’s (GEC) updated Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT 2.0.


Funnily enough I’ve owned 2 inkjets spanning two decades, both very infrequently used and… I never had issues. The last one was an HP even. Though after like a decade, the ink dried up I think. Before that I could just take it out of its hiding spot after a year and it’d still work.
Never planning to buy another one though. If I REALLY need to, I’ll get a black and white laser one.
Didn’t expect this in my search results
(emphasis mine)
Was looking for a weekly cron script as an example of the ink drying issue being prevalent, but this is neat
I know it’s prevalent. I’m just surprised it never happened to me. Neither printer was a particularly high end model either.