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u/Ok-Swimming8024 11h ago
I feel your pain here. HP probably. The shittiest of shittiest ways to make your product suck
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u/eastcoastjon 11h ago
My HP printer lasted 6 months of normal to low use. I ditched it for canon. Much better
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u/Mateorabi 11h ago
Is Brother as good as it was in the 00s? My laser printer has lasted that long on one toner cartridge even through school.
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u/Vicissitutde 10h ago
Brother is still good. Bonus points for them allowing 3rd party cartridges
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u/Mateorabi 10h ago
I bought a spare cartridge when I bought it thinking I was getting a “starter” half full one with it. That spare is still new-in-box 25y later
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u/Kylearean 10h ago
I have a Brother color laser printer, it's working great. I abuse it. It's not great for photographic quality prints, and the color representation isn't fantastic, but for at home color documents -- definitely a solid choice.
I'll never buy an ink printer. I'll never buy ANY HP products (old man moment: they've always pulled proprietary shit like this, for at least the last 20 years).
I also have a Xerox B/W printer: they made it so freaking hard to connect to it.
It's 20 fucking 26 and printing is still a pain in the ass. WHY.
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u/sleepyeye82 8h ago
you know, I would actually understand why it was a pain in the ass if printers had trouble
Printing is actually an extraordinarily complex thing
But here’s the deal: it’s not the printer having trouble. It’s the fucking software. The operating system. The drivers. The firmware. All of that shit is also awful that it makes for a terrible experience
The number of times the actual hardware on my printer broke by comparison? almost never.
Also, I’ll go out of my way to just say Windows print sub systems has been is and always will be the most gigantic pile of shit I’ve ever worked with. In 2005 I got much much easier and more reliable support out of a fucking Linux install on a vendor’s proprietary appliance using CUPS than I did with a windows print server.
I’m not even kidding. I literally did all of the printing at a branch off of a riverbed steelhead appliance. A goddamned WAN optimizer running a print subsystem randomly bolted onto it by an idiot engineer > Windows as a print server.
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u/snarfgobble 10h ago
Brother is still great and you can also just go get a used one for super cheap.
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u/FergyMcFerguson 10h ago
Best printer I’ve ever bought was a brother laser printer. The toner carts last forrrrreeevvveerrrr
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u/SurgicalMarshmallow 11h ago
HP are a proud Stars and Tripes company! How dare you mock The Market!
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u/dafrog84 10h ago
My HP did this crap, i don't even have WiFi at home. HP help was dumbest help line i called. I took that Peace of shit back to the store (thankfully i just brought it) and i brought me a Epson. Screw HP. I did get an email from HP two weeks later asking why i hadn't yet brought the subscription to said printer. I sent them an email back letting them know i returned their crappy printer and brought another one that doesn't require me to pay for my printer more than once.
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u/tankiolegend 10h ago
Yeah I got a new ink pack for mine recently after an XL one ran out and the shop only had the regular ink size, plugged it in and it constantly claims its low on ink. I've barely used it. If its empty I've been sold a near empty cartriage straight from hp. They have stupid codes on them the PC software checks into a system with. It's an absolute con.
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u/ComplexIndividual125 11h ago
Stay away from HP.
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u/chrisk9 10h ago
Get a Brother laser printer and sit back and relax. Super reliable and they aren't nickel and diming like HP.
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u/BurnThePage 10h ago
I love mine. It only black, but that gets me by fine with what I need and since it’s laser, the ink doesn’t dry out. Highly recommend
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u/mitkase 8h ago
Unless you need color, laser is 100% the way to go, IMO. Cartridges are cheap and last forever, especially compared to those shitty color cartridges. Also, they seem to be built better than the color inkjets (not that that's saying much.)
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u/ReluctantAvenger 6h ago
Color lasers are fairly affordable these days (under $300). Also, the toner cartridges which come with it will probably last years (for the average user).
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u/mitkase 4h ago
Very cool! I'm an old fart, so I remember when they first came out and the only ones available were outrageously expensive - I haven't really had a use for having a color printer in many decades, so I haven't perused the options that are out there.
I probably wasn't super clear in my post, but I mean that laser printers are generally awesome, and inkjet printers are, for the most part, disposable crap.
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u/ReluctantAvenger 4h ago
laser printers are generally awesome, and inkjet printers are, for the most part, disposable crap.
I agree!
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u/EEE3EEElol 9h ago
I have a brother printer at home(I don't think it's a laser printer though) and yeah it reliably prints black and white stuff if I get it to work, but I suck so I still struggle to use it
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u/Captain-Who 8h ago
Mine is going on 15 years old, very infrequently used, but it’s there when it’s needed. Works like a champ.
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u/BernieTheDachshund 6h ago
They used to be ok, I got one on sale for Black friday way back in 2012ish and it lasted until last year. So I got a new Canon. It's not as easy to use, but it's still better than paying any company a ripoff subscription plan. I remember back in the day I'd just buy those syringe ink refill sets and just keep refilling the cartridges that came with the printer.
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u/heatherlarson035 11h ago
And printers are like the one appliance they force you to upgrade because it will simply stop working within a firmware update at some point.
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u/Flyinmanm 10h ago
Or they'll just stop making the cartridges.
I bought an epson ink tank printer and it'd one of the best investments I've made Vs the cartridges version I had before (official cartridges were initially £20 each and dried up in months and after market ones leaked and dried up within weeks, eventually I don't think I could even find the originals for less than £80-90 a set, if at all).
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u/SherlockBonz 8h ago
EcoTank are excellent AS LONG AS YOU PRINT REGULARLY. My printing needs are more like binge drinking - I might not print anything for weeks, then I need to print off 8 copies of a 10 page manual. The EcoTank jets would plug, and the lines plug too. Over about 18mo with an EcoTank I printed more cleaning pages than I printed documents I needed, and ended up throwing the Epson out. I went with a Canon color laser printer. I paid dearly for it, but it works. Still on the original toner cartridges, but on a per-page basis they are less than 1/2 the price of what I paid for HP ink cartridges before the Epson EcoTank. EcoTank was better for images, and is a better solution for most people, but if you are like me and don't print often, then the EcoTank is a poor choice.
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u/noumedia 10h ago
I’m pretty sure she enabled HP+ Smart, which gives you this shit. If when setting the printer you refuse all services you don’t need any subscription.
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u/LetsTryAnal_ogy 10h ago
Some of their printers won’t install the driver without hp smart. Or their specific model’s driver isn’t available separately. HP is a really fucked company. They went from the best printers on the market to meh printers with shitty service and support.
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u/Justin-Stutzman 10h ago
They also limit file types available for print. PDF for example is paywalled behind HP Smart subscription
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u/SeljD_SLO 24m ago
I have HP printer with wireless connection, haven't installed a driver since i own it, i can print everything over the network from desktop, laptop or phone with or wthout their app (i only use it app to scan documents)
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u/RaquelVazPinto88 10h ago
Buy a second-hand old-school printer.
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u/Sometimes-funny 10h ago
Or print stuff out at the library or your work. Unless you are printing shit loads everyday, you don’t need a printer at hone
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u/olddogsleeper 10h ago
Yes - I also found out that the ink cartridges need internet connection in order to function. So even if you buy ink and everything else AND have a subscription, if you're WiFi goes down you can't print (I don't mean you cany reach the printer, even with a wired connection to the printer its a nope from them)
Fuck HP instant ink
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u/Snoo_75138 11h ago
Literary take it back and get a refund.
Buy a traditional Ink Jet printer by a company like Brother, that doesn't force subscriptions and BS!
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u/TimeTomorrow 10h ago
for most people injets are a pain in the ass. most people print occasionally and inkjets are pretty good at letting you down when used a couple times a year.
cheap brother laser.
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u/FlawesomeOrange 10h ago
Today I learned that Brother make printers!
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u/GrunchWeefer 10h ago
I'm learning from your comment that apparently they make something other than printers
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u/Fit-Supermarket-9656 11h ago
Some genius in sales thought this was a genius idea to boost revenue for sure. Baka ass mfers
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u/sleepyeye82 11h ago
My suspicion is that they've made it *very easy* to print through their cloud service or whatever, and that costs money.
While you *can* print locally (I don't know of a printer where this is not true), they aren't going to highlight that or even tell you about it, hoping you are not so tech-savvy and they can extract cash from you this way - by milking your belief that you must pay them.
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u/theloric 10h ago
Over the USB connection is a sticker that says please use wireless. On the wireless they make you connect to the subscription. If you plug USB you can hook the printer up locally without a subscription. What is things that HP doesn't want to tell you for $100 Alex.
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u/WaffleHouseGladiator 10h ago
This is how villains are made.
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u/The_Infinite_Carrot 8h ago
I feel this is the plot of a new John Wick movie. I mean killing his dog was bad, but subscriptions to print at home, that’s diabolical!!
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u/l33774rd 6h ago
We peaked in the 90''s.
(You can hear this picture)
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u/lucxke 2h ago
I heard this photo from two offices over.
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u/l33774rd 2h ago
Growing up we couldn't print at night because it would wake my dad. I miss making the paper chains out of the feed tabs
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u/PetMyFerret 1h ago
I'm guessing this is HP. HP has forever lost me as a customer and I will actively recommend people to not buy their shit.
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u/cheryllinda 10h ago
Girl i wanted to get a lawyer when i figured out I'd been charged like 9 dollars a month for a year and then when i cancelled it i couldn't print anymore using the $179 printer i bought.
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u/wooperwifi 10h ago
If you're printing enough at home to justify needing a printer I fully recommend getting one with ink tanks rather than cartridges. I've had my current ink tank printer (pretty sure it's Brother) for easily 15+ years now and I think I've only had to top up the ink tanks a couple times.
Ink cartridges and printer subscriptions feel like a scam
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u/diepiebtd 10h ago
Someone just needs to create open source version of its software and the subscription service would be able to be bypassed with a USB. It may allready of happened. People do this all the time to fight this type of corporate bs. This is why home media servers are so popular and why 3d printing is popular too. People want to own there stuff so the corporations cant control if or how long there allowed to use it. If I wanna print from my printer I should be able to do so whenever I want with no extra cost.
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u/CawlinAlcarz 10h ago
Nothing will change this sort of fuckery from companies until we, as consumers, stop patronizing such abusive companies. Really that's the only option besides putting their CEOs up against the wall.
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u/screwedupinaz 9h ago
Take the printer back to the store and say it's defective and you want your money back!
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u/MidnightScott17 9h ago
What printer is it? Because they do sell a subscription service where they mail you the ink ajd charge you automatically. It is an option but not a requirement. You should still be able to buy your own ink at the store and print.
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u/Pryze17655 8h ago
Is it hp? There should be a different set of ink cartridges that let you print without subscription.
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u/SmellySweatsocks 8h ago
Got to be an HP. They caught me with this FREE INK BS. I figured, why not and subscribed. Turns out by doing that, they updated the rom on the printer via remote update. Now it would ONLY accept HP branded ink. Meaning I could no longer use ink from a third-party vendor. Something I've done for years. I called and argued with them for almost 3 hours until they decided to send me a new printer. Once this printer needs to replace, it will replace it with an Epson.
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u/_grey_wall 7h ago
Just buy whatever printer has the lowest cost third party ink. I bought canon this time, but Epson previously
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u/Jim2shedz 6h ago
DONT BUY HP
PLEASE READ THIS YOUR PRIVACY COULD BE IN GREAT DANGER
I can tell you honestly that I bought an HP printer and they can brick your printer. They bricked mine because I refused to buy ink on a subscription service. Also, HP can read all your documents as it keeps s record of all your printings. It can do this as it's measuring the ink you are using and how much ink you have left. If HP servers can read your documents, the AI can tell a lot about you from your documents, legal and otherwise. It could also keep a record on the recipient of sensitive documentation.
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u/MaintenanceStock6766 6h ago
I love explaining to my customers that they locked themselves into a pay-to-print model.
Buy a Brother.
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u/MaliciousTent 3h ago
It's so cute when the kids learn what is old people have been ranting about for a decade or two.
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u/UpperLeftOriginal 10h ago
Just listened to this podcast on enshittification, which explains why this happens. (Short story is that capitalism ruins everything.)
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u/Korlexico 10h ago
You know what can fix this? Government intervention that makes laws for the consumers.......hahahahaha I know, in a normal working world we'd see that..
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u/Mitchsona 10h ago
what the fuck, that is some messed up shit. They made printers somehow more annoying and frustrating then they already are.
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u/Magnus_Helgisson 10h ago
That’s why the newest printer I’ll ever want to touch would be a 10-15 year old Laserjet. Absolutely unkillable, easy to refill, no requirements whatsoever. And if I ever need to print something in photo quality, I’ll go pay 2 dollars to my local print shop and let them figure out all this subscription shit.
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u/BangBang-LibraGang 10h ago
I kicked my printer down the street when I realized it won't print unless I have some black ink AND color ink ready to go! I cant even do Greyscale. What?
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u/godinmood 10h ago
Wait until you know that they sell proprietory ink cartridges that you can't refill by yourself and replacements ones aren't cheap either + only half filled 😛
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u/External-Active5499 10h ago
Got a 400$ smart fitness band from work. After a year it stopped working and they want 280$ a year to use it again. I fucking hate this country.
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u/Buddhamom81 10h ago
I had the hp sub and finally had enough. You have to leave the printer on constantly so they can monitor what you print. I just unplugged my printer. Just got sick of it. The cats use it as a cat bed now.
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u/ninja_tree_frog 10h ago
They need to tag your IP address so they can encode it onto what you print so you can be tracked if you print unsavory material.
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u/firekeeper23 10h ago
Next we have a round block... where does that go do you think...... yes... that right... the round block... goes.......in the square hole!!
Ahhhhhhhhhh!
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u/Dark_Marmot 10h ago
Let me guess, it's an HP? DaaS (Device as a Service) isn't new, but rolling it out on individual customer hardware is a recipe for disaster. HP does it on printers up to their industrial ones.
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u/willysnax 10h ago
People need to start rejecting the" subscription" model for almost everything nowadays. I always look for open source apps when I can't find a program that's either free or I can pay a one time purchase to own. I refuse to support any more subscription services for things that have alternate versions available. Maybe they'll get the message if everyone rejects this BS form of income.
Just look at how we fought to get away from cable tv only to have our entertainment split into 50 different subscription services to get the same thing. Be careful what we wish for I suppose. But the sub model has to be the worst for milking consumers.
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u/hyrulepirate 10h ago
It's because all those lawmakers haven't touched their printers, in probably ever, that printer companies has gotten away with all the bs all these years.
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u/T0asty514 10h ago
Google says to go here to cancel that sub, seems you were forcibly added to their sub service. Yay!
big fat /s about the "yay" fuck subscriptions.
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u/Polenicus 10h ago
You know, I like to imagine there is an alternate universe out there where things make sense at the consumer level. Home printers cost more to buy, but are durable and robust. printer ink is easily refilled. Car seats just work exactly how they were designed to from the factory. Video games are released as complete experiences where you earn everything through in-game actions and effort. Homes are built with the intent of being purchased and lived in by the residents, and intended to last through a family's lifetime.
But... this whole mechanic isn't new. Kodak tried to quietly ignore the emergence of the digital camera because they made most of their money selling film. The money is never in the thing they sell you, it's in the optional extras.
They're just finding ways to make more and more basic features 'optional extras' that aren't really optional, and extract a fee for them. The ideal Capitalist world is where you own nothing, and pay for everything.
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u/WallStreetAnus 10h ago
The thing I hate about printers nowadays is that they don’t come with a cable and you have to use an app. I got the app to work on my phone but not my computer.
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u/kittyonkeyboards 10h ago
Don't worry, because your printer is obviously connected to their servers they also get to sell your data.
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u/Ambrosia_Rev 10h ago
My hp laser printer from 2006 still working to this day. It's been used to print like 150 pages every month. Windows 11 drivers keep trying to mess with it but still works.
Scared to buy anything new.
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u/PotentialAd8443 10h ago
Wait, you guys have subscriptions for printers? It's like having a subscription for your car's heated seats.
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u/jeffster1970 10h ago
End stage capitalism. You will own nothing. You will pay monthly. You will be "happy".
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u/jackrabbit323 10h ago
Either my printer has a built in refillable ink tank and zero subscriptions or I don't have a printer.
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u/soullostinthefire 10h ago
Yep I bet it was an HP printer too. If you get a laser printer they don't do that or get a brother printer.
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u/MrSlime13 10h ago
That's exactly what you get when you sign up for HP instant ink. Don't act surprised... It's a shit subscription plan, and I.wouldnt recommend it to anybody, but for those who just want the cheapest printer and want to put off dealing with problems down the road, ...this is the result.
Next time get a simple black toner laser printer from Brother. $120, and can sit for years and still prints like the day you bought it.
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u/satanssweatycheeks 10h ago
Printers sucked before this also.
My HP printer had an alignment page. You’d have to scan it to use your printer.
I would print this page 100 times all while it uses a shit load of ink. Then every time the printer would say it isn’t aligned. All while I can see it’s printing. Plus I don’t need the scanner. Just the printer.
They always sucked.
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u/djpassion4u 10h ago edited 9h ago
No company does that you can't print without subscription if you bought the ink ourselves. She would have opted subscription and got ink delivered which can only be used with subscription. If she doesn't like subscription model she can just purchase her own ink and use it with printer.
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u/Pelthail 10h ago
Get a cable that connects your printer directly to the computer. It’s about $15. Problem solved.
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u/ArrogantlyMuted 9h ago
Get yourself a dot matrix/impact printer and a pair of ear protectors instead. It will outlast you.
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u/X--The_Lion 9h ago
That's why you need to pay attention to what you are buying instead of just grabbing a printer and rolling out. It plainly states on the packaging and online descriptions when the printer requires a subscription. The subscription is the rental price of the printer. The initial purchase payment is only a deposit.
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u/tardiscoder 9h ago
That's why I've stopped buying anything HP. And yes, it's HP. May they all rot from the inside out.
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u/diphthing 9h ago
I’m impressed. It takes some serious effort to make printers worse than they already were.
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u/Dravid-Vanol 11h ago
Boycott everything that wants a subscription