Epson under attack for print cartridge tricks - ink level monitoring chip is clever

theinquirer.net ^

[chance33_98]

Epson under attack for print cartridge tricks

Printer shenanigans of our time

By INQUIRER staff: Thursday 01 May 2003, 10:00

IT SEEMS IT'S NOT only Hewlett Packard that's getting a kicking for the policy of monitoring inkjet cartridge refills.

See HP inkjet cartridges have built-in expiry dates

A rant on Broadband Reports points out that Epson's ink level monitoring chip is clever enough to calculate the number of copies you need before buying a new cartridge.

Epson, as we've pointed out before, faces chip mods from third party vendors wanting to sell cheaper consumables to end users.

The printer manufacturers claim the ink they use in the cartridges is not just plain old ink, but a kind of superink that has special properties. We're sure they're right about this but a few years ago visited Kyocera's toner plant in Japan and for the life of us it seemed awfully like a very tall chimney that produced soot, that was later treated with proprietary technology for its range of laser printers.

The problem printer manufacturers basically have is that either they can sell the ink for practically next to nothing and charge a fortune for the printers, or do as they're currently doing, and charge a fortune for the cartridges and practically nothing for the printers.

In fact, as we've reported earlier, the current printer policy is under attack by the European Parliament, which wants the companies to stop chipping up cartridges, as they do right now. See European Union "bans" printer firm cartridge scam.

[ChemistCat]

The marketplace isn't stupid...trust it.

[TomGuy]

Cannon and Lexmark do the same.

I've had both injet printers. They "stop working" with installed cartridges after a while. The only way to get them to start working again--install a new cartridge.


[I have a Lexmark that has less than 500 copies on it. I don't print that often. The cartridges (color and black) have stopped working. I took the cartridges out and cleaned them. Now, the printer is permanently jammed. Needless to say, I'll never buy another Lexmark. Or Cannon--had similar experience with it.]

I saw an ad for a new Brother Laser (b/w) for $130, and color lasers are under $1000 now. I'm finished buying inkjets, so may try the laser printer next.

[randita]

I've been buying off market ink cartridges for years -- Ebay. At about $6 for a B/W and $10 for color, one might expect they wouldn't measure up to the Epson ones, but I've found they do. I experienced no difference whatsoever in the quality and quantities of print and I've even used them for pictures.

Perhaps someone who relies on the best quality possible for business purposes could see the difference, but I can't.

[CA_soon_gone]

Epson likes to sell this as a "feature".
Last year when I upgraded to OS X I needed a new driver for my Epson printer. After installation there didn't seem to be any display of ink level as before. When I contacted Epson I was told this was "not supported". So much for the "feature".

[genefromjersey]

My printer uses the Lexmark ctgs., which have a very short useful life: After just a few pages, the black ink starts to skip, and the color inks run dry not long after.

I talked to the staff at an office supply store, who said ALL the ink jet printers have the same problem. I could, they said, change to a laser printer - with cartridges that cost 2-3 times MORE, and which print 1000 pages, or less.

From what I understand, businesses have returned to using impact printers: not as nice, perhaps, but MUCH more reliable,much longer-lasting,but, unfortunately, much noisier, and less flexible.

In short, a " lose-lose " proposition !

[Blood of Tyrants]

I really hate spending $35 for a cartridge but the alternative is spending $300 for the printer and $10 for the cartridge. It is sort of like buying the printer on the installment plan.

[Hawkeye's Girl]

I tried using a third party cartridge in my Epson printer, and after printing half a page, it stopped.

I really hate being ripped off, but I'm stuck buying name brand.

[Cvengr]

For a $100 printer and $30 cartridges, color photos from the PC are reasonably inexpensive for the reliable quality available.

It ain't no 6-color 30 ton Heidelberg press, but then again it also fits on my desk and I can reliably batch 10-20 photos, 8x10, in one session with one new set of cartridges.

Intermittant photos will use more ink to clear the nozzles, and the paper match could obviously be done for 1/10th the cost, but for the present it's a remarkable system.

5 yrs from now I suspect a color photo print will drop from about $2-$3/print to about $.10-$.50/print.

It'll be hard to get it below $.25/sheet reliable with decent quality.

[oncebitten]

Here's what I do. Purchase the printer for $100 and the "extended warrantee" for $10. Do refills until the cartridges stop working. Call in the warrantee. Get a new printer. Throw the old one in the trash.

[genefromjersey]

Cat, I've tried chanting Free Market mantras at my printer, and I've prayed ( 5 times daily, rug facing Wall Street )for the industry to reward my trust. I've even explored Libertarian websites , and read the articles.

No luck.

How do YOU get your printer to operate reliably ?

[Cvengr]

I like it.

[americafirst]

Don't the refills invalidate the warrantee?

[IncPen]

Epson likes to sell this as a "feature". Last year when I upgraded to OS X I needed a new driver for my Epson printer. After installation there didn't seem to be any display of ink level as before. When I contacted Epson I was told this was "not supported". So much for the "feature".

I have an Epson 800c, a nice reliable printer. I've used refillable and non OEM cartridges with pretty good success. When I got rid of my desktop and got a USB-equipped laptop, I bought a SCSI to USB converter and never looked back. It worked great. Then, when I switched to OSX, I figured I was out of luck, because Epson lists mine as 'not supported'. I came across a little utility (gimpprint?) that emulates obsolete Epson drivers under OSX and voila! the Epson was no longer a boat anchor.

As for this "ink scheme", my next printer will not be purchased from a manufacturer that employs it...

[americafirst]

One entry found for warrantee.

Main Entry: war·ran·tee
Pronunciation: "wor-&n-'tE, "wär-
Function: noun
Date: 1706
the person to whom a warranty is made

I meant "warranty"

[tbpiper]

Sounds like a job for.....HACKERMAN!!...Anybody know his email address?

[general_re]

I tried using a third party cartridge in my Epson printer, and after printing half a page, it stopped.

Same here. Well, it kept printing, but it splattered ink all over the page and generally looked horrible. I'd like to save money, but generics just aren't as good as the manufacturer carts, from what I've seen. Plus, I get a pretty decent price for them anyway, $22 each for the color and black carts, as opposed to the $30+ you'll spend at CompUSA or Office Max or whatever...

[tdadams]

I'm no fan of paying $20 or more for OEM ink cartridges. But if you're printing photos, there's a difference you'll notice in 2 to 3 years. Non-OEM inks will start to fade badly after about 3 years. Some of the Epson OEM inks are rated to last 25 years or more.

[D-fendr]

thanks for the lead...

gimp-print

[knighthawk]

Epson denies fraudulent practices in the Netherlands

The printer manufacturer Epson has denied an accusation made by a Dutch consumer organisation that it is guilty of fraudulent practices. On Monday, the organisation warned consumers that Epson ink-cartridges contain a chip which shuts down the supply of ink before the cartridge is completely empty. The organisation claimed the practice was a trick designed to cheat customers out of their money.

Epson says the warning is based on factual inaccuracies and that it is considering taking legal steps against the consumer organisation.

http://www.rnw.nl/news/news.html#3661998