EU needs to get their shit together and clamp down on this, absolute abomination of a company
this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2023
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Like 15 years ago I bought the cheapest Brother laser printer. It's still going strong. The ink never dries out or fucks up. I've never felt like the company was trying to rape my asshole. Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know. I've boycotted HP decades ago and to this day I continue to see reasons to never change that decision.
We got a Brother laser as well. Only print a few times a year, and the toner is always good to go when it does get switched on. Love my Brother!
Why anyone still plays the ink jet game I do not fuckin know.
Space. At least for me, space is the reason. I'm flatting at the moment and can only keep the printer in my room, and it's already quite cramped with all my gear here. If I could get a compact color laser MFD within the same dimensions as my current Brother inkjet, I'd switch in a heartbeart. Most of the compact laser printers I've seen are either monochrome, or don't include form-feed scanning, or have some or the other shortcomings.
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JFC! HP sucks. Just buy a Brother laser printer used and never worry about it because it's bulletproof and a workhorse.
And will work OOTB on Linux with CUPS. Easiest process ever.
I don't know what CUPS is, but I had 3 major reservations about switching my barely functional computer to Linux:
- Ive never worked in Linux before
- My dive computer only uploads to proprietary software using a proprietary cable.
- My Brother laser printer was working SO well wirelessly. It's the first time I've ever not hated my printer
Turns out some amazing people made open source dive logging software so I can still download my dives.
And for printing, I meant to get around to setting it up, then one day I forgot and accidentally printed something and it just worked. I was so shocked that for a bit I assumed that reformatting the hard drive and changing operating systems must've somehow preserved my printer settings.
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Start with something simple like Mint or Fedora. It's quite easy to use.
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Can you be more specific about the specific cable and software? Odds are it works, or it can work with some tinkering.
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Brother printers work great in Linux in my experience.
While your advice is sound, I think you might not have read @jrubal1462's comment in full. They already installed Linux, found FOSS alternatives for the proprietary dive software and their printer, to their shock, worked OOTB.
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The original mastodon post that kicked off this controversy: https://haunted.computer/@netspooky/110832978569741892
the original mastodon post
Unrelated to this post:
IMO it's stuff like this, original content that shows up on Mastodon/Lemmy/Kbin first, that will get people to switch over.
Slow organic growth is nice. Keep making good quality content and people will shift over
Kinda baffling that anyone's still buying HP - isn't it common knowledge that they're one of the worst printer brands?
They're also the cheapest among well-known brands, so the average person buys these
Used to sell printers. It's the old people 100%
HP has decent enterprise models. So office drones will have a positive image of HP. Also old people who have been out of touch with the market for 20 years or so.
A gentle reminder to those coming in to complain about their prior printers: In some areas, libraries have a computer area where you can print out a reasonable number of pages. It's not totally convenient, but generally a far better option than maintaining your own cartridge-muncher.
Hurray for public libraries!
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Never buying HP printers again, not after I got a Brother one last year. It works OOTB even with linux and there's no such lockdown bullshit.
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Wtf is going on with printers market
The market for people who NEED printers is shrinking. Last concert I went to I had the QR code ticket in my phone, I havent printed map directions in at least 15 years and I literally cannot remember the last item I needed to print at home.
But they also cant say "Oh well, we had a good 30 year run with home printers" they have to keep making more than last year, so they have to get increasingly predatory.
I just don't understand why people fall for it. Who is subscribing to this nonsense? I would never purchase or use something like that when there are still other options available. It should have been a dead idea from day 1.
Because most people aren’t technical enough to understand there are alternatives, particularly if those alternatives involve removing a scary label telling you not to.
My parents who are in their 80s only use their printer for printing out the daily crossword puzzle. I made the mistake of getting them to give up their newspaper delivery and just read the paper online, not realizing it would force me to maintain a printer for them. But at least I was able to get them a cheap Brother inkjet where I can refill the cartridges with a syringe.
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We let game publishers and adobe get away with charging infinite money for faux services so now everyone else wants to do the same.
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I work at a retirement place doing tech. Have had 3 hp printers shit the bed exclusively because of software in the 6 months I've been there. Hp smart is so bad.
Such a shitty company. As most of these people are former professionals they get an hp because they used it at work then get talked into the subscription ink because they aren't 21st century tech savvy.
One printer stopped printing because they did not have the subscription ink. They placed a normal ink cartridge in with a subscription one and the software would not allow printing because it recognized non subscription ink. Disgusting.
So many companies want to enter this subscription hellscape.
After being in IT and software development for over 25 years, the only printer brand I bother with any more is Brother. It's unbelievable how much better they are than everyone else. No nonsense drivers and they're not constantly trying to force you to buy expensive ink.
From a repair standpoint, Brother are definitely the best option (that I know of). I do authorised repair work for them, and their support guides, technical support team and range of spare parts is absolutely amazing. The biggest problem I see is aftermarket toner wrinkling up the fuser of laser models, but that's not like it's something Brother's introduced to be anti-competitive slime bags.
I've got a second-hand HL-5370DW (from 2009~) that's been through the wringer of a medical practice - I still use it to print without any issue, despite the Web UI insisting that all the non-toner consumables need to be replaced immediately.
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DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! Removing this sticker will reveal a consumer-friendly communications port that will deprive HP of even more money than it's already milking you for with overpriced ink!
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I have been contemplating abandoning my HP (with instant ink subscription) for an Epson Ecotank. Stuff like this isn’t convincing me to stay. My subscription has already risen to $80 a year, so the value is gone.
Do your self a favour and check out Brother color lasers. Prices are quite good and the speed and quality outstrip a jet by a long way.
My printer is mainly used for color photos and laser printers just aren’t as good at handling those.
How many photos do you print to make it worth it? I can send the files to my local photo lab and they generally print them within a couple hours. I'd have to print like 160 4x6 photos to spend the same as you spend each year in ink, and they are quality prints. If I went to Staples it would be even more.
Brother also has those EcoTank-like printers.
Even if it is not a laser, ink Brother printers are also bulletproof and as everybody says they work like a charm.
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Be sure to research the ink sponge situation on the ecotank. When it is full, epson has drm to force you to get licensed service to replace it. No expensive cartridges, but expensive sponge instead.
Change the EcoTank sponge yourself: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/429699/Epson+ECO+TANK+%22inkpad%22+requires+replacing.+How+to
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I’ve had an EcoTank for two years and have been VERY happy with it. My only complaint is that I should have gone for a model that allows double sided printing.
The price on the ink is great, that you can fill individual colors as needed is nice, and the print quality is very good.
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People will still buy it when they suffer economically or techonological ignorance. If there was another system where people could vote on a business death penalty.. HP and other printer IP holders have already earned my vote.
Nothing like having to pull out the official ink to clear a paper jam and be told afterwards that the ink you just took out is not the same official ink or gasp reused so the printer punishes you by using more ink so you buy the official ink next time that you already bought.
Fuck HP.
Wow, HP. Way to make even Lexmark look like a paragon of corporate virtue in the home printer market.
For the love of the old gods what kind of Lovecraftian horror is this
I have a m11 laser printer. I bought the compatible laser cilinder thingy with a tiger and a green box because hp laser ink is double the price.
So far I have no problems with printing. Aside from the fact that hp puts an exclamation after each print with the prompt: DANGER! COUNTERFEIT INK CARTRIDGE InstALLED!
Ok man I’ll be careful so it doesn’t explode. Only because it’s not the proprietary ink…. Hope I didn’t give them any ideas…
Yet another reason I’m glad I got my Canon Pixima 5000 series a while back. Individual cheap replacement ink carts with no electronics in them. I can (and have) buy 5 sets of carts for $20 that last me years.
If it wasn’t for photos, I’d have picked up a cheap laser printer.
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