Brother printers causing issues with third party inks: Difference between revisions
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[[Brother Industries Ltd.|Brother]] is a printer company that has allowed the use of third-party toner cartridges with their printer devices. Recent firmware updates have changed this practice by displaying an error message when consumers attempt to install their third-party toner that was previously allowed. When using the Brother printer with the toner of their choice, some users report a significant decrease in print quality, functionally disabling the printer unless OEM toner is installed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Skye |date=2025-03-05 |title=Brother printers are quietly sabotaging third-party toner with firmware updates |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/107022-brother-printers-quietly-sabotaging-third-party-toner-firmware.html}}</ref> | |||
== | ==Relevant practices== | ||
*'''Post-Sale Function Removal''' – Firmware updates retroactively remove previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users using non-OEM toner.<ref name="reddit">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/s9b2eg Brother MFC firmware update - non-genuine toner now disables critical features.]</ref><ref name="reddit-2">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/w60687/brother_mfcl3370cdw_firmware_downgrade_needed/ Brother MFC-L3370CDW Firmware Downgrade needed]</ref> | *'''Post-Sale Function Removal''' – Firmware updates retroactively remove previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users using non-OEM toner.<ref name="reddit">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/s9b2eg Brother MFC firmware update - non-genuine toner now disables critical features.]</ref><ref name="reddit-2">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/w60687/brother_mfcl3370cdw_firmware_downgrade_needed/ Brother MFC-L3370CDW Firmware Downgrade needed]</ref> | ||
*'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at lower quality unless OEM toner is installed.<ref name=":0" /> | *'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at lower quality unless OEM toner is installed.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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1. Consumers purchase a Brother laser printer that previously accepted third-party toner. | 1. Consumers purchase a Brother laser printer that previously accepted third-party toner. | ||
2. A firmware update (e.g., W1.56) is pushed | 2. A firmware update (e.g., W1.56) is pushed and does not notify users of any major changes in core functionality. | ||
3. After updating, users report | 3. After updating, users report: | ||
*Color registration fails | *Color registration fails by default, causing misaligned prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref> | ||
4. Brother support acknowledges that installing OEM toner will immediately resolve the issue.<ref name="hackernews" /> | |||
*Older firmware versions are removed from Brother’s servers, preventing downgrades.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref> | *Older firmware versions are removed from Brother’s servers, preventing firmware downgrades that would fix the issue while also allowing consumers to use their preferred toner.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref> | ||
==Impact on | ==Impact on consumer protection== | ||
*Consumers may no longer use the ink provider of their choice without compromising the functionality of their printer. | *Consumers may no longer use the ink provider of their choice without compromising the functionality of their printer. | ||
*Consumers previously able to save money by | *Consumers previously able to save money by purchasing third-party toner are now required to purchase OEM toner at a higher cost to maintain printer functionality. | ||
*No prior warning of change in the printer's core functionality had been given before these firmware updates were installed. | *No prior warning of change in the printer's core functionality had been given before these firmware updates were installed. | ||
*Workarounds tend to involve blocking the firmware updates or attempting downgrading the firmware, both of which Brother actively discourages. | *Workarounds tend to involve blocking the firmware updates or attempting downgrading the firmware, both of which Brother actively discourages. | ||
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==User evidence & reports== | ==User evidence & reports== | ||
===Hacker News Discussion (2022)=== | ===Hacker News Discussion (2022)=== | ||
*Users noticed that Brother's printers do accept third-party toner instead of outright rejection | *Users have noticed that Brother's printers do accept third-party toner instead of outright rejection. This leads some to suspect the consequential loss of print quality may be a deliberate act. One user stated: | ||
<blockquote>''Brother seems to be apparently accepting the ink, but then purposefully making the print quality poorer.''<ref name="hackernews" /></blockquote> | <blockquote>''Brother seems to be apparently accepting the ink, but then purposefully making the print quality poorer.''<ref name="hackernews" /></blockquote> | ||
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===GitHub developer investigation=== | ===GitHub developer investigation=== | ||
*A project analyzing Brother firmware updates discovered that older firmware versions were removed from Brother’s servers, making it impossible for users to roll back to a working version.<ref name="github-fwupd" /> | *A project analyzing Brother firmware updates discovered that older firmware versions were removed from Brother’s servers, making it impossible for users to roll back to a working version.<ref name="github-fwupd" /> | ||
*Another GitHub discussion showed that Brother firmware updates lock out more non-Brother toner cartridges with each update.<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | *Another GitHub discussion showed that Brother firmware updates continue to lock out more non-Brother toner cartridges with each update.<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | ||
*This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]], which blocks non-OEM cartridges. | *This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]], which blocks non-OEM cartridges. | ||
===Quality | ===Quality example=== | ||
[[File:Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32 before registration deleted.png|alt=Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.|none|thumb|800x800px|Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of color registration.]] | [[File:Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32 before registration deleted.png|alt=Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.|none|thumb|800x800px|Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of color registration.]] | ||
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==Mitigations available to users== | ==Mitigations available to users== | ||