Brother printers causing issues with third party inks: Difference between revisions
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==Brother Printer Firmware Lockouts & Print Degradation== | ==Brother Printer Firmware Lockouts & Print Degradation== | ||
===Summary=== | ===Summary=== | ||
Brother used to be known for allowing third-party toner use & being less consumer hostile than companies such as HP. In recent years, they've implemented '''firmware updates that deliberately degrade print quality when using non-OEM toner'''. These updates disable color registration & other features which coerces consumers into buying expensive genuine Brother toner. | [[Brother Industries, Ltd.|Brother]] used to be known for allowing third-party toner use & being less consumer hostile than companies such as HP. In recent years, they've implemented '''firmware updates that deliberately degrade print quality when using non-OEM toner'''. These updates disable color registration & other features which coerces consumers into buying expensive genuine Brother toner. | ||
===Nature of Exploitation=== | ===Nature of Exploitation=== | ||
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3. After updating, users notice that: | 3. After updating, users notice that: | ||
* Color registration '''fails automatically''', misaligning prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref> | *Color registration '''fails automatically''', misaligning prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref> | ||
* Brother support '''admits''' that installing OEM toner will resolve the issue instantly.<ref name="hackernews" /> | *Brother support '''admits''' that installing OEM toner will resolve the issue instantly.<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 downgrades.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref> | ||
===Real-World Impact=== | ===Real-World Impact=== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:Brother]] | |||
[[Category:Digital Restrictions]] | |||
[[Category:Vendor Lock-in]] | |||
[[Category:Post-Sale Firmware Lockouts]] | |||