Jump to content

HP Printers Ink Requirements Controversy

From Consumer_Action_Taskforce
Revision as of 13:25, 22 February 2025 by InTransparencyWeTrust (talk | contribs) (Start of incident article)

HP produces all-in-one printers, which are marketed as a complete solution for printing, scanning documents, and sending faxes. However, these printers enter an error state when the ink level in one of the cartridges is too low, disabling all functionalities—including scanning and faxing—even though these features do not require ink.[1][2] HP has faced legal actions[3][4] because it sells its products as all-in-one solutions but does not clearly disclose that ink is necessary to use any of the functionalities.

Background

Printer manufacturers often sell their printer hardware at a loss, knowing they will profit significantly from subsequent ink cartridge sales.

Requiring ink for scanning and faxing

The core issue centers on HP's intentional design choice to disable all printer functionality when ink levels become low. Specifically:

  • Printers enter an error state when any single ink cartridge runs low
  • Scanning and faxing capabilities are completely disabled despite not requiring ink
  • HP did not disclose this limitation in marketing materials[3]
  • Each replacement ink cartridge costs approximately $30[3]

HP's response

HP initially declined to comment publicly on the issue, citing pending litigation.[5]

Lawsuits

The case against HP states that this is a design flaw, and points to the advertising not disclosing it and instead calling the printers "convenient because you don’t have to buy a separate device for each task".[6]

Canon

Canon faced similar charges, but they settled privately.[7] Canon's requires all ink tanks to be installed on certain all-in-one printer, and support instead prompts consumers to disable the function that detects ink levels if they want to scan with empty ink tanks.[1]

Consumer response

Consumers state that not only the ink levels are required, but that there are other practices regarding the ink levels.[8] These range from cartridge DRM to ink sensors which are too sensitive, meaning they report empty ink too early with still ink present, causing waste with serious environmental concerns and additional consumer cost.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08/the-printers-that-require-ink-to-scan-and-fax/
  2. ↑ https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Scanning-Faxing-Copying/can-t-scan-due-to-low-ink-I-shouldn-t-need-ink-to-scan-a/td-p/8308292
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.classaction.org/blog/design-flaw-hp-printers-wont-scan-fax-when-ink-is-low-class-action-alleges
  4. ↑ https://regmedia.co.uk/2023/08/11/freund-hp-judge-order.pdf
  5. ↑ https://apnews.com/article/hp-printers-scanner-disabled-low-ink-9d8a0e3b5b49bb408467f7f75735ab0a
  6. ↑ https://www.classaction.org/media/freund-et-al-v-hp-inc.pdf
  7. ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/11/23067867/canon-hp-class-action-lawsuit-scan-without-ink-settlement
  8. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/1bd4ho3/hp_and_anticonsumer_practices_just_found_this_in/
Retrieved from "https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=HP_Printers_Ink_Requirements_Controversy&oldid=9557"