Someone did some market research and found out they’re in the dog house.
It’s not their printers which are hated, it’s their business model of selling overpriced ink and toner cartridges to a price that’s higher than champagne prices and using technical devices to make it impossible to use other toner sources, firmware to make printers stop working when ink runs anywhere near low (they define ‘low’ as 33% ink left), while at the same time ensuring that as much ink and toner as possible are wasted through unnecessary testing and calibration and cleaning processes.
Not to forget possibility of machine identification code (in best case waste of toner/ink, in worst case dangerous).
To add to your point, their printers are indeed hated, but it is simply a symptom of their terrible business model and not the problem itself.
No, I hate their bloated as fuck drivers as well.
With all the interest in 3D printer and large communities building their own printers, where are the amateur 2D printers? Did we just jump to 3D printing because it was cooler (which I also admit is amaizing)?
I just want a basic 2D inkjet or laser printer that doesn’t stop printing because magenta is low or doesn’t waste ink to “clean” the print head, nor make up weird errors because it doesn’t have access to the internet.
What about printers without ink? Would it be too hard/complicated to use a lower power laser (instead of a laser cutter) to burn/scorch a thin micrometric, if not nanometric, layer of normal everyday printing/copy white paper?
As a child, I remember scorching magazine/journal paper and all sorts of wood materials with my grandmother’s handheld magnifying lens under the summer sun in the yard. I was able to draw stuff without burning some of the material completely.
Lmao. Is this real? Why is less in italics?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
If vegging in front of the idiot box is something you do to decompress after an afternoon spent fantasizing about going “Office Space” on your workplace’s HP facilities, we suppose you might have caught a rare telly spot commissioned by the PC and printing giant.
Which may come as news to HP’s long-suffering users who still, for whatever reason, need to brand mushed-up trees with corporate nonsense despite this alleged digital age.
The three ads touch upon a spectrum of negative emotions that will be highly relatable to those who have ever tried to print something at home or work – sorrow, anger, despair – and all end with extreme and cathartic human-on-printer violence.
The Register wonders if the hapless worker’s hatred would be softened somewhat if he had attended the recent UBS Global Technology conference, where HP chief financial officer Marie Myers gave a speech on how the company’s Printing division margin has risen from 14.8 percent in fiscal 2020 to 18.9 percent in fiscal 2023.
The final spot sees a young gentleman, sweat beading on his brow, trying to improve the Wi-Fi signal to his printer by hoisting the beast above his head.
This vulture long ago rid himself of printers – which, incidentally, were made by HP – and now lives a euphoric existence in the metaverse.
The original article contains 655 words, the summary contains 220 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
But half of their modern printers require a monthly paid subscription to even function. They need to stop doing that.
Hang on, I’ve had the same Brother laser printer for 10 years. Are you telling me there are for real subscription services for printers now?
Amateur, I have my HL5170DN from 2006 still going strong
I mean I use the thing like once a year. By some miracle I’ve never changed the toner (ink? Not sure, never bought it)
Here’s my maintenance page, I’m not a heavy user, but when I do print, it’s usually a sizable job.
Is that drum info not reading right or is it due for a replacement?
It needs to be replaced. It’s about 15,000 pages past life expectancy
Ah, that explains it.
There have always been for all brands, but they are usually part of a leasing contract for businesses. The new thing is that HP is trying to trick consumers into similar contracts even though most have no need for it.
Yup, a subscription that sends you ink and paper as needed (printer reports you need ink soon, sends an order automatically)
Some are even billed per-page printed.
If you cancel or remove your payment method: the ink you currently have stops working.
Yep.
HP is especially known for pushing ink subscriptions. There was some news about it recently, which is why this article exists, he’s justifying their shitty behaviour.
Well I for one am disgusted
people need to stop buying HP printers
They did.
They now rent them through a monthly paid subscription.
zing!
so shitty, though
The ink plan isn’t required, you can still use regular cartridges.
But they do require you create an account and register the printer before it will function with their newer consumer printers.
Wait, what? I’ve never heard about this before. It doesn’t change my mind that HP can go fuck themselves. I boycott because they have shit products and customer support. And I tell everyone I meet about it. Imagine me as a CrossFit vegan, only with an unhealthy hatred for HP.
Business/Enterprise printers too, at least some of them…
It depends on the model, some actually require some level of subscription to even function.
Really, which ones?
Any model that comes with an HP+ free trial subscription will stop working after the trial ends. You can then go out and buy “non instant ink” cartridges for a high price or you can sign up for their monthly subscription and get new ink and paper in the mail whenever it runs low. It’s a scummy aggressive marketing tactic.
So…it’s not an HP printer?
My guess if you buy a HP printer, they send a Brother laser printer, which is going to make consumers much happier.
Can we sue for false advertising
HP makes my most hated printers.
You’re not wrong, and imma let you finish, but Epson edges-out HP by just a hair imho.
Well, I don’t think they could be any more hated.
They could talk.
That must be the inspiration for a recent American Dad! episode.
Subhead: “apparently they’re being serious” - The Register knows what people think!
They were when HP was run by engineers.
HP is a fallen giant that cannot stand back up so uses it’s grotesque fingernails to dig itself deeper down into the ground instead.
lol, lmao even
Hahaha. Now this explains why MSoft have started pushing hp smart app. Absolute scum bags them both. Wonder how much MSoft accepted to push that software out?
