Glad I’ve got an Brother laser that has no network connectivity.
[Louis Rossmann] Brother turns heel & becomes anti-consumer printer company
Submitted 1 year ago by hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
harsh3466@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Strictly-speaking, in this case, it’s not the ability to be network-connected that’s at issue, but rather the ability to push updates to firmware.
I don’t know what type of computer you have it connected to, but Linux has a system that will automatically update firmware on attached devices if the attached Linux computer is Internet-connected.
$ sudo fwupdtool get-devicesWill show you a list of managed devices.
I’m sure that Windows and MacOS have comparable schemes.
On Linux, I’m sure that you can blacklist a device for updates.
I’d guess that it’s possible to get one of those dedicated USB print servers. Those probably don’t support updating firmware on an attached printer. I might have some questions as to how much I’d trust a no-name one of those on my network itself, but…
harsh3466@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
Shit. I didn’t even think of that. I’m using fedora. Tomorrow I’ll be blocking firmware updates for the printer. Thank you for pointing that out.
catloaf@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Okay, so after reading this, they’re not specifically degrading print quality, they’re just making you do the alignment manually. This is probably legal, but still scummy.
ninjaturtle@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Have to keep things offline and outdated nowadays 🫤
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Honestly, that’s not a terrible idea in general. Like, if you have an Internet-connected device, you have a hook onto your network that someone can exploit down the line, including – as Rossman points out – making it function differently than it did at the time of your purchase in ways that you may not like. And even if you trust the manufacturer, that doesn’t mean that someone cannot acquire them and then exploit that hook.
Kind of a problem with apps and other software too. Even open-source software, like the
xzattack – the xz package itself was fine, but you had someone, probably a country, intentionally target and try to seize control of an open-source project to exploit the trust that the open-source project had built up.The right to push updates to an Internet-connected device, unfortunately, has value.
Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Funny you mention apps. I turned auto-update off for all of them on my phone because I got tired of functionality being removed. A couple force updates after you get too far behind. Been alright so far, but it’s been less than half a year ago we’ll see how it goes in the long run. Security is obviously taking a hit by doing this.
sxan@midwest.social 1 year ago
Epson Ecotanks. Liquid ink in, prints out. There’s nothing to lock out.
KickMeElmo@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Canon has a tank printer line too. Absolutely recommend any tank printer (you’ll have to check reviews for specifics obviously).
f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
My Canon photo printer can be converted to a tank-style with a drill and a highly illegal cartridge resetter. 😂
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Only if you can keep it working for ten consecutive minutes. I went through three of them under warranty until my warranty expired, then Epson told me to fuck off.
If have a Canon color laser now. If that conks out and everything on the market by then is locked out shit I’ll just convert my 3D printer to a plotter, or maybe go back to clay tablets.
sxan@midwest.social 1 year ago
Oh, color laser is the way to go, for sure. Refills are expensive, but rare; the biggest problem is if you have to move them, they’re a nightmare. And far heavier than inkjet. But, all things being equal, I’d take a color, duplex laser any day.
You’re not the first person I’ve heard who’s had trouble with Ecotanks. I’ve been very fortunate and have not had any issues. I did learn that you need to print at least once a week or the heads tend to clog; the downside of never replacing the heads with the cartridges, I guess. But now I just have a cron job that prints a test page once a week and it’s fine.
Both Ecotanks and laser eliminate that “print anxiety”, where you’re afraid to use the device because each page costs $2 because of the cartridges costs.
To paraphrase Quint: “I’ll never replace a cartridge again.”
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
We need an open source RepRap printer. Like, I wonder if this thing could be reverse engineered, given they still make the ink cartridge/head units for it.
wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
Deceptichum@quokk.au 1 year ago
Damn, Brother was the only company left I was happy to blind purchase from by name alone.
nyandere@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
[deleted]sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Probably because we all bought printers 10 years ago, or at least I did.
singletona@lemmy.world 1 year ago
…I remember Brother intnetionally making their stuff VERY user servicable.
Wha happen
BombOmOm@lemmy.world 1 year ago
O, damnit. Not the last bastion of hope!
tyrant@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Are there no good guys left?
Ulrich@feddit.org 1 year ago
I’ve had an Epson Ecotank for the last couple years and I have no complaints. I just refilled my black ink and it was $11 for 9 oz., which should last me years (but I don’t print that often).
Pieisawesome@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Ink dries out, probably better to fill it part way and refill more often.
I don’t know this for a fact, but I would assume dried ink could clog up your cartridge or the printer
Noedel@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Just buy an ink tank printer, it fixes 90 percent of your printer grief
PlasticExistence@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ironic username, but no, there are none righteous
southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’ve been saying that for a couple of years now. They started fucking with third party ink at least a year ago
Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Oh, this one stings.
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Ugh.
Well, you probably aren’t getting a $100 laser printer unless they’ve got a razor-and-blades model. I definitely paid more than $100 for the mono laser I had. I don’t know what printers out there are gonna be fine with third-party ink (or toner), but any that do are going to cost more, because they aren’t relying on ink sales to make the printer business viable.
He says that he doesn’t know what to recommend any more, now that Brother has started doing this too.
I understand that Epson has some inkjet printers that don’t use ink cartridges. You just pour more from a bottle into the tank. Like, they can’t implement a lockout, and there are other manufacturers that sell ink for them.
kagis
“Ecotank”.
www.amazon.com/s?k=ecotank
But if you want those, they’re gonna cost more than printers that are using the razor-and-blades model and expecting to make their money on the ink.
epson.com/For-Home/Printers/Inkjet/c/h110
There’s a list of their home inkjet printers. Notice how the “EcoTank” ones cost more than the non-EcoTank ones.
Like, one way or another, the printer manufacturer is gonna make their money. Either it’s not razor-and-blades model, in which case the printer is gonna cost more but the ink is cheaper, or it’s razor-and-blades and you get a cheap printer but pay more in ink and the printer manufacturer will do everything they can to lock out anyone else from selling ink for the thing.