HP has rolled out an update to several printer models with its dynamic security feature, which prevents them from using non-HP ink cartridges, Ars Technica reports.
A Reddit user in the US recently highlighted the issue, but complaints about the update have been posted online since at least December 2022.
Those who have received the update and are using a non-HP ink cartridge are presented with a new prompt on their printer stating that the cartridge had been blocked by firmware because it contained a non-HP chip.
“This printer is intended to work only with new or reused cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip,” the notification explained.
The Reddit user said HP support confirmed that the change was due to a recent firmware update.
Previously, the printer would only warn users that it could not guarantee quality when using non-HP cartridges.
The HP community online support threads had complaints from users of the OfficeJet 6978, OfficeJet 6968, OfficeJet 7740, and OfficeJet Po 6970.
The official page for the first two models said they would only work with HP ink cartridges.
The latter two models and several others are listed as capable of bypassing dynamic security under specific conditions — provided they were manufactured before December 2016, when dynamic security started rolling out.
HP’s dynamic security page also warns that the company could block the use of non-HP ink through periodic firmware updates.
“Updates can improve, enhance, or extend the printer’s functionality and features, protect against security threats, and serve other purposes, but these updates can also block cartridges using a non-HP chip or modified or non-HP circuitry from working in the printer, including cartridges that work today.”
This latest attempt by HP to try and lock customers into its ecosystem might not have the intended effect of selling more HP cartridges.
Ars Technica said although some users said they would buy HP ink if they could not come up with another solution, many more were outraged and encouraged other users to avoid using HP products in the future.
HP’s dynamic security has cost the company millions in class-action lawsuits in Australia, Italy, and the US.
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