[SOLVED]HP Photosmart 5520

[dwhite]

This printer has real small cartridges and I'm careful what I print, but finally I had to change them and now I read that HP, 'times them out', I always buy extra black, but now I'd have to replace all four. I read on the internet HP has started to stop you refilling the original cartridges disabling the whole machine, as it's an all in one I can't scan, copy or fax. If I can't get round this I'll have to buy a new printer. Can I use another driver?

[xboxboy]

From what I know a driver wont fix that. The printer tells the cartridge, or the other way round, and it gets 'written' to the cartridge. So even if you took that cartridge and put it in another printer, it still wont print.

I assume you're using Hplip. I went through this with my grand parents, they couldn't print. In their words 'it's broken'... But no, it just needed a new yellow. That was enough to stop even greyscale printing. It's a bit of a circus really.

[dwhite]

From what I read it's a sales ploy, HP want you to a) use lots of ink and only buy OEM ink b) buy new cartridges not when they run out of ink, but when you've had them a while. That doesn't seem like Freedom to me smacks of restrictive practice.

[doktor5000]

Well, this is basically what every printer manufacturer wants. They make their money sellling supplies, not printers.
Simple solution: get a different printer that can be refilled more easily.

[dwhite]

Yes most of it is pretty standard, you'd kind of expect the printer manufacturers to protect their market share, changing printer models, cartridge type, but when you see notes saying consider the environment and when you have four or five old printers around. Having to buy a new printer every few years. The part about the cartridges timing out whether out of ink or not, if true is a bit restrictive. I think I'd pay more for a printer with 500cc ink cartridge.


Well finally the printer is working and printing with re-manufactured cartridges serves me right for believing a web site. Yes, the newer all in one printers do see the cartridges and write the ink level on the sim chip, if they see that non-OEM are fitted, the electronics do say 'warning', but all I did on my printer was OK the warning you're back printing, though with a web enabled machine you've probably told HP and voided any warranty on that machine.