HP promises printer update to bring back private label cartridge support

HP will release an optional update within two weeks that will bring some of the company’s printer models back to support for private label cartridges. A recent firmware update ended that support, affecting “a small group of users,” according to HP.

It is unknown how many users were affected by the update, which prevented certain HP Officejet Pro printers from accepting third-party cartridges. “But if there’s one customer with a bad experience, it’s one too many,” the company said in a statement. The update should be ready in two weeks.

HP said it modified the software on several printers over the course of the year “to protect the printers and secure communication between cartridge and printer.” This was discovered by cartridge seller 123ink, who reported the problems in an email to customers. The company said tests showed there was nothing wrong with the alternative cartridges.

The problem would be worldwide. The private label cartridge provider would consider legal action to ensure that similar problems cannot recur. Printer manufacturers have been using ways to discourage the use of alternative cartridges for years, such as special chips on the cartridges and warning windows. Makers of alternative cartridges use cloned chips.