HP did it again. They pushed a firmware update that bricks third-party ink cartridges across 11 printer models. No warning. No opt-out. Surprise, your cartridge doesn’t work anymore.
And here’s the twist. HP isn’t alone. HP, Epson, Canon and Brother control roughly 87% of the printer market worldwide. Four companies. That’s all. They watch each other like hawks, and when one locks you into expensive ink, the rest quietly fall in line. Funny how that works.
Let’s talk about what that ink actually costs. Inkjet ink runs $1,664 to $9,600 per gallon. For context, Chanel No. 5 perfume sits around $26,000 a gallon. Your “budget” home printer is drinking something priced like luxury perfume. You read that right.
The business model is called razor-and-blade. They sell the printer cheap, sometimes even at a loss, then squeeze you forever on the ink. Try to fight back with a generic cartridge? HP’s Dynamic Security chip refuses to play. One firmware update and boom, your perfectly good cartridge becomes a paperweight. That’s not a bug. That’s the whole point.
It gets worse. This year, one HP firmware update bricked laser printers using HP’s own toner. Their software broke their own product. A small-business owner on HP’s forum said he lost his printer and $60 in toner overnight. Argh.
💡 How to escape the cartridge trap
Step 1: Turn OFF firmware auto-updates on your printer. Go to Settings > Maintenance > Auto Update and flip the switch. That single move blocks most of this nonsense.
Step 2: If you mostly print text, ditch the inkjet entirely. Switch to a monochrome laser printer. The Brother HL-L6310DW is Consumer Reports’ top pick for 2026. Toner lasts years, not weeks.
Step 3: If you need color, skip cartridges altogether. Grab an Epson EcoTank ET-2800 or Canon MegaTank G3270. You refill them from a $12 bottle, which lasts up to two years.
Step 4: Run from HP+ enrollment at setup. It’s the loyalty trap that locks you into HP-brand ink for the life of the printer. No third-party cartridges ever. Click “enroll,” and that printer is married to HP ink until you throw it out.
Buy the right printer once and skip five years of ink drama. Walk past the $49 inkjet special. It’s not a deal, it’s bait.
Looks like the printer cartels really put the “con” in consumables. Time to cartridge them off the list.
🗣️ TEXT/POST THIS STAT Four companies control 87% of the printer market. Their ink costs up to $9,600 a gallon. It’s ink, not Chanel No. 5 perfume. Break free at GetKim.com.
📩 Send this to someone who still pays $70 for HP ink cartridges.
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