- Customers have reported degraded print high quality with third-party ink
- Firmware updates are blamed, however Brother denies all allegations
- HP beforehand admitted to updates that affected third-party ink efficiency
Printer maker Brother has denied locking in customers to its personal ink cartridges through so-called firmware updates.
The information got here after electronics technician and right-to-repair activist Louis Rossmann accused the corporate of updating its printer firmware to both block non-OEM toner or degrade efficiency.
Additional posts on the web, together with Reddit threads, have confirmed related issues from different customers, who seen printing high quality drop when utilizing third-party toner.
Brother denies blocking third-party ink
Furthermore, reverting to older firmware variations has confirmed both tough or not possible, that means printers that beforehand functioned as regular might now be thought-about ‘damaged’.
The corporate said (through Ars Technica): “We’re conscious of the current false claims suggesting {that a} Brother firmware replace could have restricted the usage of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates don’t block the usage of third-party ink in our machines.”
Brother argued that variations in third-party toner high quality could possibly be answerable for print high quality points: “Brother printers don’t deliberately degrade print high quality primarily based on whether or not a Brother Real or non-genuine ink/ toner cartridge is used. Brother can not confirm the standard of printing that may outcome when utilizing a third-party appropriate with a Brother printer.”
HP has confronted lawsuits and authorized settlements over related points, with CEO Enrique Lores justifying third-party ink blocking by citing enhanced safety. Again in late 2023, CFO Marie Myers additionally famous that Prompt Ink subscribers are 20% extra worthwhile for the enterprise.
“It’s commonplace apply that we carry out a Brother [G]enuine verify when troubleshooting a Brother printer… We consider this verify within the course of could have led to a misunderstanding[,] however as we confirmed, the firmware replace wouldn’t be answerable for the degradation of high quality or elimination of printer options,” Brother added.