Epson printer not recognising cartridges

50Twuncle

Could anyone please confirm whether other printer manufactures are following suit ?
ie HP (which I prefer to Epson), Canon or Lexmark ?

sillygoose

50Twuncle wrote: »

Could anyone please confirm whether other printer manufactures are following suit ?
ie HP (which I prefer to Epson), Canon or Lexmark ?

HP don't have such a problem with compatibles because each cartridge contains a new electrical precision printhead which has patent protection and requires expensive manufacturing facilities to make so most non HP cartridges are just recycled original HP ones.

Epsons have permanent printheads that print with a different method, the cartridges are just plastic tanks with some ink in, easy to manufacture by injection mould and the ink is simpler to formulate hence all the compatibles.

The problem with HP is if you buy genuine cartridges you are also buying a new head each time so it incredibly expensive. If you buy a compatible your buying a cartridge head that has been recycled god knows how many times, it may have been tested when remade but it may be close to dying and the complex ink they copied may not be as good as HP.

As long as you disable auto software updates it is still worth running an Epson, as mentioned it won't take long for the compatible makers to catch up with their chips. Nothing comes close to the low running costs of an Epson.

jonesMUFCforever

Just buy inks from firms guaranteeing their products.
If they don't work send them back - when enough have done this they will come up with compatibles that work!

Kernel_Sanders

50Twuncle wrote: »

Could anyone please confirm whether other printer manufactures are following suit ?
ie HP (which I prefer to Epson), Canon or Lexmark ?

Lexmark already did, 3 years ago.
http://www.action-intell.com/2011/01/19/'rumors-circulate-t:hat-lexmark-firmware-update-locks-out-non-oem-supplies/

kwikbreaks

sillygoose wrote: »

It only needs you to slip up on this one time, such as installing the driver on your laptop too and you can be stuffed as the printer will be updated - I don't know of any way of downgrading it back to earlier firmware once done.

System restore...

50Twuncle

kwikbreaks wrote: »

System restore...

No - it's the printer that needs "downgrading" - not the PC - The software gets installed on to the printer itself !!

pmduk

Couldn't you uninstall the printer then reinstall it using the original disc it was supplied with, declining all invitation to upgrade software?

sillygoose

pmduk wrote: »

Couldn't you uninstall the printer then reinstall it using the original disc it was supplied with, declining all invitation to upgrade software?

Nope too late, once the update has been allowed, the firmware within the actual printer has been uploaded into it and updated to a new version.

Messing with the driver on the PC, or the PC in anyway will have no effect.

Unless you could somehow get a copy of the earlier firmware, plus a suitable program to upload it into the printer there is only one option left.

Either look for a make of compatible with an onboard chip that Epson have not blocked or wait until the compatible manufacturers catch up with making a newer chip that fools the updated printer...

Meanwhile make sure that any further printer updates are disabled otherwise your playing cat and mouse forever.

Charlton_King

Is there anything new on this one?

I have tried absolutely everything - nothing seems to work and I'm blowed if I'm about to start buying official Epson cartridges at the rip-off prices they ask.

It's looking more and more like a printerless Christmas while I save up for some other make.

kwikbreaks

50Twuncle wrote: »

No - it's the printer that needs "downgrading" - not the PC - The software gets installed on to the printer itself !!

Yeah I see now after reading your link that it's the firmware. I'd assumed from the earlier comments it was the drivers.