Re:HP Instant Ink is “ink as a service”
by greenyoda on Friday November 06, 2020 @03:24PM
(#25010786)
My recent experience with Brother was decidedly shitty: an inkjet printer that died after a few months.
On the other hand, I have a Brother laser printer that's still working after 17 years - and they still manufacture toner cartridges for it. (It's so old that it has a parallel port[1] in addition to a USB port.)
Re:HP Instant Ink is “ink as a service”
by drewzero1 on Friday November 06, 2020 @04:37PM
(#25011427)
The one I have sets up its own wireless network which is definitely a security risk, but it doesn't connect to my LAN or the internet. I've seen newer ones that do connect to the internet and it only seems like trouble.
I was thinking about this a few weeks ago because I found an identical printer at a thrift store for $4. I didn't get it but thought it would be nice to be able to keep using my stash of 3rd-party cartridges.
Re:HP Instant Ink is “ink as a service”
by drewzero1 on Friday November 06, 2020 @04:42PM
(#25011466)
Also, forgot you mentioned Brother. I decided not to get another yet printer because I already have a spare Brother MFC with just USB and parallel connections. I've had worse experiences with Brother software than HP, but it still seems to work with my computer.
I also have a dot matrix printer with enough ribbon to last me a decade or so. So I really don't need to look for another printer for a while.
Re:HP Instant Ink is “ink as a service”
by jhbadger on Friday November 06, 2020 @05:41PM
(#25011832)
The problem is that in the modern world, a printer needs some sort of net connection, even if just to the local router. People aren't just printing from their computers; they need to print from their tablets and phones too.
Re:HP Instant Ink is “ink as a service”
by drewzero1 on Monday November 09, 2020 @01:45PM
(#25038118)
I'll have to check, but I don't think mine is connected to the router at all. Pretty sure it sets up its own ad-hoc network for wireless printing, which I would imagine has its own vulnerabilities but at least requires an attacker to be physically trespassing on my property. :-)
Well sure, if you want to print wirelessly, you're going to need wireless (LAN is enough, no need for WAN though) :)
Buy a non-shit brand that doesn't connect to the internet, eg. something from Brother without internet connectivity.