Litigation aside, HP is pushing the unpopular Dynamic Security policy for its printers. It is happy to take the anger of the customers on the neck.

HP is said to have rolled out a firmware update that completely blocks printing with external ink cartridges on certain office printers. That emerges from a Reddit post in a group with the unmistakably title asshole design which also received more than 900 replies. The frustrated customer complains that he suddenly couldn’t print with non-HP ink cartridges; which, according to an employee of the manufacturer, was due to a recent update.

So it appears that HP will proceed with Dynamic Security, a security policy it has introduced for printers manufactured after 2016. Dynamic Security ensures that you can only print with ink cartridges that have a chip. If the printer cannot read the chip, you will either see a warning or the printer will refuse to execute the command.

Although HP argues that this improves security, the measure does not go down well with customers. The manufacturer has developed the technology in such a way that only chips on its own ink cartridges are permitted. Therefore cartridges from external (and cheaper) brands cannot be used for printing. Additionally, firmware updates can activate Dynamic Security without warning, forcing you to run to the store to get the right cartridges.

lawsuits in Europe

The obligation to use their own ink cartridges and the not always transparent communication about dynamic security has already led to many lawsuits from HP. In the summer of 2022, the manufacturer reached an agreement with the European consumer organization to compensate customers for their frustration.

Belgian customers can also apply for compensation via Test Aankoop until March 31st. The conditions and the form can be found in this article. But despite the lawsuits, HP appears to be sticking with Dynamic Security.