What I find really disappointing here is that €1.3million is barely even a slap on the wrist for HP. I don't see this as any sort of dissuasion to keep them from doing something like this again. I accept that there is a logical reason for blocking 3rd party and expired ink. Printer makers (and not just HP) have absolutely no control over the formulations, quality or consistency within brands or between batches of 3rd party ink, or among the different brands of 3rd party inks. And "truly" expired inks can damage the print heads and affect print quality. Problems resulting from inferior quality or expired inks typically result in users attempting to get warranty support for damage caused by those products. The printer makers are then stuck in a two-option, no-win scenario. (1) They can deny repair which will only upset the user resulting in bad PR or (2) they can repair the device at their expense for damage not their fault. So it is not just about greed, though there can be no denying that is a big part of it. My HP 7525 yells at me when I insert a 3rd party ink cartridge. But it lets me press OK and move on. I'm perfectly fine with that. If I was not able to continue on, I would be very upset and look to a different brand printing device. The problem there is, there is no maker who "supports" the use of 3rd party inks or toner and each one employs tactics to dissuade users from using them. The solution is simple to me. The printer makers need to produce genuine inks and toners that produce vastly, readily noticeable, superior quality printouts making their more expensive inks and toners desirable and worth their costs or, the printer makers need to make their devices readily accept and be fully compatible with 3rd party inks and toners.
