業界ニュース

Recently, the European region of Catalonia announced a landmark law - the "Waste Prevention and Efficient Resource Use Act", which aims to start from January 1, 2025 The use of disposable printing consumables will be banned from now on to promote sustainable development and efficient use of resources. The new law not only bans the distribution and sale of disposable toner and ink cartridges, but also encourages manufacturers and consumers to adopt more sustainable production and consumption models. Additionally, the law covers restrictions on plastic bags, disposable food containers, cutlery, and disposable personal care items to reduce the environmental impact of these items. It is worth noting that Spain’s Balearic […]

June 2024 Ricoh has released the latest firmware for its MP C4504, MP C5002, and MP C2504 series models, while brands such as HP, Canon, and Brother have also released firmware updates for models such as the W1331 series, NPG88 series, and TN-2420 series, respectively.  

HP has released a new firmware, on June 3, 2024, via Wi-Fi for printers using CF289 series replacement cartridges. Article source: therecycler

HP released new firmware updates for machines using HP 903, 953, 913, 973 series inkjet cartridges as well as devices using HP CF258, CF259, CF415, CF416 series toner cartridges. Article source: therecycler

Italian tribunal upholds €10 million fine for HP, mandates clearer consumer disclosures on printer cartridge compatibility. In addition to the tribunal’s decision in Italy, Hewlett-Packard (HP) finds itself in further legal turmoil as it faces allegations and potential investigations into anticompetitive practices in the United States. The Recycler reports that these allegations assert that HP has been deploying firmware updates that intentionally block the use of non-HP ink cartridges, sparking significant consumer dissatisfaction and scrutiny by legal entities. The crux of the issue lies in HP’s “dynamic security” feature, which ostensibly ensures that printers operate with original HP ink to maintain quality. However, critics and users argue that HP’s firmware updates, which have […]

Will HP’s economic woes lead to restrictive consumable policies, impacting sustainability and consumer costs. HP is facing economic challenges as indicated by its latest financial results showing declining revenues. In response, HP is reportedly planning changes to its Dynamic Security feature, a move that’s stirring controversy in the consumables market. Dynamic Security, a technology used by HP to authenticate cartridges, is set to expand its scope. The company is discretely informing its channel partners about these changes, which are expected to increase the number of devices covered. This expansion aims to lock out more aftermarket consumables, forcing consumers to rely on HP’s own, and more expensive, ink and toner cartridges. The […]

HP’s recent 50% increase in Instant Ink subscription fees has triggered widespread criticism, pushing consumers to seek more budget-friendly and sustainable printing alternatives. HP is introducing significant price changes for their Instant Ink subscription service users. Starting January 23, 2024, the company will implement a notable increase in subscription fees across all plans. This adjustment, particularly significant for budget-conscious consumers and small businesses, marks a major shift in HP’s pricing strategy. The smallest plan, offering ten pages per month, will see its cost rise from 0.99 euros to 1.49 euros, a substantial 50% increase, making the cost per page 0.149 euros. More extensive plans will also experience hikes: the 100-page […]

New HP firmware update triggers ‘used or counterfeit cartridge’ alerts, impacting multiple LaserJet Pro models in Europe and Asia. Static Control released a technical bulletin warning of a new firmware update that impacts the HP LaserJet Pro cartridge range of W1490/W1510/W1520. HP released a manual download firmware update on 14th February, affecting cartridges used with the HP LaserJet Pro 4002, 4102 MFP; 4003, 4103, 4004 and 4104 MFP devices. The display will show a “used or counterfeit cartridges” warning after the update has been installed. Firmware versions are known as 002.2404A and 002.2404D. Impacted products are chips used with W1490ACP, W1490CP-CN, W1490XCP, W1510ACP, W1510CP-10CN, W1510XCP, W1520ACP, W1520CP-CN and W1520XCP cartridges within Europe and […]

Konica Minolta Office Systems (China) Co., Ltd. announced that it will increase the prices of some OP products, including hosts and consumables, starting from April 1, 2024. Konica Minolta stated that the main reason for the price adjustment is global inflation, rising costs of some raw materials, labor, and operations in the past two years, which have had a huge impact on the upstream supply chain. Coupled with the escalation of global geopolitical conflicts, it has brought greater cost pressure to China's manufacturing industry, and the restructuring of the global supply chain is still in progress. Konica Minolta has also been affected to a certain extent, resulting in an upward […]

Regeneration Times reports: Printing industry giant HP has recently been hit with a class action lawsuit, accusing it of being a monopoly by restricting users from using non-original ink cartridges through firmware updates and raising the price of original ink cartridges. The plaintiff in the lawsuit claims that HP pushed firmware updates to all registered users in 2022 and 2023. The updates were automatically downloaded and installed, and users could not opt out. After the update, printers using non-original ink cartridges will not be able to print properly and an error message will pop up. The plaintiffs said HP failed to notify them in advance that the firmware update would […]

The main differences between toner cartridges and ink cartridges are as follows: Toner cartridges are used in laser printers and use toner to print; ink cartridges are used in inkjet printers and use ink to print. The toner cartridge is imaged by the laser; the ink cartridge is imaged by the nozzle. The toner cartridge can only print black and white documents; the ink cartridge can print color documents. Toner cartridges are high-priced, long-lasting, high-efficiency, and high-quality; ink cartridges are low-priced, short-lived, low-efficiency, and low-quality. Toner cartridges have a certain impact on the environment; ink cartridges have less impact on the environment. How to choose toner cartridges and ink cartridges? […]