HP also blocks original ink cartridges. Support: 'They are expired, you need to repurchase them'
HP also blocks original ink cartridges. Support: 'They are expired, you need to repurchase them'
The policies adopted by HP for managing the cartridges of its printers are once again the subject of discussion after an investigation published by Il Salvagente. The case tells the experience of Enrico Icardi, founder and CEO of Welance, who found himself unable to use an original HP cartridge, which had just been installed and was perfectly functional, because the printer identified it as expired.
According to reports, the device displayed an error message preventing any printing. After contacting technical support, the response received was unexpected: the expiration date of the cartridge is managed through remote systems, and operators do not have the ability to modify it. The proposed solution was solely the purchase of a new cartridge, even though the installed one was still intact.
This episode has once again fueled the debate on planned obsolescence and the software control exercised over consumables. According to Icardi, the issue does not concern a physical failure, but a limit imposed via software that renders a product, still perfectly operational, unusable.
At the center of the discussion is Dynamic Security, the system introduced by HP to verify the authenticity of cartridges installed in printers. Born with the stated aim of combating counterfeit products, over time the mechanism has expanded its scope through firmware updates that modify the behavior of devices even after purchase.
One of the most contested updates is firmware 20250209, distributed in March 2025, which according to numerous reports caused the so-called error 11 on some HP laser printers. In these cases, printing was blocked even when using original HP cartridges that had been purchased regularly and were already functional before the update.
The situation would have further extended with firmware v2602A/B, released in January 2026. This update would have expanded the Dynamic Security system to at least eleven models of printers, including devices marketed several years earlier. In these configurations, the firmware can prevent the use of cartridges lacking a certified HP chip, effectively modifying the conditions of use of the device through a simple software update.
According to reported information, even the company’s technical support has acknowledged that the Dynamic Security feature can interfere with cartridges that functioned correctly before the installation of new firmware. Among the possible suggested solutions are cleaning the cartridge contacts, waiting for a corrective update, or downgrading the firmware, even though the latter is usually installed automatically.
The case reported by Il Salvagente does not seem to be an isolated incident. Numerous testimonies published online describe similar situations where original cartridges are recognized as invalid or expired without the user being able to directly intervene to restore their functionality.
The issue has also reached the courts. In November 2024, a class action was launched in the United States accusing HP of having used a system capable of disabling certain printer functionalities after the termination of the subscription to the Instant Ink service, while in France the association HOP - Halte à l'obsolescence programmée has filed a complaint regarding the commercial practices adopted in the management of ink cartridges.
Currently, the legal disputes have not yet reached a conclusion, but these episodes demonstrate how, with a simple software update, manufacturers like HP can change the conditions of use of their devices even after the sale. A strategy that clearly appears quite unfair towards consumers and, perhaps, even illegal in some legislations.