this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 217 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Printers are the text book examples of why device manufacturing shouldn't be left to big companies. You have tracking dots, spyware infestation, subscription for ink/toners, reporting of the cartridge as empty when you still have much left in it, refusal to print when unused color cartridges are empty, intentional bricking if 3rd party cartridges or ink is used, and utterly crappy firmware in general.

Inkjets require precision manufacturing. But assembling it or other types from components should be possible - like how desktops, mechanical keyboards, etc can be. We really need to ditch filthy mass market printers because DIY printers will be much better than anything they offer.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I'm pretty sure this measure was requested either by the government or some big three letter agency.

I doubt that, if all printers were manufactured by a government monopoly, you wouldn't have this shit baked in. It would probably be way worse

[–] [email protected] 38 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I'm not at all asking for a government monopoly on making printers, if that wasn't clear.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Use the 3D printer to make the 2D printer. Finally, we are moving in the right direction.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

You can tape a pen to your 3d printer to use it as a plotter.

[–] franklin 15 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Honestly, yes. I love open source hardware

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

I do think it shoukd be left up to (potentially big) companies; however, we should put restrictions on e.g. ink cartrige compatibility, just like what the EU is trying for smartphones and messagin right now.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It was requested by the secret service as a countermeasure for counterfitting. More frequently it's been used to "catch other criminals", at least that's what they say.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

More frequently it's been used to "catch other criminals"

Germans are used to this already. It's called "Salamitaktik" (pushed piece a piece).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

I see. Sort of like what the Republicans/fascists are doing with, well, everything.

[–] teamevil 0 points 8 months ago

It helps catch morons copying classified materials.

[–] Aux 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The problem with printers is that no one actually cares. There are plenty of DIY 3D printers, which are arguably even harder to make, but there's a huge community behind. Regular printers - no one cares.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's actually easier with 3D printers in some ways.

3D printers:

  • Only one extruder needed
  • Parts are easy to source (basic aluminum extrusions, stepper motors, wires)
  • There software is easy to find online and install
  • The accuracy needed is pretty lax

2D printers

  • Can get away with 1 color, but 4 if you need full color which gets complicated fast. Granted 3D printers aren't much better on this front
  • The parts are not easy to source. They're often proprietary and therefore expensive
  • Good luck finding software for it
  • The accuracy needed for printing is far higher than 3D printing

There are open source 3D printers, and quite a few of them. To my knowledge, there are no 2D printers that are open source. At best you can find instructions on how to hack proprietary ones.

[–] Mango 1 points 8 months ago

I want a full color 3d printer.