If you're like me and only print something once or twice a year, check whether you can print at your local library. It may cost a few cents per sheet, but I'd sooner give my library a dollar than give a company like HP a penny
this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
285 points (98.6% liked)
Stallman Was Right
1428 readers
1 users here now
Nobody listens to him. But he was right all along.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I've been going to an office supplies shop for ~15 years. Even that has become mostly unnecessary as people accept signed PDFs.
Sadly not my postal service (Post). It could be so simple, the counter clerks do have a printer. That's really the only thing i have to print.
and our long term aim should be to make printers go the way of the fax machine.
Unlike fax, printers weren't completely superceded by computers and the Internet. They'll still be useful for decades or more
i dunno. i genuinely can't remember the last thing i had to print out. maybe some expense claim forms in 2019 before the pandemic accelerated paperless processes? can't think of any after that.
it's not all that far-fetched a notion.
I mean I only use my own printer once a year at most but plenty of other people still have to print things personally and professionally for various reasons. Many printed things can be replaced by technology but not everything. Fax was just a way to get information from one place to another - every single part of what it does is done better and easier with email and other tech
Unfortunately, I still access to a fax, and have trouble finding it. (Some sort of security-by-obscurity method that the medical world clings to.)
There's a few industries that cling to it for that (weak) reason but it's obsolete as soon as they let go
Yep, wishing and hoping.
I know of at least two professionals who make their notes with a Remarkable to pdf. Personal printers can go away.
Oh damn well if 2 people are doing it in your industry, printers must be useless to everyone!
When I worked in the field I carried a laptop but still mostly worked off of paper. Paper-sized ectronics are pretty useless on ladders and plans are too hard to read on a phone. Paper can also fold and go in a pocket
You missunderstood, one is a psychiatrist, the other a social-something. I just say it's a thing already.
No, i don't see how paper is a neccesity in your examples. And i did work in a company for a while, creating software for phones/tablets/notebooks for exatly those usecases, optimizing workflows in industry. Especially plans can be vastly more useful in digital form, look up IFC format.
You don't see how paper would be significantly easier to use when you're on top of a ladder splicing wires?
Or how it might be preferable to a touch screen on a dirty construction site?
And i did work in a company for a while, creating software for phones/tablets/notebooks for exatly those usecases, optimizing workflows in industry. Especially plans can be vastly more useful in digital form, look up IFC format.
No, they don't. And they won't, unless they work on a dirty construction site on top of a ladder wearing protective gloves themselves. Or have to actually use plans.
And i did work in a company for a while, creating software for phones/tablets/notebooks for exatly those usecases, optimizing workflows in industry. Especially plans can be vastly more useful in digital form, look up IFC format.
No, they don't. And they won't, unless they work on a dirty construction site on top of a ladder wearing protective gloves themselves. Or have to actually use plans.
HP has sucked for decades now, because of this kind of business mindset.
For now, I only buy Brother printers.
My Brother HL-2040 is coming up on 20 years old and still prints just fine. I'm shocked by how little effort it takes to maintain
Yeah brother
Alright. Go for it. I’m just not gonna buy your shit. I am exited to see how this will end for you.
Probably pretty well given some companies and people will be some silly little tech sluts for the convenience of not looking up better alternatives for 10 minutes, and likely paying a bit more upfront.
That said I hope there's gonna be some printer piracy
I am afraid you are right.
It seems that no matter how awful an idea is these days, it always pays off for the companies. Consumers really need to pull their heads out of their assholes.
good luck with it. IMO we need better legislation.
Then let those idiots pay. Not seeing the problem.
the problem is that it hurts us too as competitors see that and decide to cash in on it.
it will probably 'end' pretty well for them. you'd be surprised at how many home users just 'go with it' because they don't know any better.. and a lot of businesses only buy 'genuine' consumables anyway.
They listen to the convincing guy at the electronics store who gets provisions for pushing shitty printers
Brother is still making some bad ass printers, just got a nice laser color printer from them.
And with brother there is a "ignore low toner warning" option that lets you keep printing until the toner is actually gone.
Our Brother laser printer just ran out of toner for the 2nd time in 12+ years. We bought a new toner cartridge for $12 that will last us another 5+ years.
We really need Foss software for printers, specially for mainstream machines so that majority can afford a less scamy product.
I mean…I already actively avoided HP like the plague that it is. But I can add this to the list of reasons why.
Can't someone start an open-soruce printer with cheap ink to compete with this?
I'm not a big believer in competition and the free market, but can't they do SOMETHING? Just this once?
On my heap of projects for a while but I have ADHD so, there is a distinct possibility that I'll never start or finish it.
This is a perfect case of competition and the free market working. Mostly. (Read till the end.)
HP is free to fuck their customers all they please. Customers are free to never be HP customers again.
Brother is free to make a printer that beats the pants off HP. Consumers are free to purchase those instead.
HP printers should be a self-resolving issue, but you can't legislate consumer wisdom.
I will point out some evil shit I've seen this week: Months ago, people were on here bitching about HP. "How hard is it to Google 'hp printers' and find a slew of people hating on them?!" And sure enough, I got a page full of pure HP rage.
Tried that again this week, with verbatim results turned on and off, mostly top lists, HP ads and sunshine. Sure there are some visible complaints, but you would expect that someone, somewhere, is going to hate on any given product.
I'd so throw out my HP printer if it wasn't my scanner. Edit: January 26th, 2024 9:17 AM EST I'd like to say I finally got a brother laser printer, but it doesn't do scanning. I don't use the HP printer for printing documents though.
It already is a subscription because we keep needing to buy more ink.
They can't lock down or do it with 3D Printers.
WTF thinks you can do it with 2D?
What a goof.
Always refill ink cartridges
You can, for $3000 a month
He's already won! Wait, Palestine. Nope, it Joey. Maybe next year.