Ever wondered how much ink your all-in-one printer guzzles to send a fax or scan a document? If you said ‘none’, congratulations on your logic! But hold on, because in the whimsical world of printers from brands like HP and Canon, ink is the secret sauce for everything. Who needs ink to scan? You do, according to these printers!
And get this: needing ink for non-printing tasks is as traditional as fruitcake at Christmas, yet as unwelcome. Some printers are rebels, scanning ink-free, but others? They cling to this ink-or-nothing mantra like it’s the last doughnut in the box. Users’ frustration? Sky-high, like expressed in lawsuits high. But our printer overlords? Unmoved. They’re all in on the ‘ink-for-everything’ trend. Who needs user convenience when you can have ink drama?
No Ink, No Bueno
Since mid-2022, Gary Freund and Wayne McMath have been pursuing a class-action lawsuit against HP, alleging that certain HP printer models, like the Envy 6455e and Deskjet 2655, won’t scan or fax without ink. They claim HP fails to clearly disclose this to buyers. The lawsuit was initially dismissed in January 2023 but allowed amendment. In August, a California judge denied HP’s motion to dismiss the revised complaint. The plaintiffs argue that HP printers, when low or out of ink, enter an error state that blocks use until a new cartridge is installed. They’re also upset about the lack of clear marketing regarding this issue. An HP support agent reportedly confirmed that their printers are designed not to function without ink cartridges.
Inkjet printer ink is notoriously expensive, suggesting a motive for manufacturers to encourage ink purchases by disabling key printer features when out of ink. This strategy includes selling printers at low costs to boost ink sales. HP’s Instant Ink subscription service exemplifies this, valued at $500 million in 2021 and highlighted as a growth area in HP’s Q2 2023 financial report. This approach indicates a focus on recurring ink revenue over hardware sales.
The Little Canon that Could
HP is not alone in requiring ink for scanning and faxing functions in printers. Canon also faced a similar class-action lawsuit. This lawsuit, settled in March, alleged that Canon’s all-in-one printers couldn’t scan or fax with low or empty ink cartridges. It claimed Canon’s advertising was false and misleading, deceiving the public about the printer’s functionality without sufficient ink. This case was covered by The Verge.
Similar to HP, Canon’s support forum representatives indicated that certain all-in-one printer models need all ink tanks installed and containing ink for full functionality. Contradictorily, a forum moderator later commented that it’s possible to scan with an empty ink tank or cartridge, providing instructions to bypass the ink level detection function. Canon hasn’t clarified why their printers initially required ink for scanning, but they’ve begun instructing users on how to disable this requirement, a step ahead of HP’s current stance.
In the context of printer manufacturers requiring ink for scanning and faxing, it appears that semantics around technical capabilities are being prioritized over customer convenience and transparency. This approach, as seen with companies like HP and Canon, suggests a focus on driving ink sales rather than enhancing user experience, leading to customer dissatisfaction and legal challenges.
