Amidst the sea of technological gadgets, the printer stands as a shark, evoking fear and frustration like no other device.
Welcome to Help Desk’s Printer Week, a technology-centric equivalent of TV’s Shark Week, where printers, often hostile towards their users, lay ink trails in the water.
Despite the promise of a paperless office made four decades ago, nearly half of Americans still own a printer. The need for shipping labels, official forms, and school projects persists, demanding printers’ existence.
Humanity has achieved moon landings, yet the task of creating a reliable printer remains elusive.
Printer hardware inherently presents challenges with its moving parts and unpredictable supplies like ink and paper. Nonetheless, the fact that a desktop box can spray thousands of microdroplets per second to recreate lifelike images is truly remarkable.
However, hardware issues are not the primary source of people’s printer dissatisfaction. The printer industry has adopted some of the technology sector’s most concerning practices of controlling consumers.
Manufacturers include chips in ink and toner cartridges to monitor printing habits and discourage users from purchasing cheaper generic brands. They release “security” updates that reduce printer capabilities, coercing customers to buy new models. They obfuscate privacy policies, leaving users unaware of how their sensitive documents are handled. Additionally, they promote subscription models that trap users in disadvantageous agreements.
Today, printer manufacturers often fail to prioritize software improvement and user experience. Personally, my 2019 HP printer forces me to input characters using a keyboard reminiscent of a cellphone from 1999. To ensure compatibility, I had to spend hours researching how to disable automatic software updates.
During Printer Week, our objective is to shed light on these issues, provide solutions, and help you save money. We will debunk myths surrounding cheaper compatible ink. We will introduce individuals who refuse to part ways with their printers and expose unanswered privacy concerns from printing companies. Furthermore, we will teach you how to fulfill printing needs without owning a printer. While we can’t invent better alternatives, we will mention a few printers that won’t drive you insane.
Printers may behave like apex predators, but you don’t have to be their prey.
Explore all the articles from Printer Week below:
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