HP hit with lawsuit for dead ink cartridges

It seems like printer manufacturers just can't catch a break.  First Lexmark gets slammed for trying to stop companies from making reasonably priced ink cartridges, now HP is getting hit for producing cartridges that can stop working before they're even used.   If the class-action suit goes ahead as planned it could represent anyone in the United States that purchased an HP inkjet printer since Feb. 2001.  Yowsa, now that'd be a big payout.

[Lenny @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Would you be eligible if you got one of them "possessed" cartriges, or if you just owned an HP printer from 2001?

[James P. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

The lawyers will get $200million. The only thing we will get is a $5 coupon.

[justin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

If this were true, the cartriges would have to have a battery to keep the timer going. Just crack open a cartrige and look for a battery. Case closed.

And they said Johnny Cochran was good... :)

[nial @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

No that's not really true. The cartridge could easily be marked electronically with an expiration date and the printer could verify whether or not that date has passed when it connects to the computer. Of course there are ways around that, in theory, but I really have no idea what I am talking about anyway.

[justin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

A Georgia woman has sued Hewlett-Packard Co., claiming the ink cartridges for their printers are secretly programed to expire on a certain date, in some cases rendering them useless before they are even installed in a printer.

If it can be rendered useless before it's installed in a printer it would need it's own battery would it not?

[Mary @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

That would explain more than one HP cartridge I've purchased. Currently dealing with one bad one now.

[Marsonist @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

@Justin

It could be more of a hard coded expiration date (think can-of-soup) that the printer could compare against the computer's date

[William Frank @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Terablog.blogspot.com found an HP web site telling how they program ink cartridges to expire, so how can it be a secret?

[TheZodiac @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

YAY THE END OF THE HP EMPIRE! HAHHAHA!

[Josh McCormick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Public rationale: "We use a special quality ink which, unfortunately, degrades over time."

Actual rationale: "We chose a special ink that would degrade over time to justify an expiration mechanism. That'll put an end to those refillers. Like it is that hard for us printing geniuses to create a stable ink."

[Stranger-Dranger @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

You know I own a HP printer and I think that really is true. My computer said that the ink was almost out but when I do those re-installtion of windows [maintence, you know how window's registry gets all screwed up] it thinks it's a new ink so I've used the same cartrige for years and still hasn't run out of ink. I finally tossed it out since the ink in there was really starting to run out. Not by the software display but more of a the quality the printing has been.

Looks like I'm expecting something if this case settles.

[Khaytsus @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Number 11,

You've used the same cartridge for years? Wow. Must have been automagically refilling from your brain, because it's definately about out of ink.

[[e-mail] @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

There are sites selling new chips for the #11 ink cartidges - The explanation goes like this - When you install a new #11 or #10 ink cartridge the printer writes a date code 30 months in the future to the chip on the cartridge. After that date the printer cannot be tricked into using the cartridge - the chip must be replaced or reset with an expensive $275 device - the driver files can be modified to keep the printer from writing to a new cartridge but if sometime the driver is updated then the cartridge gets a date code immediately. - I would think it would be possible to modify the firmware in the printer - anyone know of an available fix for the firmware on a CP1700 inkjet.

[Roger @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I do not know if this is possible, but I will tell you that I had 3 out of date cartridges that did not work and when I put a new in date one it did..Don't tell me HP is playing games!!! I will be getting rid of my HP when it malfunctions.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I am actually hacking this HP integrated circuit / ink chip. There is NO battery on it! It is a combination of ASIC and EEPROM. Look on Post no. 4! This comment is right.

Is someone else hacking this type of chip? I need the power of another person.

[Rodney Zawacki @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Well, it looks as if comments #15 and #4 may be correct. I just freshly opened an HP color cartridge (tri-color 57) which had a date printed on the box and cartridge from 2004 (todays date is 6-12-05) and I get no reds to print from it at all. It's just as well dead if I can't get red from it. This is unbelievable...especially after I've read these other comments and stories. Although I do like the performance of this HP printer, I will NOT be taken by what looks to be a very well-timed scam by a very high profile and "respected" Electronics company. If there is a way to take action towards this company, please let me know. Funny, you'd think they'd be happy with their already high priced cartridges and they have to scam us with this expiration crap too?

Sad and disappointed,
Rodney Zawacki

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Damn bastards! I need something to print right now for tommorrow (5:15am) and it says my cartridges are expired and won't print my work. There is stils 18% left in my color cartdridge and 34% left in the black one. This is pure theft of what should now be mine. Rot in HELL HP!

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Update: Thank goodness for the Internet, Google and "hackers". I read a fix where you remove the printer's battery and replace it and it fixes it but my battery fell inside the printer but it doesn't matter because it works now without the battery just fine. Woohoo!

[Wes @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I purchased a HP 1210 printer/scanner and only use the scanner as the cartridges are so expensive. Today July 22, 2005 I went to print something for the first time in months and the Error lights flash that something is wrong with the print cart. I pulled it out and it felt as though it was still full of ink. Looking at the back of the cart there is a date stamped of 2005/05/22! That's today...Not working now! Then I pulled the color cart and the date is July 27th, 2005. So that means it will quit then? Had no idea the cart would expire regardless of use - when I purchased the unit, so of course I am steaming mad that HP would screw me like this. Never again. Good thing they just fired 15,000 because when the markets finish with them they should fold the printer division all together! Guess now I will call HP and vent then hack the thing taking a hour out of my time to fix something that never should have broken. Stay away from HP!

[R.E. Zeigler @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I use IslandInkjet [Rainbow Refills] for my HP 56,57,58 cartridges. Excellent results at 1/4 price of HP new. Best over all solution is get a Canon printer. Refills are dirt cheap and only refill the specific color that runs out. There ink cartridges contain no electronics and hold 3 times the ink as HP cartridges. When my HP 5650 breaks; it goes to landfill and Canon replaces it.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I've sent a complaint to the Fed. Trade Commission since this ammounts to a deceptive business practice. The more people that they hear from, the more likely that they'll investigate HP's failure to disclose expiration dates on these cartridges.

[SS @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Just set the calendar on your PC back a year when you need to print.

[Katy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Re comment #22 - THANK you!! It gave me a good belly laugh, and I needed that. Esp'ly after a day of trying (unsucessfully) to get my "new" #41 HP inkjet cartridge to print something other than various shades of pink.

[Ed Cantu @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This site is great for info about removing the batter from the printer. Took me about 5 minutes and no I'm not a techy. It says to reinstall the batter but I just left it out and now my old cart works like a charm and I don't notice a difference in the printer's performance without the battery. Also, at least on my printer, the batter to be removed is NOT on or in the ink cart. Rather, it in the printer housing and is very accessible.

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:f1wmui4JDHcJ:www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/27744+hp,+battery,+ink,+expire&hl=en

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Try this site to reset battery on all-in-one HP printer http://www.land.netonecom.net/tlp/ref/letters/hpPrinters.php

It works for me but I am not going to buy HP printer anymore. @#$%^&*&*

[Ink Cartridge @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Good Information for me.

[Kelli @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Well, I am really pissed at HP for doing this. I have experienced the same damn thing. I put a "new" cartridge in my printer and if I dont use it for a couple months I am lucky to get about ten pages to print before it tells me I am running out of ink....then suddenly the ink is gone! Like magic, it just disappeared.

The ink was not gone, the cartridge was still full, but I found a few websites complaining about this "expiration date" crap, making the cartride fail just so HP can scam their, what used to be, faithful consumers.

I hope they suffer a painful death!!! How can they keep getting away with this type of crime on humanity!!!???? HOW? I want my voice heard in the media, I even contacted CNN just to let them know of this scam hoping it would lead to HP's Scamming to be Exposed. That was six months ago, but I never heard anything about it since. What can we do?

[Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Holy Crap! I did not relize that this was such a HUGE problem. I have had nothing but problems with my OJ710 eating the ink. I mainly use it to fax out and scan, but can never print because everytime I need to it does not work. I thought it was just the stupid printhead wearing out. How dumb of me. Guess good old HP strikes again!

[Harjinder Singh (Barnala) (Punjab) @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

It seems hp wishes to suck money in one go.I purchased a hp printer.first the B and then the color cart died suddenly in about 2 months. carts so costly. home refil worked another 2 months.We short circuited the elect points hoping deactivate damn smart chip.The experiment failed.The battle is not over yet. It is a battle of nerves. company v/s customers,refillers.

[Gary Lee @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Regarding # 10.:

You're correct. That's the way it's designed to (not)work and it is morally wrong. There are a couple of ways of working around it which I'll get to later. We have a CP1700 and a Business Inkjet 2230 which use the 10/11 cartridge system. We just opened a new sealed authentic HP black 10 cartridge #C4844A on 11/10/2005 and as soon as it was installed, before any printing, each printer would give the "Black Ink Cartridge Expired" message. We buy extra black cartridges so they sometimes sit on the shelf for a while. This one had gotten stuck in the back and the date printed on it is 10/30/2002. For these 2 printers at least, the computer's time and date is sent to the printer by the HP printer driver every time you print. So the printer compares the computer's date to the date burned into the cartridges chip and decides by some formula if the cartridge is too old or not. If the printer decides the cartridge is too old, it displays the "Expired" message. People claim the cartridge chip's date is not rewriteable (it's one-time-programmable) and I haven't seen any devices that rewrite the HP chip.

So, there are 2 solutions:

1. For the 2230 printer: First, turn the printer off. Whenever you need to print, set the computer date's year to something less than the cartridge year, like 2001 in my case. Turn the printer power on. After it does its self-test, the display should show the cartridge as good. Print what you want. When you are finished printing, set the computer's year back to the correct year (2005). If you need to print again, you must always set the computer's year to an old year BEFORE you print. If you forget, start this procedure from the beginning.

When I used this method on the 2230, the black cartridge from 2002 worked perfectly. There was nothing wrong with the ink. Color and saturation were as good as any cartridge. HP's excuse for having an expiration date is a complete LIE. A new sealed cartridge will work
long past their expiration date. I'm not sure what's happened to the lawsuit, but I hope they lose $Billions for trying to pull this. When these printers wear out, I'll be buying Canon printers next time.

I've read this method also works for the CP1700 if you remove a backup battery which powers its real time clock, but I haven't tried it yet. I have tried this method without removing the battery and it does not work.

2. Buy a replacement chip for the cartridge. The best chips are auto-resetting and are about $8. There are different ones for each cartridge type and color. They automatically reset the rewriteable level value in the chip to 100% when they get down to 10%. If you are going to refill it, it's a good practice to never let the cartridge get empty before you refill. Get into a habit of refilling it when it gets down to 25% full. A US source for the chips is:

http://www.smartchipsolutions.com

There seems to be a lot of sources in China, but I'm not sure if you can buy direct from them.

http://www.cutemaker.com
http://www.szprintmedia.com
www.equnxin.com/sdp/149103/4/main-932031.html

If there's one close to you, you can also try having the cartridge refilled/reset at a place like:

www.islandinkjet.com

Hope this helps.