Starting around September 13, HP OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro, and OfficeJet Pro X inkjet printers and all-in-ones that use the HP 934/935, HP 950/951, and HP 970/971 cartridge families suddenly stopped using certain aftermarket inkjet cartridges (see “HP Inkjet Printer Firmware Update Disables Some Third-Party Inkjet Cartridges”). The cause was the firmware used in these devices,
It has been a couple of weeks now since the firmware in OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro, and OfficeJet Pro X inkjet printers and all-in-ones using the HP 934/935, HP 950/951, and HP 970/971 cartridges began giving end users error messages and would not allow printing when certain aftermarket cartridges were installed (see “HP Inkjet Printer Firmware
Following the Federal Trade Commission’s successful attempt to block the Staples and Office Depot merger in May (see “FTC Succeeds in Shutting Down Staples and Office Depot Merger”), both firms have been making some drastic changes. Over the past few days, both companies have announced more about their plans moving forward. On September 23, Office
The downward trend in India’s hardcopy peripheral (printer and MFP) market continued in the second quarter of 2016. On September 26, International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that shipments of hardcopy peripherals in India declined by 4.7 percent sequentially to 757,783 units in Q2. This follows the 2.2 percent sequential shipment decline that IDC reported in
Initial public offerings (IPOs) on China’s stock markets are an effective means for Chinese companies to raise the capital needed to expand. A growing number of aftermarket supplies companies in China are announcing IPOs—that latest is Print-Rite’s ink subsidiary, Zhuhai Print-Rite New Materials Corporation Limited. The news follows Suzhou Goldengreen Technologies (SGT)’s IPO in August (see “Suzhou
While cartridge counterfeiting is a worldwide issue, most of the counterfeiting rings we see being busted are abroad—in countries like the United Arab Emirates and China. However, Epson has uncovered an enormous cartridge-counterfeiting scheme right in the United States. On September 23, Epson America issued a press release announcing that it has filed a complaint
Dell has confirmed that it will exit the printer hardware business in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific including Japan (APJ). However, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the death of Dell’s printer business in its entirety have been greatly exaggerated. The company intends to remain in the North American
After months of heightened attention about its growing problem with counterfeiters, Amazon has imposed a fee and new authentication requirements for certain brands in an apparent attempt to address the problem. Growing concerns over counterfeit products being sold on Amazon, along with criticism about the company’s move in recent years to invite Chinese manufacturers to
On September 13, Epson America announced the Expression Premium XP-640 Small-in-One, a new A4 inkjet all-in-one aimed at consumers—especially creative consumers who like to print photos. Monika Dees, senior product marketing manager for consumer inkjets at Epson America, tells us that the new Expression Premium XP-640 will replace the Expression Premium XP-630 that Epson launched
HP’s update to the firmware on various HP inkjet devices, which caused many printers to stop accepting third-party ink cartridges starting last week, continues to make waves in the industry. On September 20, LD Products, a big online cartridge reseller based in Long Beach, CA, issued an announcement about the firmware update. As detailed in
