Brand new HP printer needs HP account to print | Hacker News Reader

Brand new HP printer needs HP account to print

15 pointsASVBPREAUBV10 comments

Brought a brand new HP Laserjet M110we.

Only has WIFI but i don't care as long as it works.

I have to download the 110MB HP app, but ok as long as it works.

Go through the process of connecting the thing to my wifi, the printer shows up on my laptop, i start printing. I work on my project (a treasure hunt) that needs alot of printing.

The app sends me 10 notifications over 2h to sign up for a HP account. I ignore them, i have to finish my project.

All of a sudden it stops working, the error light (a red !) is blinking. I think a paperjam, do the normal stupid printer debugging (on/off, opening, removing cartridge...) nothing works. I check the app is says i should finish the setup nothing else.

I log onto the printers web-interface, the message there:

"Status: Set up the printer now. Printer setup incomplete. Your HP+ printer must be set up using the HP Smart app. Visit 123.hp.com to download the app and complete the guided setup. Any pages you have printed were intended for setup and have been exhausted."

Instead of finishing my project i go on HN to complain. Can anyone please build a working printer. I would pay 5x to not give HP more money.

The only brand I buy for printers is Brother. I've had mine for years and I recommend them to anyone.

Return the HP, get a Brother.

I have an Epson with refillable ink tanks, which has been great.

Yeah, same here. So far having a great experience.

This is going to sound kind of ridiculous, but I’d go on Craigslist or eBay and buy a LaserJet 2100n. I did tech support for these about 20 years ago and they were virtually indestructible.

Not new of course, but frankly not much has changed in the laser printing world in the last decade or two. Postscript, PCL 6, it’s all the same. They’re well known, lots of solid technology in them. The 2100n has a network card so you can talk to it over Ethernet.

I will use my laser jet 2600n until it is physically impossible to maintain it. Toner is a bit pricey but it lasts awhile and is still widely available although the part number has changed. There’s even a service manual online! Came in handy when it started making gross streaks on pages and I had to clean the transfer belt, which was pretty simple. Also has the feature set you describe including Ethernet and I think some versions had WiFi

I got an HP for free but when the pick roller failed I got an Epson, the first Epson I got had low-quality ink that faded in less than six months, then I got one of these

https://epson.com/For-Work/Printers/Inkjet/EcoTank-Photo-ET-...

but I am a serious amateur who prints art reproductions and photographs almost every day. Get a Brother laser if you are mostly printing documents.

> Brought a brand new HP Laserjet M110we.

Do not buy HP printers anymore.

Return this one as defective.

Scrolling through the images for the printer on amazon, I came to this one:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71AlgUqmZvL._AC_UF1000,1...

Which says it only works with an account and ongoing internet access and branded cartridges and suggests the M100w- if you want a printer that works.

It's not a good choice, IMHO, but it's not like they hid it either.

I’ve got an old beige HP laserjet a client had gotten rid of because they “upgraded” to a new printer. I don’t print much, but it works every time I do. I bought a new rollers and a third party toner refill and 2019 and haven’t done any maintenance since. Find an old laser printer, do some basic maintenance on it and you’ll be good to go

I used to buy HP printers only because they were the ones that were guaranteed to work on Linux. What's the current recommendation these days?

I do still have an HP printer, but I never told it my wifi password and never plugged it to a Windows machine.

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