Enlarge / Don't bother hitting the scan button if you're out of ink.

How much ink does an all-in-one printer need in order to fax a document? Or to scan one to your computer? The obvious answer is "none." But if you own certain printers from companies like HP and Canon, you won't be able to use core features unless the device has ink—even if those features have nothing to do with ink.

Unfortunately, all-in-one printers arbitrarily demanding ink to perform non-printing functions isn't a new frustration . And that's despite some companies having printers that can scan without ink . Clearly, scanning or faxing without requiring an ink cartridge would improve users' experience—and they've illustrated that through class-action lawsuits. But this hasn't stopped printer makers from fighting to keep the nettlesome practice.

No ink, no scan

Since mid-2022, HP has been fighting a class-action lawsuit alleging that certain all-in-one printer models won't scan or fax without ink and that HP doesn't properly disclose this to shoppers. On January 13, 2023, the complaint was dismissed but allowed to be amended (you can view the amended complaint here: [ PDF ]), and on August 10, a Northern District of California judge dismissed HP's motion to dismiss the amended complaint [ PDF ].

HP's OfficeJet Pro 9025e printer is affected. (credit: HP )

A firmware update has rendered several models of HP OfficeJet printers useless for weeks. As reported by Bleeping Computer on Saturday, a recent firmware update inadvertently left many users with devices that won't print and will only display a dreaded blue screen.

HP's support forums are currently littered with users complaining that their printer is no longer functioning and that its screen has turned blue with the error code "83C0000B " displayed. The issue goes back as early as May 8. According to Bleeping Computer, the issue is impacting owners of OfficeJet 902x printers.

At least one HP rep on the forum had previously suggested that the error came from "a problem with the printer's head." However, Bleeping Computer has reported that the issue is due to a firmware update released in May.

Enlarge (credit: Getty )

HP customers are showing frustration online as the vendor continues to use firmware updates to discourage or, as users report, outright block the use of non-HP-brand ink cartridges in HP printers. HP has already faced class-action lawsuits and bad publicity from Dynamic Security, but that hasn't stopped the company from expanding the practice.

Dynamic Security is a feature used by HP printers to authenticate ink cartridges and prevent use of cartridges that aren't HP-approved. As the company explains :

"Dynamic security relies on the printer’s ability to communicate with the security chips or electronic circuitry on the cartridges. HP uses dynamic security measures to protect the quality of our customer experience, maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property.

Enlarge (credit: Getty )

Epson printers have had a nasty little issue for years. Some models will abruptly brick, even if they seem to be working fine, because the ink pads are supposedly too saturated. Epson has endured bad publicity the past few weeks as users, websites, and right-to-repair activists condemned the company for designing its printers to eventually stop functioning, highlighting just how big of a problem printers continue to be in the fight for the right to repair .

According to the Fight to Repair newsletter, Epson printers—including the L360, L130, L220, L310, L365, and potentially others—may suddenly display a message saying that they have reached the end of their service life and then stop printing. Epson told The Verge this week that this is because saturated ink pads could leak ink throughout the devices.

Until this week, Epson's support page about the message said :