Brother accused of locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware

[eppur_se_muova]

Brother accused of locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware versions from support portals

By Mark Tyson
published March 4, 2025

RepairTuber Louis Rossmann taken aback by Brother’s quiet turn to the dark side.

Fabled RepairTuber and right to repair crusader Louis Rossmann has shared a new video encapsulating his surprise, and disappointment, that Brother has morphed into an “anti-consumer printer company.” More information about Brother’s embrace of the dark side are shared on Rossmann’s wiki, with the major two issues being new firmware disabling third party toner, and preventing (on color devices) color registration functionality.

Rossmann is clearly perturbed by Brother’s quiet volte-face with regard to aftermarket ink. Above he admits that he used to tell long-suffering HP or Canon printing device owners faces with cartridge DRM issues “Buy a brother laser printer for $100 and all of your woes will be solved.”

Sadly, “Brother is among the rest of them now,” mused the famous RepairTuber. With that, he admitted he would be stumped if asked to recommend a printer today. However, what he has recently seen of Brother makes him determined to keep his current occasionally used output peripheral off the internet and un-updated.



As mentioned in the intro, Rossmann has seen two big issues emerge for Brother printer users with recent firmware updates. Firstly, models that used to work with aftermarket ink, might refuse to work with the same cartridges in place post-update. Brother doesn’t always warn about such updates, so Rossmann says that it is important to keep your printer offline, if possible. Moreover, he reckons it is best to keep your printers offline, and “I highly suggest that you turn off your updates,” in light of these anti-consumer updates.
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more: https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/printers/brother-accused-of-locking-down-third-party-printer-ink-cartridges-via-firmware-updates-removing-older-firmware-versions-from-support-portals?


Related post: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220108607

[LeftInTX]

1. I've had Brother BW lasers for 25 years. I think this is my third or fourth one.

In 2020 during Covid, my 10 year old Brother died. (circuit board went out). The only one available was a cheap HP. The HP died in 2024. (A roller started making a clicking noise, until it just didn't work anymore) Now I have a cheap Brother again.

I think I had a BW inkjet early in 2000, but due to my bad back, I did tons of printing instead of reading online. So, I just went out and bought a BW laser.

Office Depot used to make Brother off-brand cartridges, but stopped about 10 years ago. Although the Brother toner cartridges are pricey, they last a long time and are cost effective.

When my dad died, I inherited his Epson color inkjet. I used it for a few projects, but the ink was expensive, it ran out a lot. Then one day, the jets clogged and that was the end.

I've bought a color printer because of the cost of ink and because when I didn't use the inkjet for awhile the jets all clogged up and that was the end of the printer. I've never owned a laser color printer either.

Even with this issue, I think the BW lasers are cost effective. I did buy the Office Depot brand cartridges for awhile, but they quit making them quite awhile ago.

I wish color printing was cheap, but it just isn't.

[canetoad]

3. I've also used Brother printers since the 90s

And apart from the initial cartridges, used off-brand ink. I thought they were great printers, added bonus the new paper lies flat, which eliminates a heap of woes.

I don't like the 'hidden' expenses - toner drums, not just cartridges and in the case of my last Brother, an A3 inkjet - the bloody ink overflow tray. It's not user accessible. There is a digital hack to reset the print count and clear the ink overflow message but it can only be used a certain number of times.

I sent a perfectly good, working, expensive A3 printer to the tip because of Brother's built-in obsolescence and vowed never to buy another of their machines. Costly, stupid, unsustainable and greedy.

Edit to add: Try working on clogged ink with iso alcohol and a diabetic syringe. Usually can get it cleared.

[GreatGazoo]

2. Mine is 18 years old

Too old for their firmware updates to nail it. I pay $3 per cartridge.

Likely the printer makers are doing this now because tax season is when they sell a lot of ink and new printers.

Great doc on the whole obsolescence dynamic; starts with an ink jet printer:

[Kali]

4. that was good

thanks for posting