Has your printer quit working, claiming it's out of ink, refusing to print another page until you buy a replacement ink or toner cartridge? Chances are it's lying to you. Farhad Manjoo, writing for Slate.com, shares what he found out.In many cases you can get those prints flowing again by "tricking" your printer into thinking you have replaced the cartridge. It isn't that difficult. Printers aren't that smart. Manjoo does point out, however, that inkjet printers are a bit harder to fool. Why is that? It's all about the money:
Inkjet makers have a lot riding on your regular purchases of ink -- and they go to great lengths to protect that market. In 2003, the British consumer magazine Which? found that inkjet printers ask for a refill long before their cartridges actually go dry. After overriding internal warnings, a researcher was able to print 38 percent more pages on an Epson printer that had claimed it didn't have a drop left. Lawyers in California and New York filed a class-action lawsuit against Epson; the company denied any wrongdoing, but it settled the suit in 2006, giving customers a $45 credit. A similar suit is pending against Hewlett-Packard.Check out the article and see what you can do to fight back against Big Ink.
My secret? I've discovered that documents can be saved electronically and read on this new device that's now come out for computers, called a "monitor"! Pretty cool! Though just yesterday my monitor came up with a warning on the screen saying it's low on electrons.
ReplyDeleteGood eye, Brian. (*quote from the fabulous Brian Regan in case you think I've been gone SO long I've forgotten your name. I haven't.)
ReplyDeleteBut man, I haven't had dessert in a long time.