Watch Out - HP Inks Expire

[pubwvj]

I just changed the ink in one of my HP OfficeJet printers. With the new ink I got a message "Supply Expired". Watch out. The ink is perfectly good but HP is dating them in a way the printer can read such that then it won't use an "Expired" ink even though the ink has just been opened and has plenty of liquid ink in it. All this so HP can make another sale. Pure greed by HP.

 

[nakile]

HP has a page on it: http://www.hp.com/pageyield/articles/us/en/InkExpiration.html

Don't know if any of that is true or not, but it makes since. You can't exactly stock up on a dozen ink cartridges when they're on sale and end up using the last four six years after they were made. Ink can dry up even if the cartridge is never used. Besides, only a few of their printers have ink expiration, anyway.

 

[hexonxonx]

Doesn't make any sense to me.

Years ago, only food had expiration dates. Soft drinks. beer and water as well as ink. Expiration dates didn't start appearing on everything till about 10 years ago. People would stock up on things when prices were low and it was a way for companies to try and stop people from doing that. It meant less profits so they had to do something.

 

[nanofrog]

I just changed the ink in one of my HP OfficeJet printers. With the new ink I got a message "Supply Expired". Watch out. The ink is perfectly good but HP is dating them in a way the printer can read such that then it won't use an "Expired" ink even though the ink has just been opened and has plenty of liquid ink in it. All this so HP can make another sale. Pure greed by HP.

Toner cartridges for their laser jet printers also do this.
2 yrs is the time limit on these.

 

[alphaod]

I think it's just greed; seriously if it's sealed how can the water evaporate?

 

[nanofrog]

I think it's just greed; seriously if it's sealed how can the water evaporate?

I do recall seeing vent holes in some makes of ink cartridges.
But I would think if the plastic foil envelope seal is unbroken, and stored in a cool place, it wouldn't be a problem.

Maybe if the thing was stored for a really long time, 5+ years, or in warm conditions, OK. But a year or so? I also chalk it up to greed. Definitely on the toner cartridges.

 

[rpaloalto]

I hate printers
during the last 6 years I have gone through 3 printers, All but my current canon mp470 have driven me insane with their crapy inks.

1. epson 5200 it had 6 individual ink cartridges. When one would run out. It would no let you print or scan at all. Even if it was the yellow you still could not even print in just plain black.

2. hp something model from 2005? Just super cheesy puny cartridges that would have the capacity to do no more than 20 pages.

3. canon mp470 very reasonable in ink capacities. I'm happy with that. However I have learned my model has a function. Were after so many pages have been printed. It will lock up. Until I replace the ink absorption sponge inside the printer.

 

[nanofrog]

I hate printers
during the last 6 years I have gone through 3 printers, All but my current canon mp470 have driven me insane with their crapy inks.

1. epson 5200 it had 6 individual ink cartridges. When one would run out. It would no let you print or scan at all. Even if it was the yellow you still could not even print in just plain black.

2. hp something model from 2005? Just super cheesy puny cartridges that would have the capacity to do no more than 20 pages.

3. canon mp470 very reasonable in ink capacities. I'm happy with that. However I have learned my model has a function. Were after so many pages have been printed. It will lock up. Until I replace the ink absorption sponge inside the printer.

This is the main reason why I went with a laser.
Too annoying, way too expensive per page.

As per part 3, that is the equivalent to the waste receptacle in a laser unit that doesn't use all-in-one cartridges. But they are good for 20k pages typically, and not terribly expensive.