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Hewlett-Packard, or HP, have disabled the printers of customers who used ink cartridges from cheaper rival companies.
This sparked an outrage after they issued a 'firmware' update blocking customers from using cheaper, non-HP ink cartridges in their printers.
HP printers will now not work unless they are fitted with the approved ink cartridges after they were remotely updated.
If the cartridges are not fitted with a HP microchip, which are typically more expensive, the machine will refuse to print any documents.
HP ink cartridges can cost more than double the price of third-party offerings.
The printer company told the Telegraph it issued the update to reduce the risk of malware attacks, saying 'third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to the hardware performance, print quality, and security.'
According to their website, the printer company also blocked the use of other ink cartridges in order to 'maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property'.
Before the update, HP printers would issue an alter to customers when they didn't use HP branded ink but now the machines will not work at all if they are used.
Many angry customers took to social media complaining about the update claiming they felt 'cheated' by the update.
Signing up for a HP ink subscription can set customers back by £4.49 a month to print 100 pages.
This subscription ranges from 99p for 10 pages per month to £22.40 for 700 pages.
It's unclear which printer models are or will be affected by this change in the future.
This is not the first time HP has outraged its customers by blocking the use of other ink cartridges.
The firm has been forced to pay out millions in compensation to customers in America, Australia and across Europe since it first introduced dynamic security measures back in 2016.
This sparked an outrage after they issued a 'firmware' update blocking customers from using cheaper, non-HP ink cartridges in their printers.
HP printers will now not work unless they are fitted with the approved ink cartridges after they were remotely updated.
If the cartridges are not fitted with a HP microchip, which are typically more expensive, the machine will refuse to print any documents.
HP ink cartridges can cost more than double the price of third-party offerings.
The printer company told the Telegraph it issued the update to reduce the risk of malware attacks, saying 'third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to the hardware performance, print quality, and security.'
According to their website, the printer company also blocked the use of other ink cartridges in order to 'maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property'.
Before the update, HP printers would issue an alter to customers when they didn't use HP branded ink but now the machines will not work at all if they are used.
Many angry customers took to social media complaining about the update claiming they felt 'cheated' by the update.
Signing up for a HP ink subscription can set customers back by £4.49 a month to print 100 pages.
This subscription ranges from 99p for 10 pages per month to £22.40 for 700 pages.
It's unclear which printer models are or will be affected by this change in the future.
This is not the first time HP has outraged its customers by blocking the use of other ink cartridges.
The firm has been forced to pay out millions in compensation to customers in America, Australia and across Europe since it first introduced dynamic security measures back in 2016.
