As printers become smarter and more advanced, companies have more tools and methods to stop you from buying expensive ink, including options to stop affordable counterfeit products. A consumer fought back.

Maybe you find yourself angry and ready to yell at the office or home printer. It should work. The ink should be there, but it will give you a message telling you to buy more. Well, guess what? This is what the plan is all about. Amanda Aronczyk from NPR's Planet Money podcast explained.

AMANDA ARONCZYK, connection: DeLores Williams is still angry with her old HP printer.

DELORES WILLIAMS: Oh, I don't even want to think about it.

ARONCZYK: She bought it in 2015 to print photos of her grandchildren.

(Archived NPR broadcast voice)

Williams: I currently have 14 of them.

ARONCZYK: One day, when she went to print, her printer did not print out cute photos, but spit out bunches of colors.

(Archived NPR broadcast voice)

Williams: It gave me an error message.

ARONCZYK: Do you remember what it said?

Williams: Yes, I need to replace the cartridge. I know better.

ARONCZYK: She just bought a new ink cartridge and she is pretty sure she clicked "OK" for all updates. So she called HP's helpline.

(Archived NPR broadcast voice)

Williams: At the same time, between all the troubleshooting, they said, well, you really should buy a new printer.

ARONCZYK: So Williams bought a brand new printer. But she couldn't stop thinking about what was wrong with Printer One.

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Williams: Finally, I said, oh, let me do some research on this printer.

ARONCZYK: Williams found that the problem was with her new ink cartridge. She bought a cheap counterfeit brand. It worked for a few months. But it turns out that a few months ago, HP had sent some kind of update to thousands of printers like hers.

CORY DOCTOROW: After six months, the printers rejected third-party inks, right? That is a timer. This is a countdown.

ARONCZYK: Cory Doctorow is an activist and consultant for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He said that HP sent an update instructing the printer to reject counterfeit ink cartridges. They do this because of their business model. They sell some printers at bargain prices, and then sell their brand inks over and over again to make money. Therefore, counterfeit ink is an existential threat. As printers become more and more intelligent, companies have more and more ways to try to lock you in.

(Archived NPR broadcast voice)

DOCTOROW: We have entered this bizarre digital world. In this world, a company’s design choices allow it to place its ruthless hands on your property for a long time after ownership is transferred to you. It’s true. Can slap you in the face.

ARONCZYK: This is how Delores Williams feels. Therefore, she eventually helped initiate a class action lawsuit against HP. In 2018, the company settled with 1.5 million U.S. dollars. Today, Williams still owns the second HP printer she bought, but she no longer needs to buy ink cartridges for it. She succumbed and signed up for a subscription service for HP brand inks-$3 per month.

Williams: Every time I see it on my account, I get angry.

ARONCZYK: HP wrote to us that this subscription service can save customers 50% of ink, and they provide customers with a range of printer and ink options to choose from. This is the relationship printing companies have always hoped to build with customers like Williams-monthly fees and the required loyalty.

Williams: Yes-I'm stuck, unless I want to go out and buy another printer, which I don't want.

ARONCZYK: She already has two printers. She does not need a third party. Amanda Aronczyk of NPR News.

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