Toner cartridges from Canon are only delivered without digital copy protection.The reason is the ongoing chip shortage.But what looks like a service public could be a smart move to maximize profits.An error message on Canon printers begins with the words "Printer cartridge cannot be recognized" when you insert a third-party toner cartridge.The printer claims that the toner level is not detected.This can be remedied by using an original Canon product.The problem: The semiconductor crisis.For weeks, it has made it impossible for printer manufacturers to produce the chips that verify the authenticity of their own cartridges.Therefore, newer cartridges are delivered without these chips.Because they can no longer be verified by printers, Canon Germany has published instructions on how to bypass this mechanism.The joke: You can now also use toner from third-party manufacturers.This is not the point of the instructions, but Canon seems to be forced to do so.This puts an end to Digital Rights Management (DRM) on Canon office printers.for now.The first devices that can be freed from DRM belong to the Imagerunner series.These are large devices that are mainly used in offices.The bypass process is simple.As soon as an error message appears on the Imagerunner display, simply press «OK», «Next» or «Agree».Printer cartridges and toner cartridges are expensive.The printers, on the other hand, are cheap.Printer manufacturers like Canon don't make big money with the devices themselves.Profits flow from the sale of ink and toner for laser printing.And these are expensive.An example: A toner cartridge for a Canon Imagerunner Advance costs between 180 and 330 francs, depending on the colour.Since digital rights management has so far made the use of third-party cartridges unattractive or even impossible, a side industry has formed.They sell toner.So the powder that is in the cartridge.A quick search shows an offer from Thinkshop.ch.The toner costs 116.50 francs.You just have to refill it yourself.Third-party replacement cartridges and toners have been on the market for years and exist in the shadow of the big printer manufacturers.In many cases they offer the same print quality at lower prices.If there were no DRM mechanisms, you could buy a cheap printer and refill it with cheap ink or toner.Therefore, the industry - not only Canon - developed DRM.The printer requires identification of the toner or cartridge, otherwise certain features will not work.In the case of Canons, this is the fill level display.It may be that the toner level can only be measured by the chip with DRM.However, it is also quite possible that the printer's software refuses to output the measured values ​​if there is no DRM chip.Similar mechanisms can be found in video games, music and all kinds of apps.These make economic sense.If a manufacturer can retain its customers with the mechanism "Either our material or the device doesn't work", then the device can be sold cheaper and the consumables can then be sold relatively expensive.The printer costs you 60 francs, the refill cartridges 40 francs if you buy them individually.The color cartridge and black-and-white cartridge in a set only cost you 30 francs.That's still half the purchase price of the entire printer.Refill inks are available from specialist retailers - also manufactured by Canon itself - instructions can be read online.Canon, like any other company committed to profit, has no interest in losing customers.On the contrary, customers should ideally be tied to the company forever.DRM is a powerful tool to achieve this goal.This is exactly why it is very likely that only corporate office printers can be freed from the DRM prison.Because companies are usually in a contractual relationship with Canon.When the toner runs out, the printer notifies Canon and someone at Canon posts new toner, which is in the company's mailbox the following day.In other words, companies don't have to worry about where the toners come from, because Canon supplies them anyway.Canon does not currently have to worry about toner sales, which is why the DRM chips can disappear from the toner.This subscription is also available for private individuals, but it is probably not that common there.The only thing Canon is worried about is the error message that might appear on the printers.Because these then lead to annoyance among the customers and at most to an additional burden on customer service.If you want a good and fun DRM example, I can recommend the DRM-infested eBook version of Cory Doctorow's collection of short stories «Radicalized» on Amazon.Or the DRM-free version from the author's website.37 people like this articleJournalist.Author.Hacker.I'm a storyteller and I'm looking for boundaries, secrets and taboos.I document the world in black and white.Not because I can, but because I can't help myself.Do you have any questions?Then visit our help center