• fake arch user they/them@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    8 months ago

    Actually eco tank printers are also designed to fail as they have ink pads that can only be replaced by the manufacturer I recommend you watch this video explaining the problem with tank printers like the eco tank.

    • hperrin@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      That’s an ink absorber, and all inkjet printers have them. It’s not “designed to fail”, it’s a physical limitation of the universe. You can’t just keep dumping ink into a sponge forever. Eventually it will become saturated and you can either clean it or replace it.

      I’ve had my printer for about four years and haven’t needed to replace one yet. They only cost about $10 when you do need to replace it. If they cost several hundred dollars, I would see your point, but the savings in ink more than makes up for having to replace a sponge every decade or so.

      Edit: I missed that you said only the manufacturer can replace it. That’s not true. It’s user replaceable with a Phillips head screwdriver.

      Edit 2: Added links.

      • fake arch user they/them@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 months ago

        What I meant by “designed to fail” is that most of these ecotank printers need the counter to be reset by epson themselves. You can easily replace the pads. But you can’t easily reset the counter. It is possible but it involves trusting sketch sites and paying for a license to use the reset software. Older cartridges based epson printers had waste tanks with chips so that it could know when it was replaced. Newer eco tank printers don’t have the chip that let’s it know when the waste tank is replaced.

        • hperrin@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          That’s not designed to fail, that’s designed to be serviced. Do you call cars “designed to fail” because they need new oil filters and the check engine light comes on when you need an oil change?

            • hperrin@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              You just said there are other ways to do it besides Epson. There are multiple sites that provide utilities to reset the counter.

              The sponges are cheap. Way cheaper than using a cartridge printer. You can even just clean out the sponge and put it back in. You don’t have to buy a new one.

              Even going through Epson’s first party maintenance program is way cheaper than using a cartridge printer. Like, orders of magnitude cheaper.

        • hperrin@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          It is? It’s behind a panel on the back of the printer. Just take the single Phillips head screw off.

        • hperrin@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          It’s not designed to fail. It’s designed to be user serviceable. You can buy a replacement and replace it yourself. It literally only requires a Phillips head screwdriver to take out the one screw on the back panel. If that is designed to fail, then a car needing an oil change is “designed to fail”.

          • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            It literally only requires a Phillips head screwdriver to take out the one screw on the back panel.

            Literally rocket science. I’m gonna have to pay a monthly subscription so a service tech can come out and do it for me.

          • Ann Archy@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            It is made out of materials that have a set lifetime or propensity for easily breaking, like glass screens that explode into a supernova if you look at them wrong.