Canon can’t get enough toner chips, so it’s telling customers how to defeat its DRM

Digital rights management systems prevent users from buying third-party ink and toner. Printer companies claim that their chip-enabled cartridges can improve the quality and performance of their equipment, provide the best consumer experience, and protect them from counterfeit and third-party ink cartridges.

It's left unsaid that the recurring revenue stream is ensured by requiring first-party cartridges. illette sold its razor handles cheaply to sell more razors, and it's one that printer companies have enthusiastically embraced Lexmark, HP, Canon, Brother, and others all require users to purchase first-party ink.

To make sure that the use of first-party cartridges is enforced, manufacturers usually put chips inside the consumables. When chips are in short supply, manufacturers can find themselves in a bind. Canon is telling German customers how to get rid of third-party cartridges.

Canon is currently facing challenges in procuring certain electronic components that are used in their consumables for theirMFP due to the worldwide continuing shortage of Semiconductor components. In order to ensure a continuous and reliable supply of consumables, we have decided to supply consumables without a component until the normal supply takes place again.

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The chip tells the printer when it's time to print. A useful feature, but one that printer companies often use to lock out third-party cartridges, and refuse to print if they don't know how much ink or toner is inside.

Canon is telling owners of its imageRUNNER large-office printers how to defeat its own protections against cartridges that don't have chips because it has been hard to get chips.

The software on these printers can be used to defeat chip checks. Users can either Agree or Close when an error message occurs. The world does not end when users press that button. Canon says that users may find that the low-toner warning doesn't come through when they use their printer.

Canon says that there are no negative effects on print quality when consumables are used without electronic components.