The planned obsolescence It is a subject that cannot be taken lightly. It is understandable that devices such as smart phones lag behind advances like new microprocessors, but a device like a printer should not stop working because the manufacturer made it so.
This is the case of Epson, according to the Fight to Repair platform. Users have reported that Some brand name printers only stop working if they are used too often.
“The printer Epson from my wife just displayed a message stating that it reached its lifecycle and proceeded to lock itself. Apparently she (his wife of hers) can pay to have it checked or buy a new one even though she was working normally,” she complained. Mark Tarvena professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
Epson’s support page confirms that these messages exist and occur in mass consumer inkjet printers.
“Like many other products, all Epson inkjet printers have a finite life due to component wear and tear during normal use. At a certain point, the product will reach a condition where a Satisfactory print quality cannot be maintained or the components have reached the end of their life cycle”.
Affected Models
Fight to Repair indicates that the models of Epson with this “functionality” are:
-Epson L130.
-Epson L220.
-Epson L310.
– And Epson L365.
What users can do if they see this message
Epson says that the printer will stop working until it is repaired. Users of Windows they can run a program which allows them to use the printer a bit more.
According to Epson’s support page, most users choose to buy a new printer, especially if it’s a low-cost model.
The home printer that can print photos sent via Telegram
At the beginning of January it went viral in Twitter a thread in which Guido Garciatelecommunications engineer and expert in software development, explained how he installed a home printer so that his grandmother can have the photos in physical format that his smartphone. “This Christmas I made a pot to send photos to my grandmother who doesn’t have a mobile phone or internet,” Guido mentions.
Everything you needed to create this device is the app Telegram, a Raspberry Pi microchip, a connection to Internet and a SIM card.
The result is the printing of photographs through a thermal printer. “The result has vintage notes and a certain polaroid aroma. Better than I expected”, Guido summarizes in the Twitter thread.
The topic covers all the technical explanations for assembling a home printer and has made a significant impact due to its ease of use. “The truth is that it is not a particularly complicated device.
It fits in the pocket of anyone with basic knowledge of electronics and programming. “For me the most complicated thing is the set-up; that is to say, put a 4G modem on it, because this is the first time I have used it”, Guido García tells the Hipertextual medium.
Guido Garcia believes that More initiatives like this are needed. but not only to help the elderly. “We need to work even more so that technology works for everyone, not the other way around,” he said.
