Printer Lock-in Index 2026: which brands tie you to their ink

Conceptual illustration generated with AI.

A cheap printer can end up being expensive. What really determines the cost is the ink or toner, and not all brands let you choose where to buy it. Some use chips and firmware updates that reject cartridges from other manufacturers. Others sell printers that only work with their own ink while you have an active account.

To compare brands we have not relied on forums or rumours. We scored each one based solely on what is set out in public documents: decisions by consumer protection authorities, court rulings and settlements, and the manufacturers' own support and terms pages. Then we measured how much each printed page costs with 20 best-selling original consumables.

The short answer

The index, brand by brand

Lock-in index 2026. From 0 to 100: the higher the score, the more the brand ties you to its original cartridges. Each criterion is worth up to 25 points.

We looked at four things: whether it is documented that the brand blocks cartridges from other manufacturers, whether any authority or court has taken action over it, whether it sells printers or ink plans that stop working outside its subscription, and whether you have an official way to avoid the lock-in. The exact breakdown of points is at the end of the article.

HP: 87 points

HP states this on its own support website: its Dynamic Security feature exists, among other things, to protect customers from cartridges that do not carry an original HP security chip. In September 2016, a firmware feature began rejecting cartridges with chips from other manufacturers in several OfficeJet models. Following complaints, HP apologised and released an optional update to remove it from the affected models.

No other brand in the sample has built up so many enforcement actions against it. In December 2020, Italy's competition authority (AGCM) fined HP 10 million euros for failing to inform buyers at the time of purchase that firmware blocked non-original cartridges. According to trade press, an administrative court in Lazio rejected HP's appeal in 2024, although we have not found the text of the ruling. In Australia, HP committed to the regulator ACCC in 2018 to compensate affected customers with 50 Australian dollars. It was not a fine, but a legally binding undertaking.

In 2022 HP reached an agreement with Euroconsumers, which brings together consumer organisations from Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal, without admitting liability: up to 95 euros per household for owners of affected models. In the United States it paid 1.5 million dollars in 2019 to settle a class action lawsuit over ink printers. In 2025 it settled another over LaserJet printers without paying anything to the plaintiffs, but owners of 21 models can reject updates with Dynamic Security. In Belgium, the organisation Test-Achats counted at least 59 HP models with Dynamic Security in 2023, and in 15 of the 23 online stores it reviewed, buyers were not warned.

HP+ is the clearest case of a tied printer. According to HP, these printers require an HP account, an internet connection and the use of only original HP ink or toner to function, including after the Instant Ink trial ends. And if you cancel Instant Ink, HP remotely disables the subscription cartridges. For us this is the most striking aspect of the whole index: no update is needed here, the restriction is part of the product from day one. An official way out exists, but it is limited: HP offers firmware without Dynamic Security only for a list of older ink models.

We include Samsung within HP because HP bought Samsung's printer business in 2017. Samsung-branded consumables are today HP products.

Epson: 54 points

Epson also puts this in writing. On its US FAQ page it explains that it updates firmware from time to time, that the printer is designed to work only with original cartridges, and that those from other brands, even if sold as compatible, may stop working properly after an update.

In January 2023, Italy's competition authority (AGCM) found that the firmware of some Epson printers communicates with the cartridge chip to accept only those it recognises. It did not impose a fine: Epson committed to warning buyers prior to sale and when offering updates. In France, following a complaint by the association HOP in 2017 and an investigation by the DGCCRF, the Nanterre prosecutor's office brought Epson to trial for planned obsolescence and deceptive commercial practices. The first hearing was on 2 July 2026. As of today we have found no ruling, so it scores no points in the index.

Cartridges under the ReadyPrint Flex plan only work while the plan is active. When cancelled, they continue to work until the end of the billing period and then standard cartridges must be purchased, but the printer does not remain tied. As for the way out, Epson's update software for Windows can be configured to never check for updates. We have not found an equivalent setting on the printer itself in Epson's documentation.

Epson is also the brand that invested earliest in tank printers without cartridges: it launched EcoTank in Western Europe in 2014.

Canon: 14 points

We have found no fine, decision by a consumer authority or court ruling against Canon for blocking compatible cartridges. Its printers do read the chip. During the chip shortage in 2021 and 2022, Canon Germany shipped original toner without chips for some imageRUNNER copiers and asked users to accept the non-original cartridge warning and keep printing.

In the United States, a class action lawsuit filed in 2021 accuses Canon of causing around 20 PIXMA all-in-ones not to scan or fax when ink runs out. We have not found any judgment or settlement. Canon sells MegaTank tank printers in Europe.

Brother: 14 points

In March 2025, right-to-repair activist Louis Rossmann accused Brother of blocking or downgrading third-party toner with its updates. The main evidence was a 2022 Reddit post about a specific model. Brother denied this in writing: it stated that its updates do not block third-party cartridges or intentionally degrade print quality. We have not found any independent evidence or action by an authority.

Brother has offered an ink and toner subscription, EcoPro, in several European countries since 2023. We have not found any terms that prevent using the printer outside the plan. Since 2025, it has also sold tank printers in Western Europe.

Kyocera: 8 points

Kyocera states that using original toner or not is the customer's decision, although the manufacturer's warranty does not cover breakdowns caused by non-original toner. Some users report that certain printers display a non-original toner warning that can be accepted to continue printing, but we have not been able to confirm this with Kyocera sources. Its ECOSYS system uses a long-life drum and developer, so in many models only the toner is replaced.

Mind the warranty: the manufacturer's warranty is voluntary, but the two-year statutory legal guarantee is owed by the seller by law. In HP's case, the AGCM considered that refusing assistance for having used non-original cartridges makes it harder to exercise that statutory legal guarantee.

Lexmark, Xerox and Konica Minolta

We do not score them because we do not have comparable cost-per-page data. In 2023, Italy's competition authority (AGCM) also asked Lexmark to warn that its firmware includes technical measures blocking non-original cartridges, and Lexmark complied without a fine. Xerox bought Lexmark in July 2025. Regarding Xerox and Konica Minolta, we have not found any decisions by authorities or class action lawsuits for this reason.

What sticking with the original costs

Blocking matters because original consumables are expensive. We calculated the cost per page of 20 best-selling original consumables, using the price from the manufacturer's official store in Spain when available (HP, Epson and Canon) and from PcComponentes, sold directly by the store itself, for Brother, Kyocera and Samsung.

In black toner for laser printers, the brand that ties buyers in the most is also the most expensive per page in our sample. Originals from HP and Samsung cost between 6.4 and 7.2 cents per page. Canon, between 4.2 and 4.8. Brother, between 3.1 and 4.4. Kyocera, which ties buyers in the least, between 1.4 and 2.8. It is a small sample and every model is different, but the difference is large: printing 10,000 pages with the most expensive original toner in the table costs around 725 euros, and with the cheapest, around 136.

Bottles for tank printers are in another league: 0.25 cents per page for Canon and 0.26 for Epson, even being originals.

Cost per page of 20 popular original consumables. Price including VAT in Spain, checked on 27 October 2026. Yield declared by the manufacturer (ISO standards). The saving compares with the equivalent compatible from Startoner, at its price in Spain on the same day.

To calculate savings, we always use the lower yield of the two cartridges, original or compatible, so as not to inflate it. Savings have been measured using prices in Spain. In other countries, Startoner prices may be slightly different, and the percentage too.

What changes in the EU from 27 September 2026

Directive (EU) 2024/825 adds several practices to the list of commercial practices considered unfair in all circumstances. From 27 September 2026, it is unfair to conceal that a product performs worse when using consumables or parts not provided by the original manufacturer, and also to falsely claim that it will perform worse. It is also unfair to conceal that a software update will worsen the product and to push consumers into replacing consumables earlier than technically necessary. We cover this in more detail in our article on the sustainable consumption law and cartridge firmware.

A frequently repeated misconception that is incorrect: the European Right to Repair Directive (2024/1799) does not include printers or cartridges among the products it requires to be repaired. The regulation affecting cartridge blocking is 2024/825.

How to avoid being locked in

• Before buying, check the exact model. If it is an HP+ printer, it will only work with original HP consumables. Search for the model alongside 'Dynamic Security' to see if it includes it.
• If you use compatibles, turn off automatic updates or check what each one includes before installing it. Keep in mind that some also fix security vulnerabilities. If this has already happened to you, we explain what to do with HP, with Epson and with Brother and Canon.
• Before cancelling Instant Ink, have spare cartridges at home: subscription cartridges stop working upon cancellation.
• If you print a lot, consider an ink tank printer. In our sample, original bottle ink costs less than 0.3 cents per page. We compare this in which printer has the cheapest ink.
• Keep the receipt. The two-year statutory legal guarantee is provided by the seller and does not depend on the brand of ink you use.

How we scored

Each brand receives up to 25 points in each of the four criteria. The higher the total, the more the brand locks buyers in to its original consumables.

• Documented blocking. 25 if the brand has been fined for blocking cartridges and its own documentation confirms it. 18 if its documentation confirms it or an authority has established it without penalising. 8 if there are only non-original cartridge warnings, allegations or user testimonials. 0 if we found nothing.
• Regulators and courts. 25 if there is a fine or a commitment to compensate customers. 12 if an authority established it or the brand committed to informing users, without a penalty. 6 if a lawsuit has been filed without a ruling or settlement. 0 if we found nothing.
• Tied subscription. 25 if it sells printers that only work with original consumables. 12 if its subscription cartridges stop working upon cancellation. 6 if it has a subscription and we found no conditions of that type. 0 if we found no consumer subscription in Europe.
• No official way out. 25 if there is blocking and no official way to avoid it. 12 if the official way only exists for some models or only for computer software. 0 if the brand says it does not block or indicates how to continue printing.

Sources were consulted between 26 and 27 October 2026. Original cartridge prices were collected on 27 October 2026 from the stores indicated in the table, including VAT.

Startoner sells compatible consumables, so we have an interest in this topic and prefer to state it clearly. For this reason, we score using only public documents that anyone can review, publish the criteria, and link to every source.