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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technical writer dedicated to helping users get the most out of technology – whether it’s learning to program, building a PC from a bunch of parts, or helping them get the most out of their technology new MP3 player or digital camera.Adrian has written/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, from programming to building and maintaining PCs.
I can’t think of a more annoying device than a printer.They are usually poorly built, consumables are very expensive, manufacturers put restrictions on them, and they don’t last long.
We looked at a wide variety of printers, from enterprise-grade monsters to sleek, high-performance, inexpensive models that our editors personally relied on.
Fortunately, in the year I live — 2022 — I rarely need to print anything.When I do, I’m happy to pay for the print shop or my library for the privilege of not having to give a space in my life.
But some people do need printers, and label printer maker Dymo seems to have given us another reason to hate printers.
Yes, that’s right, according to author, journalist and activist Cory Doctorow, who writes for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Dymo is installing RFID readers into its newest label printers and using those readers to prevent owners from passing third-party labels through their printers.
“The new label roll comes with a booby-trapped device,” Doctorow wrote, “an RFID-equipped microcontroller that authenticates with your label maker to prove you’re buying Dymo’s high-priced label, not the competition. Adversary’s labels. The chip counts down the labels as you print them (so you can’t port them to generic label rolls).”
The idea is that by doing this, users are locked into purchasing Dymo consumables for the life of the product.
Well, since Section 1201 of the DMCA exposes those who might try to circumvent such DRMs to the potential for hefty fines (which is why the EFF sued to overturn Section 1201), it either accepts it or puts the printer and printed by a Dymo competitor’s printer.
“Dymo has a lot of competition,” Doctorow wrote, “with its comparable printer costing the same as a new DRM burden model. Even throwing away the cost of the new Dymo and buying a Zebra or MFLabel alternative, you’ll still be ahead once you factor in the cost Save on buying any label of your choice.”
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Post time: Feb-23-2022
