Printer ink lockout tracker
Printer-by-printer status of third-party ink and toner after firmware updates, with dates and sources.
Type a model number or cartridge number. Press / to search.
Latest
Also listed for reference, with no evidence it blocks anything: HP firmware 2623A (OfficeJet Pro 8020e family).
One short email when a firmware update blocks cartridges, or a block gets lifted. No spam, no daily digest.
The email list is not live yet. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
The tracker
Brother says updates do not block third-party toner. An HL-L2350DW owner says a toner error was fixed only by moving the original chip, and a hobbyist claims a 2026 update on a sister model blocks clones. Disputed.
Brother says its updates do not block third-party toner. Critics say some updates do. We found no dated report of a block on the HL-L2460DW itself, so the status is Disputed.
The HL-L3270CDW shares its TN227 toner with the MFC-L3750CDW at the center of the 2025 row. Brother denies blocking. We found no report for this exact model. Disputed.
This is the printer at the center of the 2025 Brother row: an owner said firmware W1.56 broke color registration with third-party toner. Brother denies blocking anything. Disputed.
Yes. The G6020 is refilled from GI-20 bottles, so there is no cartridge chip for firmware to reject. Canon recommends genuine ink; the risk is print quality, not a lockout.
We found no firmware lockout reports for the MG3620, and Canon documents a way to keep printing when a cartridge reads empty. But we found no dated source showing third-party PG-240/CL-241 working, so: Unknown.
The TR8620a uses separate chipped PGI-280/CLI-281 tanks. A seller warns Canon updates can make some printers reject compatibles, but we found no dated report for this model: Unknown.
Yes, with a catch. Canon lets you keep printing when a cartridge reads as empty by turning off ink-level detection, and a seller says remanufactured PG-245/CL-246 work that way. You lose ink-level readings.
We found no firmware lockout reports for the TS6420a, and Canon documents an override for cartridges that read empty. We found no dated proof that third-party PG-260/CL-261 work, so: Unknown.
Yes. The ET-2800 is filled from T522 bottles, so there is no cartridge chip for firmware to reject. Epson itself says EcoTank printers avoid its cartridge restrictions. The risks are print quality and warranty.
Yes. The ET-2850 is filled from T502 bottles, so there is no cartridge chip for firmware to reject. Epson itself says EcoTank printers avoid its cartridge restrictions. The risks are print quality and warranty.
Yes. The ET-4850 is filled from T502 bottles, so there is no cartridge chip for firmware to reject. Epson itself says EcoTank printers avoid its cartridge restrictions. The risks are print quality and warranty.
Epson itself says non-Epson cartridges that worked before a firmware update may stop working on the WF-4830. No source names a firmware version, so the status is Unknown.
Epson itself says non-Epson cartridges that worked before a firmware update may stop working on the WF-2950. No source names a firmware version, so the status is Unknown.
HP lists the M255dw as a dynamic security printer, so non-HP-chip toner can stop after an update. An owner of the M283fdw, which takes the same toner, saw a block. No firmware number confirmed.
An M283fdw owner reported toner 'blocked for containing a non-HP chip' in November 2024, and said an older firmware fixed it. No source names the firmware, so the status is Unknown.
HP says the 2755e blocks non-HP circuitry by design, and with HP+ on, refilled or non-HP cartridges will not work as expected. No named firmware block, so the status is Unknown.
HP says the 4155e blocks non-HP circuitry by design. A February 2026 owner still saw 'non-HP circuitry detected' with cartridge protection off. No named firmware block, so the status is Unknown.
HP says the ENVY 6032e blocks cartridges with cloned or non-HP chips, and owners report exactly that. Refilled or remanufactured cartridges that keep the original HP chip are the one non-HP option HP says it allows, unless HP+ is turned on.
HP's own store page says the ENVY 6055e blocks cartridges with modified or non-HP chips, and owners report off-brand HP 67 cartridges being refused. Cartridges that reuse an original HP chip are the one non-HP option HP allows, and only if HP+ was never turned on.
HP says the 7955e blocks non-HP circuitry by design, and HP support says dynamic security cannot be turned off. No named firmware block, so the status is Unknown.
HP's own datasheet says the M209dw blocks non-HP-chip toner by design, and the HP+ M209dwe takes Original HP toner only. No named firmware block, so the status is Unknown.
Remanufactured 148A/148X toner works only if it carries a reused HP chip. Cartridges with non-HP chips were blocked by HP's March 2026 firmware.
M404 owners report 'non-HP chip' errors with third-party toner, and one says genuine toner was flagged too. No source ties it to a named firmware, so the status is Unknown.
Third-party 148A/148X toner with non-HP chips is blocked after HP's March 2026 firmware on the 4101 family. Toner that reuses a genuine HP chip is the route HP says is allowed.
A 6978 owner says an update blocked third-party 902 cartridges that had worked, and HP's moderator said there is no downgrade. No source names the firmware number, so the status stays Unknown.
Firmware 2602 (early 2026) blocks 953/953XL cartridges with non-HP chips, including refills and ink systems. If your printer has not updated yet, turning off updates keeps it as it is.
If non-HP 910 cartridges suddenly stopped working, the likely cause is HP firmware. The 8010 to 8035 family was named in HP's March 2026 lockout updates.
Usually not for long. The 8035e only accepts cartridges with an HP chip, owners report working third-party 910s being blocked after updates, and the 8035 was named in HP's March 2026 lockout.
HP says the 8135e blocks cartridges with a non-HP chip by design, and with HP+ on it takes Original HP ink only. Compatible 923 cartridges are new and unproven. No named firmware block yet.
Third-party HP 953 cartridges with non-HP chips are blocked once the 8710 takes HP's 2026 firmware. An owner reported a fresh block in August 2026. Reused-HP-chip cartridges are the safest non-HP choice.
Third-party HP 962 cartridges with non-HP chips are blocked once the printer takes HP's recent firmware. Cartridges that reuse a genuine HP chip are the one route HP itself says is allowed.
Third-party HP 962 cartridges with non-HP chips are blocked once the 9025e takes HP's March 2026 firmware. Cartridges that reuse a genuine HP chip are the route HP says is allowed.
HP says the 9125e blocks non-HP-chip cartridges by design, and with HP+ on it takes Original HP ink only. Compatible 936 cartridges are new and unproven. No named firmware block yet.
HP says the 9135e blocks cartridges with a non-HP chip by design, and with HP+ on it takes Original HP ink only. Compatible 936 cartridges are new and unproven. No named firmware block yet.
No printer matches. More models are added most nights.
Status key: Works = sources show third-party cartridges working on current firmware. Blocked = cartridges with non-maker chips stop after the named firmware. Disputed = credible sources disagree. Unknown = not enough dated evidence.
Guides
Short answer: the subscription cartridges stop working. What you can put in next depends on whether your printer has HP+.
Only paths we found in HP's own user guides are listed as verified. Everything else is labeled.
Printer makers push firmware updates that can block third-party and remanufactured cartridges that worked yesterday. InkLockout keeps one page per printer with the current status, the firmware that did it, whether you need an account, and workarounds that sources actually back up. Every claim has a date and a link.
People are fed up. One owner's rant about printer ink subscriptions on X got about 92,000 views and 250 replies in October 2026 (post), and "cartridge suddenly stopped working" threads come up again and again on r/printers.