[PLUG] Plug meeting - counterfeit toner
Keith Lofstrom
keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Wed May 30 16:34:55 UTC 2012
Either before the Plug general meeting or at afters, I would
like to pass around two HP Q6000A toner cartridges (in boxes),
one (apparently) genuine and one almost-accurate Hong Kong
knockoff - advertised as genuine on eBay. Besides bad
feedback (which will may cause retaliation feedback), there
is no obvious way to contact eBay to tell them this 3000+
seller is peddling counterfeit goods.
The differences are subtle - the boxes are printed almost
identically, with some kerning and quality differences.
The hologram is not quite as good. The pullstrip does not
have an orange finger ring. The printed HP toner is shiny
at an oblique angle - the knockoff is matte. I've got one
of the knockoffs in a spare printer, I will see if it leaks
or not - leakage can severely cripple the HP260x printers.
I know ways to design a knockoff-proof cartridge, but it
would be better if China produced their own printers with
them, enforced their own knockoff protection, and sold those
cheaper than HP's printers. Trying to sustain a market
advantage by subsidizing printers with overpriced cartridges
is unnatural, and will eventually drive HP out of the
printer market. Build loyalty, not tricks.
One way is to bundle warranty and phone support with the
toners - keep buying toners, keep extending the warranty.
If the printers can self-maintain over the internet, with
the toners providing the access keys and phone numbers,
then a premium price for toners will buy something of value.
Why is this a Linux topic? Because perhaps the new Chinese
printers can run Linux, and will be field upgradable to
better firmware - like Linux. One way to attract customers
is to offer products that can be improved over time, perhaps
customized to individual needs. One way to make sure the
printers only report status information and not secret
company documents is to make the firmware readable. That
has Linux written all over it.
Keith
--
Keith Lofstrom keithl at keithl.com Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs
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