Printer Firmware Updates and Third-Party Ink: What They Change and How to Control Them

Quick answer: a printer firmware update is a software update for the printer itself. Most of them fix bugs and patch genuine security holes. Some of them also change how the printer treats third-party ink and toner — and once installed, firmware is usually difficult or impossible to roll back. You can turn automatic updates off on most printers, and this guide shows you how, brand by brand.

This is a subject where a compatible-cartridge retailer has an obvious interest, so let us be straight about ours: we sell compatible ink. We have tried to write what is actually true rather than what is convenient, including the parts where the manufacturers have a fair point.

What firmware is, and why printers get it

Firmware is the operating system living on the printer's own circuit board. It runs the motors, interprets print jobs, manages the network stack, drives the touchscreen and talks to the cartridges. It is not the driver on your computer — that is separate software, and updating one does not update the other.

Manufacturers push firmware for real reasons:

• Security. A networked printer is a computer with a web server on it. Printers have been used as network footholds in real attacks, and firmware patches close those holes.
• Bug fixes. Paper handling faults, connectivity drops, crashes, colour-management errors.
• Compatibility. New operating system releases, new mobile printing standards, new Wi-Fi behaviour.
• New features. Occasionally something genuinely useful, such as improved scan-to-cloud or better duplex handling.

All of that is legitimate and none of it is controversial. The controversy is about a fifth category.

The part that affects your cartridges

Modern cartridges contain a small chip. It reports what the cartridge is, sometimes how full it is, and increasingly it is used to authenticate the cartridge as genuine. Firmware controls how the printer reads and reacts to that chip.

A firmware update can change that logic. In practice that has meant a cartridge which worked perfectly on Monday returning an error on Tuesday after an overnight update — typically "cartridge problem", "non-genuine cartridge", "supply not recognized", or a refusal to print at all.

HP and Dynamic Security

HP's system is called Dynamic Security, and HP is open about what it does: affected printers are designed to work only with cartridges using an HP security chip, and HP states that periodic firmware updates maintain that behaviour and may render cartridges with non-HP chips unusable. HP's stated rationale is protecting customers from counterfeit supplies and protecting its intellectual property.

The practice has drawn sustained legal and regulatory attention. HP has settled class-action claims in the United States over Dynamic Security firmware; among the terms, HP agreed to changes around notifying customers and allowing firmware updates to be declined. Separately, in early 2026 a firmware release extended Dynamic Security behaviour to further models, and a complaint was filed with the body administering the EPEAT sustainability registry arguing that supply-locking firmware conflicts with EPEAT's repairability and longevity criteria. That complaint was pending at the time of writing.

Two practical points for HP owners. First, HP+ is different and stricter: printers enrolled in HP+ are contractually locked to Original HP cartridges for the life of the printer, independent of firmware, in exchange for extra warranty and Instant Ink benefits. Declining a firmware update does not undo HP+. Second, non-HP+ printers running older firmware often keep working with third-party cartridges indefinitely — if that matters to you, the lever you have is turning off automatic updates before one arrives.

Brother

Brother's reputation among compatible-cartridge users has historically been good, and on the whole it still is. But since 2024 owners of some Brother colour laser models have reported that after certain firmware updates, automatic colour registration and calibration stop functioning when non-Brother toner is installed — producing visible colour misalignment. Brother has denied deliberately disabling functionality for third-party supplies. As of late 2026 no regulator or court has ruled on it, and owner reports continue.

We flag it not as a settled fact but as an unresolved question worth knowing about before you buy a colour laser. It is one of the inputs into our monthly CastleScore reliability scoring.

Canon and Epson

Both use cartridge chips, and both display non-genuine warnings when they detect third-party supplies. In general, however, neither has pursued firmware-based blocking as aggressively as HP. On most Canon and Epson models a warning appears, you acknowledge it, and printing continues. Canon has at times shipped firmware that made third-party chips harder to use, and Epson has faced criticism over its permanent "end of service life" ink pad lockouts — a related but separate issue about a maintenance component rather than cartridges.

How to turn off automatic firmware updates

The setting exists on nearly every printer. It is usually not enabled by default, and it is usually two menus deep.

HP

On the printer: Setup or Settings > Printer Maintenance or Services > Update the Printer or Printer Update > set to Do not check or Notify me rather than Install automatically.

Via the embedded web server: type the printer's IP address into a browser on the same network, then Tools or Settings > Printer Updates > Do not automatically update.

Finding the IP address is covered in our printer Wi-Fi setup guide.

Canon

Setup > Device settings > Firmware update > turn off Auto update (some models call it Enable/disable automatic firmware update). Also check Setup > Web service setup, since some models pull updates through the cloud service connection.

Epson

Settings > General Settings > System Administration > Firmware Update > Notification: Off, and set Auto Update to Off where offered. On smaller consumer models the setting lives under Maintenance or in Epson Software Updater on the computer — check there too, because the desktop utility can push updates independently.

Brother

Menu or Settings > Machine Information or Initial Setup > Firmware Auto Check > Off. On models with Brother Web Connect, also review the update setting there. Brother's desktop utilities may prompt separately.

The step everyone forgets

Turning it off on the printer is not always enough. Also:

• Uninstall or disable the manufacturer's background updater on your computer — HP Smart, Canon IJ Network Tool, Epson Software Updater and Brother's utilities can all trigger printer firmware updates independently of the printer's own setting.
• Decline the prompt properly. Some update dialogs default to "yes" if dismissed or ignored.
• Watch out after a factory reset, which restores automatic updating. Re-disable it afterwards.

Should you actually turn updates off?

Honest answer: it depends on the printer, and there is a real trade-off. We are not going to pretend security updates do not matter.

The middle path most people want is notify, don't auto-install. You stay informed, you keep control, and you can check whether an update is a security patch or a supply-chip change before it lands.

If an update has already broken your cartridges

Work through these in order.

1. Reseat the cartridge. Remove it, wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth, click it firmly back in. A surprising share of "non-genuine" errors are contact problems.
2. Power-cycle properly. Turn the printer off, unplug it at the wall for 60 seconds, plug back in. This clears cached chip state.
3. Look for a dismiss option. Many warnings can be acknowledged — on HP models the path is often a checkbox reading "I understand the risks" or similar; Epson typically offers a "Yes"/"Continue" on the non-genuine dialog.
4. Check whether the printer offers a firmware downgrade. Some models allow rolling back through the embedded web server. Many do not.
5. Contact your supplier. Reputable compatible-cartridge sellers track firmware changes and update their chips. Castle Ink stands behind what it sells with a one-year guarantee — if a firmware change has made a cartridge you bought from us unusable, contact customer service and we will make it right.
6. Turn off automatic updates before fitting the replacement, or you will repeat the whole exercise.

If the cartridge was never recognised from the moment you fitted it, firmware may not be the culprit at all — see new ink cartridge not working, which covers the more common physical causes.

Buying with this in mind

If freedom to choose your own supplies matters to you, it is easier to buy the right printer than to fight the wrong one.

• Avoid HP+ enrolment unless you have decided you want Original HP cartridges for the life of the machine. The enrolment decision happens at setup, and reversing it is time-limited.
• Refillable tank printers sidestep the issue almost entirely. Epson EcoTank, Canon MegaTank and Brother INKvestment Tank models use ink bottles rather than chipped cartridges, so there is far less for firmware to police — and their running costs are dramatically lower anyway.
• Mono lasers are the least affected category across every brand.
• Check the model's history before you buy. Our guides to which printers work best with compatible ink and printers that don't lock you into OEM ink track this specifically.

The printers that sidestep the problem

Prices and stock change often. The links below go to Amazon listings for each model; as an Amazon Associate, Castle Ink earns from qualifying purchases. The cartridges, toner and drums are ours.

The most reliable way to stay out of the firmware argument is to own a printer that has little to police. Refillable tank models take ink from bottles rather than chipped cartridges, and mono lasers have historically been left alone by every brand.

• Epson EcoTank ET-2980 (check price on Amazon) — refills from 502 ink bottles, roughly 8,500 black pages a bottle.
• Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (check price on Amazon) — the cheaper entry point, running on 522 ink bottles.
• Canon PIXMA G3270 MegaTank (check price on Amazon) — bottle-fed, and among the lowest cost-per-page inkjets we have measured.
• Brother HL-L2460DW (check price on Amazon) — mono laser, about 4.3¢ a page all-in on TN830XL toner and a DR830 drum.

If you are staying with a cartridge printer, Castle Ink stocks compatible and remanufactured supplies across every brand: HP, Canon, Epson and Brother ink, plus Brother and HP toner.

Your rights, briefly

In the United States, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act prevents a manufacturer from voiding your warranty simply because you used a third-party consumable. A manufacturer must show the third-party part actually caused the failure. Warranty language conditioning coverage on using only branded supplies is generally unenforceable unless those supplies are provided free of charge.

That protects your warranty. It does not, on its own, require a manufacturer to make its printer accept third-party cartridges — which is precisely why firmware has become the battleground rather than warranty terms. We go through the detail in does using compatible ink void my printer's warranty.

FAQ

Do printer firmware updates block third-party ink?

Some do. HP's Dynamic Security is explicitly designed to restrict cartridges without an HP chip, and firmware updates maintain that behaviour. Most Canon, Epson and Brother updates warn rather than block, though there are exceptions.

Can I undo a firmware update?

Rarely. A minority of models permit a downgrade through the embedded web server; most do not. This is why declining an update matters more than reversing one.

Is it safe to never update printer firmware?

For a home printer behind a router with no internet exposure, the practical risk is low. For an office printer holding scanned documents on an internal network, it is not — keep those patched.

How do I know what a firmware update changes?

Check the release notes on the manufacturer's support page for your exact model before accepting. They are often vague, but security-only updates are usually described as such.

Will Castle Ink cartridges stop working after an update?

It can happen with any third-party cartridge on a printer that enforces chip authentication. We track firmware changes and update our chips accordingly, and every cartridge carries a one-year guarantee — if an update leaves you stuck, contact us.

Does turning off updates affect my warranty?

No. Choosing when to install optional software updates is not a modification of the hardware and does not void a manufacturer's warranty.

Which printers are least affected by all this?

Refillable tank models — EcoTank, MegaTank, INKvestment Tank — and mono laser printers. Both use supplies that are far less tightly policed, and both cost dramatically less per page.

Where to go from here

If you want to keep your options open, the two things worth doing today are setting firmware updates to notify rather than auto-install, and knowing what your printer actually costs to run. Our ink cost calculator answers the second, and the monthly CastleScore rankings score every current printer on reliability, firmware behaviour and true cost per page.

Need cartridges in the meantime? Castle Ink stocks compatible and remanufactured ink and toner for virtually every printer made, guaranteed for a year. Start at Find Ink by Printer.