How much ink does an all-in-one printer need in order to fax a document? Or to scan one to your computer? The obvious answer is "none." But if you own certain printers from companies like HP and Canon, you won't be able to use core features unless the device has ink—even if those features
have nothing to do with ink.
Unfortunately, all-in-one printers arbitrarily demanding ink to perform non-printing functions
isn't a new frustration. And that's despite some companies having printers that can
scan without ink. Clearly, scanning or faxing without requiring an ink cartridge would improve users' experience—and they've illustrated that through class-action lawsuits. But this hasn't stopped printer makers from fighting to keep the nettlesome practice. (...)
