Inkjet printer with DRM-free ink will be launched via a crowdfunding campaign

Motivation and appeal

• Many welcome a printer aimed at ending DRM, hidden tracking features, and “hostile” behavior of mainstream brands.
• Small form factor, wall-mountability, and support for wide/roll paper (up to ~11") are seen as compelling, especially for makers, artists, and banner‑style prints.
• Some view it as decades overdue; others say inkjets are already past their peak and this arrives “20 years too late.”

Patents, DRM, and tracking dots

• Discussion notes that most critical printer patents are likely expired, though manufacturers still cross‑license heavily.
• People hope this avoids tracking dots; several claim those are mainly a color‑laser issue, not inkjet, but details remain unclear.
• Some want open firmware for existing printers purely to remove tracking dots and artificial limitations.

“Open source” and licensing controversy

• Strong pushback that CC BY‑NC‑SA is not Open Source per OSI/FSF/CC definitions; several call the “open source” branding misleading.
• Critics argue NC blocks third‑party manufacturing, upgrades, and commercial repair services, keeping users dependent on the original vendor and preventing ecosystem growth.
• Others defend NC as a pragmatic way to publish designs, enable repair/modding, and still let creators sell hardware without being immediately cloned.
• There’s debate about whether hiring someone to print parts or do repairs counts as “commercial use”; outcome is seen as jurisdiction‑dependent and legally murky.

Hardware design & usability concerns

• Use of HP 63 cartridges is seen as practical, leveraging a well‑understood, widely available head, though not truly “open hardware.”
• Roll‑only feed and lack of proper tray/duplexing are major dealbreakers for many: difficult label/envelope printing, curled pages, messy multi‑page jobs, no automatic duplex.
• Some see this as an acceptable v1 tradeoff for an open design; others insist a serious everyday printer needs sheet trays and duplex.

Comparisons to existing printers and economics

• Many argue cheap monochrome lasers (especially older HP, Brother, Kyocera) remain vastly more reliable and cheaper per page, with no drying issues.
• Others point to current “bulk ink” / tank printers from major brands as already providing low‑cost, DRM‑light color printing.
• Several note that bulk ink itself is extremely cheap; the core problem is firmware‑enforced DRM and chipped cartridges.

Feasibility and vaporware worries

• Skeptics highlight absence of demo videos, print‑speed specs, or shipped units; some fear vaporware or legal trouble over patents.
• A few still hope even a partially open, imperfect device could pressure incumbents or seed a more open printer ecosystem.