Just lately, it was alleged that Brother had been utilizing firmware manipulation ways to dam individuals from printing utilizing third-party ink cartridges when such printers wanted refilling.

Working out of ink could have been a very good factor after the January non-security preview replace as Microsoft has confirmed that the replace brought on printers, particularly people who assist twin mode printing, ie, USB print and IPP (Web Printing Protocol) Over USB, print gibberish. It impacts Home windows 11 23H2 and 22H2.

Microsoft has defined the problem intimately:

After putting in the January 2025 Home windows preview replace (KB5050092), launched January 29, 2025, or later updates, you would possibly observe points with USB related dual-mode printers that assist each USB Print and IPP Over USB protocols. You would possibly observe that the printer unexpectedly prints random textual content and knowledge, together with community instructions and strange characters.

Ensuing from this difficulty, the printed textual content would possibly typically begin with the header “POST /ipp/print HTTP/1.1”, adopted by different IPP (Web Printing Protocol) associated headers. This difficulty tends to happen extra typically when the printer is both powered on or reconnected to the system after being disconnected.

The problem is noticed when the printer driver is put in on the Home windows system, and the print spooler sends IPP protocol messages to the printer, inflicting it to print surprising textual content.

The corporate has, in the intervening time, issued a means for IT admins and system admins to briefly resolve the issue by deploying a identified difficulty rollback (KIR) by means of a Group Coverage configuration. Recognized difficulty rollbacks are usually utilized by Microsoft to work round non-security bugs. Microsoft writes:

IT directors can resolve this difficulty by putting in and configuring the particular Group Coverage listed beneath. The particular Group Coverage will be present in Pc Configuration > Administrative Templates > Group Coverage title listed beneath>.

Group Coverage downloads with Group Coverage title:

• ​Obtain for Home windows 11, model 23H2 and 22H2 – Home windows 11 22H2 KB5050092 250131_150523 Recognized Difficulty Rollback
• ​Obtain for Home windows 10, model 22H2 – Home windows 10 22H2, 21H1, 21H2 and 22H2 KB5050081 250131_082569 Recognized Difficulty Rollback

Vital: You have to to set up and configure the Group Coverage to your model of Home windows to resolve this difficulty. Additionally, you will must restart your system(s) to use the group coverage setting. Notice that the Group Coverage will briefly disable the change inflicting the printing difficulty.

Microsoft says {that a} “closing decision” is being labored on and it will likely be shared in a future Home windows replace. You will discover the problem right here on Microsoft’s Home windows well being dashboard web site.