Digital BW, The Print

Can someone clarify whether the 3800, or any 17" printer, would be 
considered desk-top, i.e. affected by this law?

I guess this means that people should stock up on cartridges asap... 
I have a 1280 and R220.

Also, I'm assuming that the sale of ink won't be affected directly.  
In the long run (as new desk top printers are introduced to market) 
it probably would be due to falling demand because of the lack of 
refillable cartridges.

This is not great news.

Jens



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@...m, "john dean" 
<deanwork2003@...> wrote:
>
> There has also recently been a successful lawsuit against makers of
> carts cloned from HP and HP won. I'm not sure about Canon.
> 
> It seems to me, though I know little of the specifics of engineering
> these things, that what is needed is a totally unique ink delivery
> system for desktop units that does not infringe upon the patents 
held
> by these corporations. From a user persective it appears that 3rd
> party ink manufacturers have depended on almost exact copies of
> Epson's chipped carts and hoped for the best. Even the cis units use
> Epson cloned carts in them. Now they will be highly motivated to
> create their own totally uniqe designs, possibly made here in the US
> to avoid the import fears that foreign companies certainly will
> respond to. If end users can fill their own from bulk inks it may 
end
> up being a postive thing for us consumers. Buying little quantities 
of
> ink in tiny carts is a rip off anyway in my opinion, regardess who
> fills them.
> 
> I'll be there will be a lot more court battles to come though. As of
> right now Epson has the small desktop suppliers on the run. I think 
we
> all knew this was going to happen eventually. Of course Bush is 
going
> to sign it, if he can read it. He might have to have Cheney read it 
to
> him and show him where to sign though.
> 
> john
>