HP’s Dynamic Security: What Is It and How Will It Affect My Printer?

Firmware updates can cause problems for customers who use refilled or non-OEM cartridges. Dynamic security is one. Let’s learn what it is and how to handle it.

Showerly Sumaylo

Published in

CompAndSave

4 min readOct 11, 2022

Firmware in red letters. — Photo from www.action-intell.com/

What is an HP Dynamic security-enabled printer?

HP has included dynamic security in the firmware updates that they have released since 2016. This update is intended to restrict the use of third-party ink cartridges.

Dynamic security-enabled printers, according to HP, are only intended to work with cartridges that contain HP chips or electronic circuitry that was either newly manufactured by HP or repurposed from another of their products. They implemented this feature to prevent non-HP chips and modified or non-HP electronic circuitry from being used.

How to know if my HP printer is affected?

The dynamic security feature may affect you if you fall under one of the following circumstances:

Your printer is an HP Officejet 6950, Officejet Pro 6230, 6810, 6820, 6830, 6970, 7740, 8210, 8620, 8630, 8640, 8660, 8700, X451dn/dw, X476dn/dw, X551dw, X576dw, or PageWide 300, 400, or 500 printer series.
You are using a non-HP security chip (this could be an HP cartridge that has been refilled or remanufactured but has a non-HP chip). The only affected cartridges are those that don’t have the HP security chip.
The error message “Cartridge Problem” appears.

How to remove HP’s dynamic security?

You now have the option to turn off the dynamic security feature thanks to a firmware update from HP. The process of installing the most recent firmware must be finished before you can access and remove it. If you would rather use this approach, we firmly advise you to disable the auto-update feature after installing the most recent firmware to avoid further issues. The update is only compatible with the following printers:

For printers manufactured before December 1, 2016, such as the HP Officejet Pro 6970, 7740, 8210, 8700, Officejet 6950, and PageWide 300, 400, and 500 printers, this update disables dynamic security. With this update, printers created on or after December 1, 2016, can still use dynamic security.
Regardless of the printer’s date of manufacture, this update disables dynamic security for all HP OfficeJet 6810, 6820, OfficeJet Pro 6230, 6830, 8610, 8620, 8630, 8640, 8660, X451dn/dw, X476dn/dw, X551dw, and X576dw printers.

If you prefer to use this method, you must install the most recent firmware, and then disable the dynamic security feature by following the instructions in HP’s printer guide. If you don’t want to risk it, you can reset or downgrade the firmware.

HP printer firmware reset instructions

The easiest method to disable cartridge protection is to reset the printer to its factory default settings. To do this, press the buttons on the printer’s control panel display.

From the printer’s control panel, select Setup.
Under the Setup menu, select Tools.
Click Restore Factory Defaults from the Tools menu.
After this, the Restore Factory Defaults window will display a warning message. Click Yes to proceed with Restore Factory Defaults.
If you choose Yes, the printer will restart and return to its factory settings which will deactivate the “Protected Cartridge” function.

NOTE: If you already have a “protected” ink cartridge installed, you must replace it with a new one and dispose of the old one. Any future HP ink cartridges you install on your printer will not be protected; they can be filled and reused, recycled, and then remanufactured for use by another customer.

If you prefer to downgrade your printer’s firmware version, you can follow the steps in CompAndSave’s HP printer firmware downgrade instructions.

I sincerely hope you found this article helpful. As stated by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, using high-quality but cheap remanufactured printer ink from third parties does not void your warranty. So, enjoy printing with ease and happy saving!

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you have any questions. Looking to save money on your printing projects? Check out www.compandsave.com for some great deals on printer ink and accessories! Remember to follow our blog for more interesting printing-related tips and guides.

About the Author

Showerly Sumaylo is a researcher and copywriter for Compandsave.com Inc. The US and Canada’s largest online retailer, CompAndSave, specializes in selling printing and office supplies. She writes articles that educate readers about printer ink cartridges, toner cartridges, photo papers, printers, and more.