Desk & home office · printer
OpenPrinter
Repairable, open-source paper printer that people find interesting and want to own. Main caveat: critics say its CC BY-NC-SA license is not open source.
Summarized from 30 comments.
Repairable, open-source paper printer that people find interesting and want to own. Main caveat: critics say its CC BY-NC-SA license is not open source.
- recommend
- 14
- criticize
- 14
- months recommended
- 4 of 13
Why people love it
Interesting design people want to own · 4
It's a cool printer, and I'd much rather have something like this!
Jul 2026 · commentthis is certainly the most interesting one I've seen in a while
Jul 2026 · commentThis is really cool and I want one
Jul 2026 · comment
What people warn about
Non-commercial license isn't truly open source · 6
The non-commercial clause makes it non-open by the commonly accepted term of "open" in this context.
Jul 2026 · commentThat "NC" there means only the creator, Open Tools, can sell the parts commercially.
Sep 2026 · commentOpen Printer is distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Jul 2026 · commentStill no working prototype or launch · 4
pre-crowdfund landing page without a demonstrating a working prototype
May 2026 · commentI have a feeling that this is not quite as ready as made out
Jul 2026 · commentthere's no Proof of Concept demo yet
Jul 2026 · commentRelies on HP ink, less open · 2
Readily available, but don't expect to save on ink costs compared to a regular HP printer.
Jul 2026 · commentSo they just use HP inkjet technology. That makes it less open-source
Jul 2026 · comment
What hackers pick instead
- Brother laser printerRecommended for low running costs, long life with little maintenance, and good Linux support. Some users struggle with Wi-Fi setup and with drivers on newer systems.56recommend
- HP LaserJetShoppers recommend HP LaserJets for years of reliable printing, often decades; the common caveat is dropped drivers for newer systems.10recommend
- Epson EcoTank printerPeople recommend it for cheap ink refilled from bottles and years of trouble-free home use. Critics report frequent print head clogs and ink wasted on cleaning.10recommend
- Brother inkjet printerRecommended because it just works across Linux, Mac, Android and iPhone, with cheap pages; the main caveat is ink used for head cleaning.6recommend
Every quote
The 26 most detailed of 30 comments. Each links to the original.
Readily available, but don't expect to save on ink costs compared to a regular HP printer.
Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
It's a cool printer, and I'd much rather have something like this!
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
this is certainly the most interesting one I've seen in a while
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
the CC BY-NC-SA license is not an open source license
Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “OpenPrinter: Open Source Printer”
there's no Proof of Concept demo yet
Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
This is really cool and I want one
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
I think this is a great idea
Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “OpenPrinter”
The non-commercial clause makes it non-open by the commonly accepted term of "open" in this context.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
That "NC" there means only the creator, Open Tools, can sell the parts commercially.
Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “Openprinter”
Open Printer is distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
pre-crowdfund landing page without a demonstrating a working prototype
Criticizes · May 2026 · in “OpenPrinter: A repairable, compact, and robust printer designed to last”
So they just use HP inkjet technology. That makes it less open-source
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
I have a feeling that this is not quite as ready as made out
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
Calling CC-BY-NC "Open Source" is a blatant lie.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
Non commercial licences are not open source.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
"This project is launching soon"
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
yeah it's cool but in terms of openness of our entire IT ecosystem printing doesn't appear to me as the priority gap to fill.
Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
On the technology side, I'm somewhat hopeful because it looks like they're using off-the-shelf HP ink cartridges
Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
I'm super interested in that and love that you're modernizing something BigTech doesn't seem to care about.
Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (January 2026)”
getting reliable output is a completely different thing - especially when you add paper handling to it
Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “OpenPrinter”
The printer surveillance is my main draw to this project.
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
That's why I'm (still) waiting on this
Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “New information extracted from Snowden PDFs through metadata version analysis”
at least it's a legit licence
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
Loading page after page is actually really not easy at all.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
There’s not a single line of code. No CAD. Nothing.
Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “How to build a printer”
They are largely sold out, especially at quantity.
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Reparaible and open source paper printer”
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