Printers are not simply "dumb" devices designed to squirt ink or deposit toner — most run rudimentary operating systems and some are capable of printing and scanning without a PC attached. While this is great for productivity, it also offers hackers with a new attack vector — one HP had to recently deal with.

When the internet first made inroads into the commercial world, back in the 1990s, the printer industry must have thought their businesses were going to crumble. Suddenly, the need to store information on paper was going to be superseded by a global network of computers freely sharing everything.

But the reality is different. We now print more than ever before and that's costing us a pretty penny. But just how much is printing costing us?

Get those face-palms ready folks. About the same time last year, HP pushed out a firmware update for its inkjet printers that blocked the use of third-party cartridges. This did not go down well with anyone and within a month, the company removed the block and we all moved on. Except HP of course, which appears to have done it again.

On Saturday National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Reality Leigh Winner, who leaked classified documents to The Intercept, was arrested. The leaked intelligence report from the NSA detailed Russian cyberattacks allegedly directed at US election officials and electronic voting equipment company VR Systems.

With an average of 20 employees connected to one device at any time at large businesses, and with 40 billion pages printed worldwide in the last year, good ol' fashioned paper printing isn't going anywhere any time soon - especially for enterprise-grade operations. Slow printers, though, are universally hated, but Epson says it has the answer.

If you wish your old, non-network printer could be accessible from anywhere in the house, PiMyLifeUp has a guide for turning a Raspberry Pi into a print server, making that old dump printer accessible from anywhere.

This is especially satisfying if you've ever had to deal with office printers screwing up when you're trying to print an important document in a hurry.

We're not making light of printer security. We just never imagined Christian Slater would be preaching about it. The veteran actor is the star in HP's new web series, The Wolf, where he goes around hacking printers and other devices in a company, all while talking menacingly about why organisations need secure printers.

A team of researchers claim to have discovered numerous security vulnerabilities in at least 20 network printer models by major name brands. According to the findings, one of the potential exploits could allow hackers to easily steal information that was only intended to be printed as a hard copy.

Canon has released the Pixma Endurance G4600 printer in Australia which ditches the cartridge in favour of refillable ink tanks. Here are the details.

Staying motivated and productive at work can be challenging at the best of times. This can be all the more difficult when working out of a home office. Oftentimes, the only person you need to be immediately accountable to is yourself. There's no one around to bust you if you slack off or have a cheeky midday nap.

These things may sound tempting, but they're no way to stay on task or run a business. Here are some home office hacks you can use to boost your productivity.

Modern life can be hectic, particularly when you're trying to balance work, life and family. Convenience that won't cost you an arm and leg is the key if you want to juggle it all. We are all constantly looking at ways to save a few minutes in our day and a few pennies here and there so let technology help!

After being poked by CHOICE and eventually apologising for locking out third-party ink cartridges for use with its printers, HP has -- as promised -- released updated firmware for affected devices which should disable the block.

HP has launched the DeskJet 3700 Inkjet printer. The vendor claims the 3700 is the world's smallest inkjet all-in-one printer and it will set you back $79. Here's what you need to know.

Earlier this week, we reported that some HP printers had started rejecting replacement ink cartridges that aren’t manufactured by the vendor. Consumer rights advocacy group CHOICE is now investigating HP for potentially breaching Australian Consumer Laws. Read on to find out more.

A printer has a place in an office or home but what about when you're out and about? Portable printers are useful for people who are constantly on the move for their jobs as well as for small businesses that don't have space for a full-sized printer but still want to print basic documents. We tested out the Brother PocketJet PJ-773. Here are our thoughts on this pint-sized printer.

Although there are a lot of benefits to retaining documents digitally rather than paper, there's the question of legacy documents. At home, this can usually be easily managed but for larger enterprises, the costs of digitising paper documents may not make financial sense.

This week, Brother launched a new range of laser printers and multi-function centres (MFCs) tailor-made for small to medium-sized businesses. The redesigned models boast a smaller footprint, faster print speeds of up to 50 pages per minute (ppm) and a 1000-5000 page slot. They also have a modular, scalable design, allowing companies to build on existing units as their business grows. We take a look at the best small business models, which start at $299.

The Epson WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank is a new inkjet printer that eliminates the need for ink cartridges. Instead, it comes with an assortment of pour-in ink bottles that purportedly last for up to two years. We put it to the test to find out whether a cartridge-free printer can deliver on speed and print quality. Read on for the full review.