I logged into to the printer's webserver and clicked around the admin panel. On one page, I found an error message. So, like any self-respecting geek, I ignored what it said and Googled the text.

The first result on Google looked hopeful. I clicked on it and, somehow, ended up back on my printer. D'oh! Fat fingers. I must have hit some esoteric button combination. So I clicked back and tried again. Nope. Still my printer. WT... F...?

Oh... OH! This was not my printer. A fact I could tell from the subtly different model number, the public IP address, and that the user interface was in Cyrillic.

Ah.

Now, at this point I had two options:

1. Break both domestic and foreign law by printing out a page on someone else's printer saying "Secure your network, yo!"
2. Be a responsible adult and report it to the appropriate person.

A quick whois of the IP address showed that it was located in Alaska, USA. A very reliable source tells me you can see Russia from Alaska - but I didn't realise the denizens spoke the language. Nevertheless, I decided not to risk extradition. No illegal printing for me.

The owner of the IP address was listed as GCI an Alaskan ISP. They have no published security contact. So I tried customer service. I spent a frustrating 45 minutes trying to explain that, although I wasn't their customer, I would very much like to report a problem which affected one of their customers. And, no, I didn't have an account number. And, yes, they could try phoning me if they really wanted.

In the end, they didn't seem to understand what an IP address was nor how to find the customer responsible. So I dropped an email to the ISP contact listed in whois which promptly bounced.

Perhaps it doesn't matter. It seems that the default protection is relatively good. You can't reconfigure the devices without having the password which is printed on them. As far as I can tell, the password is not based on the MAC or any other public details.

Similarly, I don't think it is actually possible to print from them. But you can find their internal IP address, amount of ink left, details of number of prints, the entire error log etc.

By searching for specific strings present on my printer's webserver, I've since managed to find dozens of public HP printers in Hawaii, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and the Netherlands.

Is HP's security good enough to prevent a determined hacker compromising these machine? That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, be careful about letting your printer roam free on the Internet. It's a scary world out there.

Unboxing

Annoyingly, it doesn't come with a USB cable! I thought that was to save money - but they included a UK and EU power cable, so I think it's just to "encourage" using the WiFi. Even more annoyingly, it doesn't use USB-C - instead it's that awful square USB plug. Eugh!

You'll notice that there's no mention of the type of USB port - nor any photos of it - on the HP site. Nor on the product packaging. Sneaky.

The unpacking experience really isn't very good. There's a dozen different flimsy bits of paper to tell you how to configure it, a big warning sheet telling you not to use 3rd party ink, and a big glossy brochure trying to upsell you on buying an ink subscription. This becomes a recurring theme. HP don't see you as someone who bought a printer - they see you as someone who is going to give them lots of money for ink.

The printer is secured with lots of packaging and tape - ostensibly for security. But mine had a panel which had popped out - either in transit or as a result of a poor Quality Control process.

This doesn't feel like a premium experience. Very little thought has been given to first impressions.

But, hey ho, let's get on with printing, eh?

Print Quality

It's a boring mono laser printer. You send it a file, it comes out quickly and cleanly.

I have a Samsung ML-1210 which, I'm not kidding, is about 20 years old! This new HP has exactly the same resolution - 600x600. The HP is quicker and quieter. But it seems we've reached the plateau of print quality.

There really isn't anything to say. Black and white text comes out with the expected resolution. It doesn't crimp the paper. There is a (slightly hidden) stand to hold paper once it has been printed. It can do around 20 pages per minute.

Despite HP claiming this to be their "smallest" printer, that's only true when not in use. There's a flip out tray for the paper which effectively doubles its footprint.

Scan Quality

Again, it's 2022 and scan quality hasn't advanced much in the last decade - it's 600ppi. That said, the colour reproduction and fidelity are good. Again, it is quick and quiet.

There is a "photocopy" button on the control panel. Press it, and the scanner will scan a page and immediately print it out. I guess that's kind of useful?

There's also an "ID copy" button which is specifically for making copies of ID cards and passports. No, I've no idea either. Seems like a feature in search of a user.

The App

*sigh* Why can't printer manufacturers like HP write decent software? It's a mystery to me. The HP app is offensively bad. You will spend ages waiting at this screen. You need to use the app to set up WiFi. In doing so, it will beg you multiple times to buy more ink. Desperate!

Once set up, this is the sort of quality product you can expect.

Why doesn't it show the full name of the printer? Why is "Get Support" wrapped so badly? Why are some features unavailable - tapping on it doesn't tell you. Why - despite this being my only printer - is this listed as "2 of 2"?

Seriously, are there no software engineers or UI designers left at HP? It won't even tell you how much toner is left. Pretty crucial I'd've thought for selling more ink.

What's even worse is that you can't set most printer options from the app! You have to go to the web interface of the printer if you want to set it up properly! What's the point of the app then?!

Honestly, I've used a lot of bad apps but this is just pathetic. This is meant to be their core competency - but it looks atrocious and seems like nag-ware for constantly pleading with you to set up a subscription. Uninstall it the second you've finished configuring the printer.

Linux

First up, how easy is it to get working with Linux? The "about" page proudly lists it as Linux compatible. And the HPLIP page says the printer is compatible with HP's open source stack since v3.21.10. However, it does say it's only compatible with USB - not network printing.

I plugged in the USB cable and… it was instantly detected and printed without issue! I opened up Gnome Simple Scan and… the scanner was instantly detected. A few seconds later I had a colour image scanned in.

I disconnected the USB, connected the device to WiFi and… everything just worked! WTF? I was looking forward to hours of fiddling in the terminal to get things working. What a disappointment 😉

Connectivity

The WiFi (2.4GHz only) is fast enough. It doesn't need gigabit speeds. Interestingly, there's also Bluetooth available and it is difficult to switch off! Luckily, it doesn't actually seem possible to pair a device to it. It only exists so the app can set up the printer. So it's just another broadcast beacon waiting to be hacked. If you log into the web console and dive around the settings, you'll eventually stumble on a way to disable it.

It does, however, support IPv6! Hurrah! It picked up an address from my router without issue.

A quick nmap showed:

PORT      STATE SERVICE
80/tcp    open  http
443/tcp   open  https
515/tcp   open  printer
631/tcp   open  ipp
3910/tcp  open  prnrequest
3911/tcp  open  prnstatus
8080/tcp  open  http-proxy
9100/tcp  open  jetdirect
53048/tcp open  unknown

Those allow for the web control panel, and standard network printing functions.

There's an adequate web interface.

Look, it isn't the prettiest pig in the poke, but it'll do. It seems fairly comprehensive - but isn't much to look at. It's clear that HP don't believe that sysadmins should have any kind of usability or aesthetic niceness.

There are lots of options to fiddle around with. It's confusingly laid out, but gets the job done.

It also lets you see the printer status - including exactly how much toner is left:

Hang on! If the web interface can show this, why can't the bloody app?!?!

It's reasonably secure, you'll need the password printed on the machine if you want to monkey about with it.

Do note, it has a self-signed https certificate. But that's normal for local network devices.

There was a firmware update waiting for me - it updated quickly, but gave no changelog. So I've no idea what bugs it fixed.

You can also disable the HP Web Services. You'll still be able to print via your LAN, but you won't be able to print from the web. Unless you have a burning need to send documents home while you're out, I recommend disabling its connection to the HP mothership.

Pro Tip - if you look at the HTML source code of the admin pages, your eyes will start to bleed.

Downsides

There are a few negatives - they probably aren't dealbreakers, but you should be aware of them.

WiFi is 2.4GHz only. The speed of WiFi isn't that important, but when you're in a congested radio environment it is often useful to have everything on 5GHz.

No duplex - so no double-sided printing or scanning. There's also no document feeder for the scanner.

Although it is small, once you flip open the bin for paper, it does take up a fair bit of space.

It's really important to HP that you don't dare buy toner cartridges from someone other than them. They have a big fat disclaimer, and website warning you of the perils of using non-HP approved ink. Fuck those guys! They want £70 for a toner cartridge! That's a third of the cost of the printer. Despicable.

Oh, and even better, the ink is out of stock on the HP site. So even if you wanted to buy from them, you can't! I rang HP and they suggested buying from a 3rd party site - or subscribe to InstantInk™. They are desperate for recurring revenue. It would be great if the printer just automatically ordered a new toner when it was running low. But it could use my stored payment details for that rather than hooking me up to a subscription.

The toner cartridges are good for about 950 pages, so here's a quick breakdown of the costs if you subscribe:

Look, I get that HP wants to up its Average Revenue Per User and get some cashflow - but this is bonkers! Just let me pay on demand at a reasonable price rather than tying me in to a disempowering subscription.

Unless you consistently print the same amount each month - and a considerable volume at that - you're probably best off trying to buy the toner from eBay for about £40.

Verdict

If you need to print out lots of single-sided black-and-white documents, this is about as good as it gets. As long as you don't mind being gouged on the toner prices.

For the occasional bit of scanning, again, it's fine. But for anything more you'll probably want something with a page feeder.

The app is utter shite. Use it to set up the wireless config and then immediately delete it.

WiFi is a bit of a gimmick. But if you have a multi-computer household, it's nice to be able to print and scan from multiple machines.

Linux support is superb. The epitome of "it just works".

Basically, what I'm saying is that this is an entirely average printer. It's not much better than the laser printers of the early 2000s. Nor is it markedly different from the scanners of the same vintage.

But it is pretty small and quiet. Until you see the price of official toner cartridges. Then you will hear a very loud scream.

This is the Phomemo M02 Pro. If you remember the late, lamented Little Printer you'll immediately understand the appeal. Connect your phone to it, and immediately print out text, graphics, drawings, rules, Tweets, the weather, ANYTHING!

It uses thermal paper, so there's no ink to run out and no expensive refills. Phomemo sell their own paper in a range of colours and styles - but it looks like it will take any suitably sized 53mm roll. It came with sticker paper - so you can stick your doodles wherever the mood strikes.

For normal users, it requires an app. I know what you're thinking, Shenzen apps are usually dire. But this one is pretty good! It was quick to connect on Android and it is also cutesie.

One thing to note - the app has 5* reviews and most of them look like they are fake. Lots of identical messages and effusive comments. There's no need for this astroturf - the app is decent. It connected first time and I was printing out pretty much instantly. Third party apps are available and they seem to work, but need some configuring.

The printing quality is great for a device this size. It's about 300dpi - but you need to take care not to make the text too small though. There's a serrated edge to make it easy to tear off what you print.

It only prints pure black and white, so images need to be dithered before printing. The quality is good - given the size.

It prints quickly. Really handy if you want to print off name badges, or quick custom stickers.

It's USB-C chargeable - and comes with a USB-A to -C cable, which is 30cm long. It has an in-built battery. Using the app you can set how long it stays on for. Overall, it's a cute and useful device and prints really quickly.

Security

There is none. If it is powered on, any Bluetooth device can connect to it and print. This is a feature, not a bug. You can set the printer to automatically switch off after a few minutes - but pressing the prominent power button turns it on again.

The device will only connect to one Bluetooth device at a time. So make sure your phone or laptop is connected at all times!

Cost

Depending on the whims of Amazon, it's between £65 - £90. Thermal paper refills are pretty cheap, especially if you buy 3rd party or in bulk.

This review unit was supplied by NiceRebate.

Linux details

As well as charging via USB-C, it also presents as a USB printer: 0493:8760 MAG Technology Co., Ltd M110-Label Printer

I wasn't able to configure properly - I spoke to Phomemo and they do not provide Linux support.

I could connect to it via Bluetooth - I configured the printer via Bluetooth as per this tutorial. Essentially finding the MAC address and adding the printer as bluetooth://0012345678/.

But what printer driver to choose? Generic Dot Matrix produced line-feeds but no content.

I tried using the ZJ-58 drivers - but that didn't work.

If anyone has any suggestions - please let me know!

Geeky details

usb-devices info:

T:  Bus=01 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=02 Cnt=02 Dev#= 11 Spd=12  MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=ef(misc ) Sub=02 Prot=01 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=0493 ProdID=8760 Rev=02.00
S:  Manufacturer=STMicroelectronics
S:  Product=M110-Label Printer 
S:  SerialNumber=M110-Label Printer 
C:  #Ifs= 3 Cfg#= 1 Atr=c0 MxPwr=100mA
I:  If#=0x0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=07(print) Sub=01 Prot=02 Driver=usblp
I:  If#=0x1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=02(commc) Sub=02 Prot=01 Driver=(none)
I:  If#=0x2 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=0a(data ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=(none)

Here's the verbose lsusb readout:

Device Descriptor:
  bLength                18
  bDescriptorType         1
  bcdUSB               2.00
  bDeviceClass          239 Miscellaneous Device
  bDeviceSubClass         2 
  bDeviceProtocol         1 Interface Association
  bMaxPacketSize0        64
  idVendor           0x0493 MAG Technology Co., Ltd
  idProduct          0x8760 
  bcdDevice            2.00
  iManufacturer           1 STMicroelectronics
  iProduct                2 M110-Label Printer 
  iSerial                 3 M110-Label Printer 
  bNumConfigurations      1
  Configuration Descriptor:
    bLength                 9
    bDescriptorType         2
    wTotalLength       0x006a
    bNumInterfaces          3
    bConfigurationValue     1
    iConfiguration          0 
    bmAttributes         0xc0
      Self Powered
    MaxPower              100mA
    Interface Association:
      bLength                 8
      bDescriptorType        11
      bFirstInterface         0
      bInterfaceCount         1
      bFunctionClass          7 Printer
      bFunctionSubClass       1 Printer
      bFunctionProtocol       2 Bidirectional
      iFunction               0 
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        0
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           2
      bInterfaceClass         7 Printer
      bInterfaceSubClass      1 Printer
      bInterfaceProtocol      2 Bidirectional
      iInterface              0 
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x81  EP 1 IN
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x03  EP 3 OUT
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0
    Interface Association:
      bLength                 8
      bDescriptorType        11
      bFirstInterface         1
      bInterfaceCount         2
      bFunctionClass          2 Communications
      bFunctionSubClass       2 Abstract (modem)
      bFunctionProtocol       1 AT-commands (v.25ter)
      iFunction               1 STMicroelectronics
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        1
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           1
      bInterfaceClass         2 Communications
      bInterfaceSubClass      2 Abstract (modem)
      bInterfaceProtocol      1 AT-commands (v.25ter)
      iInterface              0 
      CDC Header:
        bcdCDC               1.10
      CDC Call Management:
        bmCapabilities       0x00
        bDataInterface          1
      CDC ACM:
        bmCapabilities       0x02
          line coding and serial state
      CDC Union:
        bMasterInterface        0
        bSlaveInterface         1 
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x82  EP 2 IN
        bmAttributes            3
          Transfer Type            Interrupt
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0008  1x 8 bytes
        bInterval             255
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        2
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           2
      bInterfaceClass        10 CDC Data
      bInterfaceSubClass      0 
      bInterfaceProtocol      0 
      iInterface              0 
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x05  EP 5 OUT
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x84  EP 4 IN
        bmAttributes            2
          Transfer Type            Bulk
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0040  1x 64 bytes
        bInterval               0

lpinfo -v shows it as direct usb://Unknown/Printer?serial=M110-Label%20Printer%20