Epson Common Q&A on Ink Pads used in Inkjet Printers

Please explain the message I am getting in my printer driver that says ‘parts inside the printer have reached the end of their service life’.

Like so many other products, Epson consumer inkjet products have a finite life span due to component wear during normal use. At some point the product will reach a condition where either satisfactory print quality cannot be maintained or components have reached the end of their usable life. This is normal operation for a sophisticated mechanical device.

Which parts are we talking about?

The message refers to the ink pads, which are porous pads inside the printer that collect, distribute, and contain the ink that is not used on the printed page. Ink is collected by these pads during the initial setup of the product, during cleaning cycles and when printing borderless photographs.

Why does my printer stop functioning when I get the message?

The printer is designed to stop operation at the point where further use of the ink pads could lead to a potential risk of property damage from an ink spill, or safety issues related to excess ink coming into contact with an electrical component. Epson is committed to ensuring the proper operation of all our devices to minimise the risk of property damage or personal injury during the life of the product.

Is there anything I can do to continue using my printer?

Please contact the Customer Interaction Centre or an authorised Epson Service Centre for support and advice.

I’ve heard that Epson is making a Reset Tool available publicly. Is it possible for users to reset their printers themselves?

Please contact the Customer Interaction Centre or an authorised Epson Service Centre for support and advice.

Can I service my own printer?

Epson does not consider our inkjet printers to be user serviceable, due to the specific knowledge and training required to successfully disassemble, repair and reassemble the products

What do the ink pads look like?

If you do choose to disassemble your product, the ink pads may appear completely saturated with ink or may still have some white areas that have not been completely saturated with ink, depending on usage patterns. A very high-volume user will saturate the pads more quickly because ink evaporation will not be as effective. For a low-volume user, longer evaporation periods may result in portions of the pads appearing unused. The ink pad life counters are designed to prevent risk in all cases.

At what point should a user expect to get this message?

Epson products are designed to last a significant amount of time. However, the length of time a printer can be used before this message occurs will vary depending on the model, and on the amount and type of pages printed.

Is anything being done to change this situation?

Epson continually strives to increase the durability and longevity of our products. This is done through ongoing improvements in design to reduce the amount of ink being deposited to the ink pads and optimisation of the sizes of the pads. The intent is to ensure the ink pads meet or exceed the expected life of the product. However, the end-of-service-life message will likely continue to appear because it is not possible to completely eliminate the risk of ink spills.