| Did you ever try to print something with your Epson | | | | If you purchased your printer less than 12 months |
| printer only to discover that both red lights are | | | | ago you are covered by the Epson warranty and |
| flashing continuously in a "game over" fashion? | | | | you will need to take your printer to an Epson repair |
| What the lights can mean | | | | centre to have it reset and pads exchanged. |
| There are a couple of reasons why this can happen: | | | | If your printer is out of warranty (and if your printing |
| 1st is that a foreign object has got into the printer | | | | is average use it will only just be out of warranty) |
| preventing the print carriage to move freely across | | | | then you are left with a hard choice. Pay the |
| left or right. Some remains of a paper jam or | | | | £40 fee to have it reset or to go and |
| something your little "treasure" left there for you | | | | purchase a new printer (which can be had for the |
| could easily be the cause. In this case turn off the | | | | same money and comes with a new set of |
| printer then remove the object and turn the printer | | | | cartridges). |
| back on. | | | | There is a consideration to be made here. It is the |
| 2nd (and more usual) reason for the flashing lights is | | | | use of compatible ink. If you use 3rd party ink or |
| that is that the waste ink counter has reached its | | | | cartridges be warned that by purchasing a new |
| maximum count and it shuts down use of the printer | | | | printer you may find it hard to get your compatible |
| to prevent damage to it. | | | | inks for it (if its a model thats just out.) Epson |
| This scenario is usually accompanied by a "parts in | | | | change their printer models regularly and the main |
| your printer have reached the end of their sevice | | | | reason is to stay ahead of the copied ink market, |
| life" but not always. | | | | and the built in redundancy (waste ink counter) is a |
| What is the waste ink counter? | | | | way to ensure customers upgrade their printers on a |
| Ok. let me explain. Every time you turn on your | | | | regular basis. |
| printer or do a head cleanor putin a new cartridge the | | | | Our Solution |
| printer goes through a head cleaning cycle that uses | | | | If your printer is not so new then there is hope to |
| ink to clear the print nozzles in the print head. The | | | | breath new life into it. is a website that hosts a cool |
| waste ink used for this cleaning cycle has to go | | | | little program called ssc print utility. This program can |
| somewhere. Epsons solution is to collect it in pads at | | | | reset many Epson printer models (don't worry about |
| the base of the printer, and when the printer | | | | the pads as they can hold 2 or 3 times the waste ink |
| software in the printer decides that the pads are | | | | count.) |
| "full" it shuts the printer down. | | | | Unfortunately it does not reset the latest Epson |
| So ... end of service life does not mean that any | | | | printers, and it looks like the programs development |
| mechanical part to your printer is not operational, and | | | | has come to a standstill. If your Printer is not listed |
| it does mean that your hardware is in perfectly good | | | | by this program you will need to do a search like |
| condition. | | | | "Software resetter Epson" with your model at the |
| Epson's Solution | | | | end. |
| Epson has 2 solutions for you when this happens | | | | Some printers can be reset by pressing a |
| (and if you use your printer much it will happen) | | | | combination of buttons. |
| 1st is have your printer reset and the waste ink pads | | | | Before you decide to throw away your Epson printer |
| replaced. | | | | have a go to reset the waste ink counter. If |
| 2nd is to go and buy a new printer and consign your | | | | successful and you still want a shiny new printer, at |
| (perfectly good) printer to the ever growing rubbish | | | | least you can sell it or hand it to someone else thus |
| heap. | | | | keep it out of landfill a while longer. |