Resetting the Waste Counter

As you probably know by now, redirecting the waste ink to an external tank/kit is only half the job. If your printer started displaying the "service required" error you will still need to reset the printers internal waste counter.

Without the ability to complete that reset, your printer is going nowhere.

USA/Canada

For owners of Epson printers sourced in North America you may find your printer can be reset using a utility provided by Epson America. You will need to have the serial number for your printer and please note this must be a valid North American serial number or the form will reject it.

Unfortunately these utilities are limited in a number of ways:

1. They don't always recognise the waste counter is "full" and won't always work as a result.
2. They only reset the waste counter back a proportion of the count. Not a total reset.
3. Latest versions only seem to work once.

Not American? No problem  

The rest of the world or those with either old or very new printers have fewer options. Either locate utilities written by third party developers or those intended for service engineers.

The original SSC utility, is now very old and while it is compatible with a wide range of printers it only deals with older model printers that aren't covered by Epson's IPR utilities. So, if you are based in North America this takes care of many of the missing printers (except the newest models).

If this still doesn't help there's one more option...

Utilities for a price

In the past six months it's become increasingly obvious that Epson have moved the goal posts for some printers to the extent that reset utilities for printers like the Artisan 800 will only work on computer that the utility has been encoded for.

As a result of this, some sources has started to appear that help resolve this issue but because of the technical complexity there is a much higher cost involved.

You may decide not to purchase one of these utilities but for the higher value printers this would seem to be a cost effective approach when compared to the cost of an official Epson service.

Knowing what your options are

Until recently it was very difficult to identify all the different sources for reset utilities, compatibility, restrictions, etc... But thankfully, due to a lot of research and hard work, I have been able to provide the "QuickFind" tool which includes information on what options are available for different printers.

I would definitely recommend giving it a try before you do anything else... and please note that some utility links are limited OctoInkjet customers which gives you a bit more of a reason to buy a kit...

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• When do I need to use a Reset Utility?
• The waste counter will need to be reset if your printer is refusing to print and gives the "service required" error

• Will the North American Utility work with any non-American printers?
• The utility has had some very basic testing with a limited number of UK printers (D88, C86) and so far it seems that any models common to the USA will reset (eg: C86).
  Anything with a uniquely European or Australasian model number will not work unfortunately

• Is SSC still in development?
• At present it is impossible to tell what is happening with the SSC utility as the team no longer appear active on their own forums.

• What other options are available?
• The only other option at present is to locate and use an "adjustment utility" as provided to Epson Service Engineers when diagnosing and fixing printers.

• Why are adjustment utilities not recommended? Are they "dangerous"?
• The big problem with the adjustment utilities is that they are very complex and could potentially damage your printer beyond repair.

• What's the worst that could happen though?
• Some users have reported trying to use an adjustment utility intended for a close cousin of their own printer. Many have found their printer will no longer respond or use ink cartridges because it has reset to the utilities model number. Tip: If you must use an adjustment utility make sure it's the correct model!

• Where can I get these Adjustment Utilities from?
• The "Quickfind" tool provides links for many of the kits. 

• Do you provide any resetters or adjustment utilities?
• Aside from the SSC utility (which you need to download from the SSC site yourself), some utilities are provided free with certain kits (eg R1400).
  I do not sell or otherwise distribute these utilities as a separate item.

• What happens if anything goes wrong?
• Wherever possible I will try to help resolve any problems but any resetting, especially using an adjustment utility, is done entirely at your own risk.

• How do I use the Adjprog utility on Vista?
• This article on our sister site shows you how to setup an Epson Adjustment Utility/Program on Vista so it will work properly
• Is there a video guide for any of this?
• Yes, I create a vidcap (video screen capture) guide that shows you how to use the adjustment utilities that Epson provides for its service engineers.
  Click here to watch it.