"Parts near End of Life" message

[Sideways]

And on my Epson scanner printer (A3 size that takes BIG cartridges and only cost £100 at Currys) this ink overspill thing is now a box that can be replaced by the consumer just like the cartridges.

 

[IZZY]

Don't single out Epson! ALL ink jet printers have the same overspil collectors. As it happens, Epson have extremely fine contol on the amount of ink being released since they 'Pump' the ink whereas all other manufacturers use the 'Bubble' principle which gives little or no control of the ink dispensed so therefore have a much greater 'Excess' that must be soaked up.

On my epson a few years ago I fitted an overflow tank and rerouted the overflow tube away from the "pad" into it.

 

[DBC]

My knees, back and fingers have been flashing me this message for years now.

 

[Sheptonphil]

You can download the resetting tool for that message. the message is more time based than actual state of the ink pad. My Epsom was in service daily in the computer shop for over 12 years and was reset several times with the re setter. I have it somewhere if you can’t find it. Pm me if you need it.

 

[Robbo3]

The reset software for Epsom printers is called SSC Service Utility. IIRC it's author is Russian but the programme has been in common use for years. Lots of info & available to download from
- Epson printer resetting software and maintenance ( The INK Store )

 

[Gordon Tarling]

Beware if you're just going to carry out some sort of software reset - I reset an Epson printer a few years ago that was giving a similar message and carried on using the printer for a while, until I noticed one day that there was a growing puddle of ink on the desktop under the printer! Yes, the catch pad/tank had overflowed and there was only one place for it to go!

G.

 

[TomTheToolMan]

we just binned our Cannon scanner/printer...the ink dried out again.....
pratted around on and off for too many hours trying to fix it.....
we now get the local copy printer place to do it.....
about 5P per double sided copy.....
they will even print the next size up from print paper.....about 50p per sheet.....
so why bother.....!!!!!

Get a cheap Samsung laser printer. Probably £40-60. Replacement aftermarket cartridges are about £10 and the ink doesn't dry out. Good for 1000 pages per cartridge.

 

[jcassidy]

This sounds like an elapsed time thing, because I doubt Epson installed a sensor in the ink pads to determine how full they are!

Even if they start leaking, deffo DIY repair, especially as Droogs has the manual. I've fixed my Canon several times.

 

[GuitardoctorW7]

I have an old Cannon Pixma photo printer that served me well for about 10 years.
The print head gave up the ghost, so I'm currently considering whether to get an original or an aftermarket one,
or just buy a new printer.
10 years is not a bad innings for such things, though.

I replaced the print head on my Pixma MG7550 last year, about £45, plenty of YouTube vids on how to do it

 

[IZZY]

I used a company called Fotospeed in Corsham (Wilts) fro my paper supplies and ink jet system of refillable cartridges.

 

[ey_tony]

I still have an older Canon i965 printer which was effectively a pro-level photo printer back in its day. It produced superb images up to A4.

The original equipment cartridges (BC16) are still available with a genuine set costing around getting on for £80.00 but as the cartridges contain no chip, the OEM kit can be replaced by complete sets costing from as little as £5.99 from that well known auction site or elsewhere and they work fine. They can also be refilled and there is still available I believe a CISS system for it.

Unless one is printing accurate colour controlled images etc, using calibrated monitors etc, then for general printing a printer like that is cheap to run using compatibles and the cartridges can swapped out will originals when serious results are required.

I didn't use the printer for a while and the ink dried in the print head and wouldn't clear with the usual head cleaning so I removed the print head and soaked it in distilled water for 24 hours and voila, it cleared the blockages and worked again.

 

[accipiter]

I used a company called Fotospeed in Corsham (Wilts) fro my paper supplies and ink jet system of refillable cartridges.

If things don't work out I'll give them a shout. Corsham isn't that far away

 

[accipiter]

This sounds like an elapsed time thing, because I doubt Epson installed a sensor in the ink pads to determine how full they are!

Even if they start leaking, deffo DIY repair, especially as Droogs has the manual. I've fixed my Canon several times.

I believe it's more of a print 'counter' thing. Epson probably work on the idea that the printer is in use regularly so changing cartridges & purge of the ink heads will fill the ink pads tray by X number of print jobs.

 

[accipiter]

Beware if you're just going to carry out some sort of software reset - I reset an Epson printer a few years ago that was giving a similar message and carried on using the printer for a while, until I noticed one day that there was a growing puddle of ink on the desktop under the printer! Yes, the catch pad/tank had overflowed and there was only one place for it to go!

G.

Yes... ran a little program that gave that precise warning and about having definitely replaced the pads. When I ran it it stated the "parts" had not yet reached end of life and the program didn't (wouldn't) run to reset.

 

[accipiter]

The reset software for Epsom printers is called SSC Service Utility. IIRC it's author is Russian but the programme has been in common use for years. Lots of info & available to download from
- Epson printer resetting software and maintenance ( The INK Store )

Appreciate the information and the link but I came across that page while searching. The program wouldn't download from them though.

 

[accipiter]

You can download the resetting tool for that message. the message is more time based than actual state of the ink pad. My Epsom was in service daily in the computer shop for over 12 years and was reset several times with the re setter. I have it somewhere if you can’t find it. Pm me if you need it.

Thanks, will do . I did manage to download one but on initiating it informed me the "end of life" hadn't yet been reached. Going to be a time thing

 

[Housey210]

If its going to be scrapped then there is nothing to lose in playing around with it. strip it down for major clean. Alcohol bath, and ultrasonic cleaner, worked well for me on my hp's. I dare say there is a button battery somewhere on pcb, worth changing that too.

 

[Cozzer]

For home use I've usually stuck to an Epson - mainly due to price, I guess - as I don't particularly need laser jet quality. Invariably these have come with the usual 6/7 individual ink cartridges, which last as long as they last, if you see what I mean. Annoying, how the whole machine refuses to print when just one colour is spent!
I remember returning an Epson to a famous on-street retailer - never knowingly undersold - as it had failed whilst just inside the warranty period....they sent it to Epson, and got it back a few weeks later, complete with a snarky memo about using non-Epson cartridges.
The curious thing was that I hadn't.... it still had the originals in!
And talking of rules and reg's that you have little or no knowledge about - this is nothing to do with printers, by the way - I was thumbing through one of the Sunday paper magazines a couple of days ago, and discovered that "from next month new building rules means the traditional glass conservatory will be no more."
Apparently climate-change reg's mean that new properties and extensions will be limited to the amount of glass used, up to a maximum of 25% of the property's footprint.

 

[Droogs]

Ah get round that by saying it is a fancy lean to greenhouse.

 

[AES]

A very common fault for Epson printers from my days at repairing them. There is a pad that sits under the printhead rest postion. You can take it out and clean it with IPA let it dry an put it back but you do have to nearly totally dismantle the printer to do so.

Thanks for that Droogs