On Windows, install your printer with Epson's driver, not Microsoft's. Download it from Epson's website for your model. If Windows set the printer up by itself with a Microsoft driver (Windows Ready Print or Microsoft IPP Class Driver), it may still print, but the tool often can't read or reset it over USB. How to get the Epson driver back.
Read it in four steps
- Download VNIT Reset Tool and unzip it. Run
VNIT_Reset.exe. No installer. - Connect the printer with a USB cable. Switch it on and wait until it is quiet.
- Make sure the computer is online. The tool downloads the settings for your exact model from our server.
- Press Check Printer. The model, serial number and each counter appear.
Reading the counter never uses a key and never costs anything.
What the numbers mean
| Counter | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 80% | Good | Normal. No reset needed. |
| 80 to 99% | Nearly full | Plan ahead: have pads or a reset ready. |
| 100% | Full | The printer has stopped. It needs a reset. |
Some models have not been calibrated as a percentage yet. For those, the tool shows the raw count and the limit instead. They reset the same way.
Why there is more than one counter
Many Epson printers keep separate counters for different pads, for example:
- the main pad, inside the body of the printer, and
- the platen pad, near the paper path, which catches ink from borderless printing.
The tool reads all of them. A reset key resets them together.
At 90% or more?
You can run the free trial once on this printer. It lowers the counter to 80%, which clears the error so you can print.
Sources
- VNIT Reset Tool user guide, section 6 (reading the counter)