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.
The short answer
If the ink and paper lights flash one after the other, an ink pad counter is nearly full or full. Nothing is broken. The printer counts the ink it sends to its waste pad and stops at a limit. You can read that counter for free and reset it.
If only the paper light flashes, it is a paper jam. If power, ink and paper all flash, paper or packing material is stuck inside. A reset does not fix those.
What each light pattern means
The L360 and L380 have three lights: power, paper and ink. The L385 and L365 add a Wi-Fi light. The meanings below come from Epson’s user’s guides for the L360, L385, L380, L365 and L310 (links in Sources).
| Lights | What Epson says it means | Can VNIT Reset Tool fix it? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power on | The printer is on. | Not needed | Nothing. |
| Power flashing | The printer is busy. | Not needed | Wait. Do not switch off until it stops. |
| Paper light on | No paper, or several sheets went in at once. | No | Load paper, then press a copy button. |
| Paper light flashing | Paper jam. | No | Remove the paper, then press a copy button. |
| Power on + ink light on | The first ink charge may not have finished. | No | Follow the setup sheet that came with the printer. |
| Ink + paper flashing in turn | An ink pad is nearly at, or at, the end of its life. | Yes (main pad counter) | Read the counter. Reset it, then check the pad. |
| Power + ink + paper all flashing | A printer error. Paper or packing material may be inside. | No | Open the scanner unit (on the L310, the printer cover), remove anything inside, switch off and on. |
| Ink + paper on (not flashing) | A firmware update failed. The printer is in recovery mode. | No | Connect by USB and update the firmware again. |
| Wi-Fi light flashing orange (L385, L365) | Wi-Fi connection error. | No | Press the Wi-Fi button and try again. |
The L310 is a printer only. Where the table says “press a copy button”, press the stop button on the L310.
When the pad is only nearly full, Epson says a message may appear on your computer that lets you continue. Pressing a copy button lets you keep printing for a while. The lights will come back from time to time until the pad is dealt with.
The L365 is listed differently
Epson’s L365 guide for Latin America describes the ink pad error as power + paper flashing, not ink + paper. If you have an L365, do not rely on the light pattern alone. Read the counter to be sure.
Epson L130
The L130 is a printer only, with three lights: power, paper and ink. It has no ink-level sensor: Epson’s L130 guide says to check the ink by looking at the tanks. On this model the ink light shows the status of the first ink charge, not low ink. From the error table in the Epson L130 User’s Guide (page 55):
| Lights | What Epson says it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ink light on its own | The first ink charge may not have finished. | Fill the tanks to the upper line and finish the charging steps on the Start Here sheet. Installing the driver does not do this. |
| Ink + paper flashing in turn | An ink pad is nearly at, or at, the end of its life. | Read the counter. Reset it, then check the pad. |
| Paper light on | No paper, or several sheets went in at once. | Load paper and press the button next to the power button. |
| Paper light flashing | Paper jam. | Remove the paper and press the button next to the power button. |
When the pad is only nearly full, the guide says a message on the computer lets you continue: press the button next to the power button (the one you also hold for 3 seconds to clean the print head) to keep printing for a while. The lights come back until the pad is dealt with.
A new L130 with the ink light on is almost always the first ink charge, so check that before anything else.
Is it the ink pads? Check for free
The lights only tell you that the counter is high. They do not show the number. To see it:
- Download VNIT Reset Tool and run it on a Windows computer.
- Connect the printer with a USB cable. Most models need USB. Reading over Wi-Fi works on a few models only.
- Press Check Printer. Reading is always free.
On this family the tool shows one counter: Main pad. It is the pad inside the body of the printer.
If it is at 90% or more, you can run the free trial once per printer. It lowers the counter to 80%, which clears the error. A key costs US$6 and resets the counter to 0%.
After any reset, switch the printer off and on again. If the lights keep flashing, see the error is still there after a reset.
A reset only changes the number. The pad itself may be soaked. Read what to do with the ink pads after a reset before you print a lot again.
Errors a reset does not fix
- Paper jam (paper light flashing). Remove the paper gently. Look for torn pieces.
- Something stuck inside (all lights flashing). Lift the scanner unit and look for tape, foam, clips or paper.
- Carriage problems. If the print head cannot move, a counter reset will not help. Clear the path first, or see a technician.
- First ink charge not finished (power and ink lights on). Follow the setup sheet.
- Printers with a maintenance box. Some other Epson models use a replaceable box instead of fixed pads. This family uses a fixed pad. See reset or replace a maintenance box if yours has a box.
Models in this family
Light patterns checked in Epson’s own guides:
- Epson L360
- Epson L380
- Epson L385
- Epson L365 (listed differently, see above)
- Epson L310
- Epson L130 (printer only, see above)
Same Main pad counter settings in VNIT Reset Tool, lights not checked in a guide yet:
Not covered here: the Epson L355 is an older design with different counter settings. Its user’s guide does not list an ink pad light pattern.
Sources
- Epson L360 User's Guide (NPD5195) — Checking the Error Indicators on the Printer, p. 66
- Epson L385 User's Guide (NPD5491) — Checking the Error Indicators on the Printer, p. 90
- Epson L380 User's Guide — Product Light Status, p. 106
- Epson L365 User's Guide — Product Light Status, p. 148
- Epson L310 User's Guide — Product Light Status, p. 87
- Epson L130 User's Guide (NPD5198) — Control panel p. 11–12, Checking the Ink Levels p. 35, Checking the Error Indicators p. 55