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.
How an XP printer tells you
It depends on whether your printer has a screen.
- With a screen, such as the XP-820 and XP-860, Epson’s guide lists two messages: “A printer’s ink pad is nearing the end of its service life. Please contact Epson Support.” and “A printer’s ink pad is at the end of its service life. Please contact Epson Support.” After the first you can press the start button and keep printing. After the second, printing stops.
- Without a screen, such as the XP-231, the lights tell you: the power light is on or flashing while the ink and paper lights flash.
Other XP models may word this differently. Your printer’s own user’s guide has the exact wording.
XP models with a counter software can reset
These models keep waste ink in fixed pads and count it. Open your model for its details.
XP models with a maintenance box
These models collect waste ink in a replaceable box with a chip. No PC reset software applies, ours included. The fix is a new box or a chip resetter.
XP-970, XP-3100, XP-3101, XP-3105, XP-3150, XP-3155, XP-3200, XP-4100, XP-4101, XP-4105, XP-4150, XP-4155, XP-4200, XP-4201, XP-4205, XP-5100, XP-5101, XP-5105, XP-5150, XP-5155, XP-5200, XP-5201, XP-5205, XP-6100, XP-6105, XP-6106, XP-8500, XP-8505, XP-8506, XP-8700, XP-8705, XP-8706, XP-15000, XP-15080
How to check yours
- If the printer is under warranty, contact Epson first. Epson’s XP-820 guide says the pads are covered during the standard warranty, and that they are not a user-replaceable part.
- Connect the printer to a Windows PC or Mac with a USB cable. Most XP models need the cable for this.
- Download VNIT Reset Tool and read the counter. This is free, and it shows how full each counter is.
- If a counter is full, run the free trial, which leaves it at 80%, or use a key to reset it to 0%.
A reset clears the count, not the ink. Check what to do about the pads before you keep printing for a long time.
Don’t see your model? Check all supported printers.