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.
Why the pads matter
Every head cleaning and every borderless print sends a little ink into waste ink pads (felt sponges) inside the printer. The printer counts how much it has sent, and when the count reaches Epson’s limit it stops with “a printer’s ink pad is at the end of its service life” or “Service required”.
A counter reset puts that number back to zero, but the ink it counted is still in the pads. Resetting is safe. What damages printers is resetting for years without ever checking the pads, until ink leaks onto the base of the printer and its electronics. So “ink pad replacement” really means one of four things.
Your four options
| Option | What happens | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| Epson’s service | Epson replaces the pads and resets the counter. In North America Epson has offered a pad replacement service and a one-time reset utility for some models (The Register, 2022). | The printer is under warranty, or you do not want to open it |
| Local repair shop | The shop washes or replaces the pads and resets the counter. | You want it done for less than a new printer |
| Do it yourself | Wash and dry the pads, or fit replacement pads, then reset the counter. | You are comfortable opening the printer case |
| External waste ink tank | The drain tube is routed to a bottle outside the printer, so the pads stop filling. You still reset the counter once. | You print a lot, or print sublimation / photos with many cleanings |
Ask for a quote before sending an older printer to service: on a low-cost ink-tank printer the repair can come close to the price of a new one.
What state are your pads in?
| Pad condition | What to do |
|---|---|
| Dry, or only partly stained | Nothing yet. Reset the counter and carry on printing. |
| Soaked through, wet to the touch | Wash the pads and let them dry completely, or fit new pads. |
| You print a lot and do not want to open the printer again | Fit an external waste ink tank. |
Not sure how full they are? Read the counter first: it shows each pad as a percentage, and reading it is free.
Signs the pads need attention now
- Ink on the desk under the printer.
- Smudges or ink marks on the back of your pages.
- A wet area around the spot where the print head rests.
- The error comes back within days of a reset.
Washing or replacing the pads yourself
Reaching the pads usually means opening the printer’s case, and the steps differ from model to model. If you have not opened a printer before, a repair shop is the safer choice.
If you do it yourself:
- Switch the printer off and unplug it first.
- Work over newspaper and wear gloves. Waste ink stains skin, clothes and furniture.
- Note how each pad sits before you lift it out, and do not kink the drain tube.
- Washed pads must be completely dry before you put them back.
- Replacement pads are sold for many popular models; match them to your exact model.
After the pads: reset the counter
Washing or replacing the pads does not clear the message. The printer still holds the old count, so reset it afterwards over a USB cable, switch the printer off and on, and read the counter again. How to reset on Windows · on a Mac.
Printers with a maintenance box
Some Epson models (for example the XP-4100, WF-2830 or ET-3760) collect waste ink in a replaceable maintenance box instead of fixed pads. On those you replace the box, or reset its chip with a chip resetter if the box is not soaked; there is nothing to wash and PC reset software does not apply. Replace or reset the maintenance box.
Sources
- The Register: Epson says pad saturation behind 'end of service life' alert (Aug 2022)
- VNIT Reset Tool user guide, section 8 (after the reset)
- Our repair shop records