Having talking, emailed and repeated myself ad-nausea about the pitfalls and potential work-arounds for Epson CIS systems when used with pigment ink, I finally took the time to write the whole thing up into a comprehensive article that covers it all.
You can find the article here and I’ll try to update with any additional improvements or tweaks as they are suggested or understood.
Yes folks… Epson have done it again…
Following on from the original report we put together about the Artisan, PX and TX printer models it seems it’s happening all over again with the Epson XP Expression models.
With the release of the XP-610, 615, 710, 810 and the like there appears to be a new firmware that “upgrades” earlier models resulting in the printer failing to recognise the bulk of third party chips which in turn means no CIS systems, compatible cartridges or refillables.
Note: While this notice is for the XP series, it’s also possible that other printer models (eg: PX730WD, Artisan 837, etc..) may also have firmware updates available which are disabling compatibility for third party consumables.
The good news (although untested by me) is that WICReset offers the facility to downgrade your firmware on affected printers* so if you have found yourself in that unenviable position, you can now do something about it.
Obviously the key thing to note is that updating your firmware is best avoided on XP Expression models and it would appear that firmware upgrades now should be avoided completely if you rely on third party consumables.
*Note: We do not have a definitive list of affected printers, nor have we tested the downgrade functionality so your mileage may vary.
Tags: Epson, expression, firmware, xp
This article has been a long time coming as I frequently get asked about this issue for various built-in CIS systems on Epson inkjet printers (see the list at the end).
The problem most printer owners experience is what they perceive to be a “clog” where the ink is not reaching the page or has inconsistent nozzle checks. Use of printhead cleaning solutions and/or cleaning cartridges provides little if any results but the solution gets used up and checking any external waste ink tank shows that ink is being pulled through the system. Read more…
It seems Watchdog Daily did a report recently on the “Service Required” problem relating an Epson Photo 1400.
You can see the report on iPlayer (in the UK) until it expires here:
Watchdog Daily Ep 6
[Start point 30:24]
Unfortunately the Watchdog report went into no detail and stuck with technical jargon designed to confuse. Obviously very frustrating it wasn’t given greater depth but I’d imagine they can’t recommend third party services and the legal backsides have to be covered. However there is a brief moment where this blog actually appears as a browser tab [timeline: 31:40].
So, if you’ve arrived here because you yourself have done some additional research, this problem is solveable without needing to go to a reporter, or even Epson to pay £100+ (or even, £90 if you get a “deal”).
The Photo 1400 is covered in this article
… and for other printers you can find resources, relevant solutions and more besides using the OctoInjket Quickfind tool.
I wonder if anyone else will do a proper report on the issues and dig deeper… If you do, you know were to find me.
If, like me you’ve ever tried to explain the concept of a waste ink kit and you have experienced the joys of babies and small children, then you’ll probably have found yourself describing printer waste pads in terms of nappies.
Well, I was doing the exact same thing for ages before I hit on the idea of branding the OctoInkjet waste ink kits as something a bit unique…
It’s already proved as something of a hit with customers both new and old and does tend to cut down on the time needed to describe the concept especially as it tends to get your attention right away…
Ok, so instead of changing your printers nappy (diaper) you just potty train the thing with this…
*cue: double take from customer*
So, anyway, it’s official the trademark is now registered, the branding is going on all kits and I’m making inroads on new kit designs for newer printers that have appeared in the last 6 months.
Tell your friends, family, or the bloke who washes your windows… We even have video
This information is now pretty out of date (or was) but there have been a number of strong indications that Epson decided to up the ante when it comes to third party consumables through the use of a clever firmware update system available with newer Epson printers.
The update(s) shut the doors on third party consumables that work with earlier firmware versions and effectively tie your printer into using only Epson OEM/Original cartridges.
This issue was resolved with new chip designs (v6.0) but the issue may be making a comeback as of early 2014 with reports of Epson Expression (XP) models hitting issues and some indication that other printers like the PX730WD, Artisan 837, etc.. also showing symptoms.
In short, if you don’t want to be forced to use Epson original consumables, don’t install any firmware updates
Tags: artisan 735, artisan 835, compatible, download navigator, Epson, firmware, px730wd, px830fwd, third party, tx735wd, tx835fwd, update
Anyone with a brand new Epson printer like the Artisan 710, the PX810FW or the TX1100 will know that any of the supposed reset utilities for your printer will either not work at all or give a 21000068 error just when you think it’s working.
The problem has been an increased level of protection being added to the utilities to stop them being useable if they get released into the public domain and whilst initial efforts by OrTHoTaMiNe were successful in unlocking utilities released between a year to 6 months ago, the approach used proved harder and harder to use.
Luckily it seems there have been a few other people working the problem from a completely different angle and there is now a new utility (well two to be exact) on the block.
For the uninitiated, this is an introduction and guide on how to use the “AdjProg” utility that is often required to reset the waste ink counter on Epson inkjet printers.
This time I’ve covered the D88 printer but the RX685 and R1900 are also on my list for some point in the future.
Low Quality/Resolution (see below for link to higher quality version)
The high quality (800×600 resolution) version is available by clicking this link
…or you can view the iPhone version
My first vidcap tutorial on this subject was a bit long winded and harder to follow so I’ve learned how to keep it short and got it down to 4 minutes (ish) with my new version so hopefully it’s better as a result.
Tags: adjustment, IPR - Ink Pad Reset, reset, service mode, ssc, tutorial
It’s been a while since I had a chance to sit and spend 5 minutes thinking, much less write about the situation with Ink Pad Reset (IPR) tools, but, here at last is a summary of the current situation.
? New to the topic of Waste ink counters, Service required or Ink Pad Resets ?
You might want to read this article to get an introduction to these core issues before you catch up on the latest developments detailed below
Last year started with the PX700W, Artisan 800 and similar printers appearing and with them came the realisation that these printers waste counters could only be reset using specific adjustment utilities. Unfortunately it soon became clear that such a utility was going to cost you $50+ and couldn’t be shared.
A few months later a new ‘volunteer’ appeared on the net with the ability to remove the protection restricting these utilities. Unfortunately there was some confusion caused by unlocked adjustment utilities being reported as infected/malware. Once that was cleared up, OrTHoTaMiNe, became synonymous with SSC for anyone with that generation of printers.
Sadly, since then it seems that someone in the Epson camp has been paying more attention to the grey market of adjustment utilities.
Tags: adjustment, Epson, IPR - Ink Pad Reset, reset tools
As with Vista, Windows 7 will not run most adjustment utilities without some help.
This approach is currently untested as my Win7 machine is currently down for repair but hopefully it will prove useful and work…
Compatibility Mode – Windows 7
Note: In most cases you will want to run the program in Windows XP SP2 or SP3 mode
If anyone manages to successfully use their adjustment utility/utilities on Windows 7 using this or another approach please do post a comment with any tips
I will update this guide once my own Win7 machine is back up and working
Tags: compatibility, win7
