Your Epson Printer Has An Expiration Date:
Maybe you were aware, maybe not – but did you know that Epson programs all their printers to “die” at pre-determined page counts? We had a problem with a print head clogging issue with our Epson Stylus Photo 1400 and went looking for a service manual. Found one here – http://www.madshare.com/ – but that site wants you to pay for access to files which may or may not be there (you are granted limited free access). We managed to find an obvious Epson made “service manual” for the Epson Stylus Photo R260, R265, R270, R360, R380, and R390 inkjet printers. It clocks in at 150 pages! 150 pages! And covers dis-assembly, service procedures, maintenance issues, and has very detailed descriptions, and lot’s of pictures.
So what about the Epson Stylus Photo 1400?
We could not find a “free” Epson Service Manual for the Stylus Photo 1400, but we did find a place where you can buy one in PDF format. Cost was $11.99, and we used paypal just to be safe. Be aware, the PDF file we viewed in Mac OS X 10.5.x bundled “preview” application indicated that we could not copy the text to the clipboard w/out a password.
The site we purchased the manual for the 1400 is here – http://www.2manuals.com/ – buyer beware, but seems to be a legit site.
Check this out – the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 has a “dead count” which is stored in an EEPROM inside the printer:
Looks like it is there to prevent commercial printing? You be the judge. Thanks so much Epson. For some Epson printers, there is a service utility that will reset the page count. There is a permanent link to this very useful (and free) utility on our blog, over there to the left. The SSC Service Utility is a must have – http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml – which will reset the page count on the EEPROM.
Update: 12-14-09:
Found a page on the Epson website for resetting the “waste ink counter” for a specific list of printers. It requires you to input the printer’s serial number, and your personal contact information. Link provided below:
Epson Ink Pads Reset Utility
Windoze only:
Note: This utility is for Windows XP and Vista operating systems only. We hope to develop an option for Mac users as well; however, we do not have an ETA or the OS requirement at this time.
Works for the following printers:
PictureMate
PictureMate Dash – PM260
PictureMate Deluxe
PictureMate Express
PictureMate Flash – PM280
PictureMate Pal – PM200
PictureMate Snap – PM240
PictureMate Zoom – PM290
Stylus C120
Stylus C46
Stylus C66
Stylus C68
Stylus C86
Stylus C88
Stylus C88+
Stylus CX1600
Stylus CX3800
Stylus CX3810
Stylus CX4200
Stylus CX4400
Stylus CX4600
Stylus CX4800
Stylus CX5000
Stylus CX5800F
Stylus CX6000
Stylus CX6600
Stylus CX7000F
Stylus CX7400
Stylus CX7800
Stylus CX8400
Stylus CX9400Fax
Stylus Photo 1400
Stylus Photo R1800
Stylus Photo R1900
Stylus Photo R200
Stylus Photo R220
Stylus Photo R2400
Stylus Photo R260
Stylus Photo R280
Stylus Photo R2880
Stylus Photo R300
Stylus Photo R320
Stylus Photo R340
Stylus Photo R380
Stylus Photo R800
Stylus Photo RX580
Stylus Photo RX595
Stylus Photo RX600
Stylus Photo RX620
Stylus Photo RX680
Stylus Photo RX700
Filed under: Epson, Industry News Tagged: | EEPROM, epson service manual, page count, printer service manual, service manual, stylus photo 1400, waste ink
