Printer maker Epson has programmed some of its inkjet printer models to “discontinue
Epson printer owners complain that theirworking printers suddenly stop working, displaying an error message stating that some printer component has "reached the end of its life" and that the device requires servicing. According to Epson's website, the message is related to ink pads.
"Like many other products, everythingEpson consumer inkjet printers have a limited lifespan due to component wear and tear during normal use … "Printers are designed to stop operating at a point where continued use without replacing the ink pads could create a risk of property damage from ink spills or safety issues associated with excess ink coming into contact with an electrical component," – says on the company's website.
However, instead of measuring saturationink pads to determine when this point has been reached, Epson appears to have programmed a counter into its printers that turns off the device when a certain threshold is reached. For Windows printer owners, Epson makes a reset utility that can reset the counter, although it "can only be used once and will allow you to print for a short period of time." For users who have already run the reset utility once, Epson recommends contacting an Epson Authorized Service Center or – which is preferable – replace the printer with a new one.
Despite the company's claims that the problem with ink pads is unrecoverable, YouTube videos show that they are actually easy to replace.