All recent Epson printers use "chipped" ink cartridges. A small IC chip fitted to each ink cartridge collects and stores ink level information for each cartridge. Empty cartridge/chip triggers an error message via the Epson Status Monitor (similar to below) and the printer then refuses to print, or do anything else, until the empty ink cartridge is replaced - with a new one. This may be a handy feature if you buy new Epson cartridges all the time, but not so handy, if you want to refill the cartridges.
To refill ANY late model Epson printer, you need some method of resetting the ink chips. Without it, you are wasting your time refilling Epson cartridges. The printer will not accept them anyway. Even refilling well before a cartridge registers empty doesn't solve the problem. Epson printers don't check the actual ink levels, all the ink data comes from the ink chips.
Depending on the model of your Epson printer, you can either buy a chip re-setter (further down this page) to reset the cartridges you have, or get a set of refillable cartridges instead. And because most Epson cartridges are too tricky to refill anyway, refillable cartridges are generally a better option. Find refillable cartridges & more info here...
This can be a confusing subject due to all the options for different Epson models. If you have difficulty taking it all in, just email: sales@inkbank.com.au with your printer model and let us work out the best solution for you. Or read on...
This is the situation at present...
Epson printer ink cartridges could be sorted into 7 main groups according to the ink chip & re-setter design:
#
Printer series
Cartridge # or printer model
Resetter
Chip type
1
Recent
122, 132, 133, 138, 140 etc
N/A
2
N series
73N, 81N, 82N, 91N, 103N etc
ARC only
9 pin
3
Pre N series
731~734, 751~754, 811~816, 821~826 etc
ER 968
9 pin
4
Early (desktop)
all desktop chipped cartridges - except above
ER 268 II
7 or 9 pin
5
Wide format
4000 series 7000 series, 9000 series
ER368
7 pin
6
Late model wide format
2880, 3800, 3880, 4470, 4880, 9880 etc
ARC only
7 pin
7
11800 wide format
11800
ER 118
There are several Epson chip resetter models available to deal with the different ink chips. They all look similar, but each resetter will only reset the chips it is intended for.
# 1: There are no chip resetters for these cartridges. Refillable cartridges (with ARC) available now.
# 2: No chip resetters for these cartridges. ARC Refillable cartridges available for all.
# 3: ER-968 resetter doesn't reset Australian genuine Epson cartridges! It works with refill friendly manual-reset (MRC) cartridges only. ARC (auto reset) cartridges are also available for C79, C90, C92, C110, CX2900, CX3900, CX4900, CX5500, CX5900, CX6900, CX7300, CX8300, CX9300, R290, RX590, Photo 1410 etc.
# 4: ER-268 II resetter resets all chips in this group - genuine, compatible and refillable (MRC) including: T007, T008, T009, T017, T018, T026, T027, T028, T029, T038, T039, T0321~324, T0341~348, T0422~424, T0441~444, T0461~474, T0481~486, T0491~496, T0540~549, T0561~564, T0631~634 and few more...
# 5: ER-368 resets all chips in this group - genuine, compatible and refillable MRC including: PRO 4000, 4400, 7400, 7600, 9600, 9800, 10600 etc
# 6: Resetters should be available soon. Auto-reset cartridges available now. Not listed yet.
# 7: ER-118 only resets 11800 PRO series
So...how do you reset an Epson chip..?
Resetting chips is easy and it only takes few seconds to reset an "empty" Epson chip back to full. Simply align the resetter pins with the gold contacts of the chip and press the two together for around 5-6 seconds. There is a LED on the resetter which starts off flashing red and turns green when the reset is completed. That's it!
More info...
There are three small battery cells (replaceable) inside, that generally last for hundreds of resets. The devices are well designed and reliable. Made in China. Depending on resetter model, one or two adapters are included to enable resetting of different cartridges. 12 months replacement warranty
Tip: Take care not to get the pins wet, as this can cause corrosion and resetter damage. Also...do not move the resetter while reset is in progress, it must stay in contact with chip until the LED turns green.
Another way to reset ink levels of some Epson cartridges is with software from SSC. You can download it for free from: http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml. You can also use it to reset printer maintenance errors, get a display of accurate ink levels, ...and a whole lot more. It's available for many Epson printers, but not recent models.
Older Epson printers...
Older Epson printers (pre intellidge) reset automatically, every time a cartridge is replaced. Even if you fit an empty cartridge, it will show full in the "Status monitor" without having to do anything else. No chips, no hassles...
Find a chip resetter for your Epson printer below... If you need more information, please contact us.
