Resetting the Waste Counter

Assuming you've learned about waste ink pads, the process of replacing the pads or redirecting the waste ink to an external tank/kit, is only half the job. If your printer started displaying the "service required" or "waste pads in printer have reached end of service life" error, you still need to reset the printers internal waste counter(s).

Without the ability to complete that reset, your printer is going nowhere.

When this article was originally written (back in early 2005 or so) the situation regarding options was pretty poor and there were very few printers that had accessible waste pads, much less the chip equipped maintenance boxes. So things have changed considerably.

Epson USA - What happened to the IPR utility?

In early 2000 or so, Epson USA made an Ink Pad Reset (IPR) utility that would allow customers of some inkjet models to reset their waste ink counters and allegedly make use of the excess capacity likely to be available in the printers pads. Epson has since removed this utility and all newer versions from their site. The utilities were limited in compatibility and usage so this isn't as big a loss as it might appear.

AdjProg Service Utilities

The rest of the world or those with either old or very new printers have fewer options. Either locate utilities written by third party developers or those intended for service engineers.

The original SSC utility, is now ancient and has almost no utility for all except those with printers more than 17 years old and while it was compatible with what was a wide range of printers it only dealt with those really old printers.

AdjProg Utilities

For quite some time the only way anyone was able to reset waste counters was to use the official service utilities available to sevice centres that had found their way onto the wider web with various protections and limits removed. Use of these utilities was limited to earlier versions of Windows operating system and while these sorts of utilities are still appearing on eBay, etc... for newer models, they still require substantial technical knowledge to use.

WICReset / iWIC

In 2009 came the release of the pay per reset utility called "WICReset" which stands for Waste Ink Counter Reset. This new tool requires the purchase of a digital "key" (basically a credit) which then allows the user to reset the waste ink counter once. The tool started off somewhat shakily in the early years but has matured into an effective tool that is reasonably user friendly.

Worth noting that most of the technical hurdles are related to increased protection systems placed on operating systems, web browsers, etc... 

This tool is the one we now use for all our waste ink needs and we resell the keys as part of our waste kit bundles and individually as well.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

• When do I need to use a Reset Utility?
• The waste counter will need to be reset if your printer is refusing to print and gives the "service required" error

• Did the North American IPR Utility work with any non-American printers?
• The utility did work with a limited number of UK printers (D88, C86) and so far it seems that any models common to the USA will reset (eg: C86).
  Anything with a uniquely European or Australasian model number will not work unfortunately

• Is SSC still in development?
• No... Development completely halted and never restarted.

• What other options are available?
• There is a WIC utility rivalling WICReset but this has a number of malware reports still attached to it that have yet to be resolved. As such we aren't touching it... yet.

• Why are adjustment utilities not recommended? Are they "dangerous"?
• The big problem with the adjustment utilities is that they are very complex and could potentially damage your printer beyond repair.

• What's the worst that could happen though (with AdjProg utilities)?
• Some users have reported trying to use an adjustment utility intended for a close cousin of their own printer. Many have found their printer will no longer respond or use ink cartridges because it has reset to the utilities model number.
  Tip: If you must use an adjustment utility make sure it's the correct model!

• Where can I get these Adjustment Utilities from?
• We no longer support them. We see them on eBay and other sites but can't provide any direct links.

• Do you provide any resetters or adjustment utilities?
• We only support the WICReset utility now.
  
  
• What happens if anything goes wrong?
• Wherever possible we try to help resolve any problems with the WICReset utility/app.

• How do I use the Adjprog utility on Vista?
• This article on our sister site shows you how to setup an Epson Adjustment Utility/Program on Vista so it will work properly
  
  
• Is there a video guide for any of this?
• Yes, we created a screencapture video guide that shows you how to use the adjustment utilities that Epson provides for its service engineers.
  Click here to watch it.