Is your Epson printer not printing after changing ink? This is a common issue that still baffles many people. But you don't have to worry, we're covering the A to Z reasons and solutions for your Epson printer issue.
What Causes My Epson Printer Not Printing After Changing Ink?
So, you have changed the ink cartridge on your printer. But it still refuses to print and gives you an error message. Of course, you need to know what the culprit is.
You will be surprised to know how many reasons your Epson printer has to halt printing operations. And the reasons caused by their ink and cartridges take up most of them. But first, you need to understand why your printer acts that way.
The design in most Epson printers is to have the cartridge protection active. This system will halt the printer when a cartridge is low in ink. It's a gross misconception to think it's only active when the cartridge has no ink left.
You also may see an ink replacement issue when you're not using an OEM cartridge. The printer won't recognize the cartridge and will continue to read the ink inside as empty.
Sometimes the notification errors tell you why the printer is on halt. You may see messages such as printing errors due to the ink not being recognized. Most users see this message after changing the cartridge.
Unfortunately, this means you need to do some guesswork to decide what causes the issue. Again, the problem can be a hardware or a software one. At any rate, you need to resolve the problem soon so you can print again.
Easy Troubleshooting
If you can see the ink check warning on your screen, you can send the command to do a cartridge replacement check from your PC. You can go to the Epson software, choose maintenance and click on ink check.
But if you don't, you can do it directly from your printer. Some models may require you to send the maintenance command first through the screen before opening the cover.
Step by Step How to Check Your Ink
1. Make sure that your printer is turned on when you open the cover, in some models, this means the scanner cover.
This action will bring the cartridges to the center. You can see if you misplaced any of the cartridges.
2. To double-check, you can lift the cartridges one by one.
Give it a gentle shake before returning them to the printer. Make sure that you hear the click when you place the cartridges.
3. As you lift each cartridge, you can check if it still has yellow tape.
If the protective tape is still intact, the printer can't read any data from the cartridge. You need to remove this tape before placing the cartridge back.
4. Another thing you need to make sure of is you don't touch the printer's head directly.
The head is a highly sensitive area that also works as the heart of your printer. Your finger can have specks of dust or other particles affecting the printer.
5. Check your cartridge for authenticity.
Some stores carry fake cartridges and sell them at the same price.
Sometimes, it's your PC not recognizing your printer. To solve this issue, you can reinstall the printer's driver with the companion software.
How to keep your Epson printer in good condition?
Regular maintenance is the only way to keep your Epson printers in shape. Of course, it depends on the printer model and how often you're using it. Please don't wait until your printer started having problems like smudging ink or drying ink in your printer. Not only will it become a lot harder to clean up, it may cost you more money and time, it will be a lot of headache too.
Families or businesses that use the printer daily need to do the maintenance more often. If you are one of them, you should schedule weekly maintenance for your printer.
This regular maintenance covers easy checking such as printing alignment and nozzle check. The test result will tell you if you need to adjust the nozzle or tinker with alignment. And of course, the necessary head cleaning.
Like most printers, Epson has regular and deep cleaning for their printer maintenance. You only need a deep cleaning when your printer shows a horrendous patchy print result. For the weekly maintenance, a regular head cleaning is enough.
A lot of people think that maintenance is a waste of ink. It is time to stop this wrongful conviction. In the long run, regular maintenance is cheaper than constantly fixing the printer's problems.
You also can keep an eye out for any software updates. It's easy to miss the update when your printer has been working fine. That is why you should turn on the automatic update on Epson's software.
Is Epson a Good Printer to Have?
Many people like having an Epson printer for various reasons. While others prefer other brands and models. Eventually, it's about personal preferences.
Most users will choose a printer based on familiarity. They will buy any printer that they have used before, disregarding price. Still, some people may choose to experiment and get a new one they never had before.
Before you buy any printer, you should consider usage frequency and maintenance cost. Some printers may be affordable, but their cartridges and other components can be costly. In the long run, they may not be as cheap as they should be.
All printer is a good printer. It's all about you as the user and how you maintain your printers. The initial price you pay won't matter when you never take care of the printer.
Conclusion
To reiterate, many reasons for your Epson may not recognize the ink level. One of the most common issues is faulty cartridges. However, obsolete software and bad maintenance also can cause the same issues.
Sometimes, resetting the printer solves the problem. But some other times, you need to do extra steps to get your printer to work again.
Next time your Epson printer not printing after changing ink, you can open the cover and adjust the cartridges. Then do a test run to see if the printer recognizes the new cartridge. And now you won't skip having regular maintenance for your printer ever again.
