Printer maker Epson appears to have programmed some of its inkjet printer models to "stop working" at a predetermined time, citing the risk of damage from "spilled inks", reports the Fight to Repair.
Epson printer owners have complained that their printers have suddenly stopped working, displaying a message error indicating that a printer component has “reached the end of its life” and that the device must be repaired.
According to Epson's website, the message is linked toissues ink pads, which Epson describes as “porous pads in the printer that collect, distribute and contain unused ink.” Over time, these pads become filled with ink.
“Like many other products, all Epson consumer ink jet products have a finite lifespan due to wear and tear of components during normal use...The printers are designed to stop working at the point where continued use without replacement of the ink pads could create risks for property damage from ink leaks or issues better safetys related to excess ink that may come into contact with an electrical component,” the company says on its website.
However, instead of measuring the saturation of the ink pads to determine when this will occur, Epson has programmed a counter into its printers that turns off the device when a threshold is reached.
For printer owners using Windows, Epson creates a reset utility that can reset the counter, although it can only be used once and will allow printing for a short period of time. space".
For Windows users who have already run the reset utility once, Epson urges that they repair their printer at an authorized Epson service shop or — preferably — replace the printer with a new one.
"Repair may not be a cost-effective option for lower-cost printers because other components may also be nearing the end of their life," the company says.
Some legal experts say that Epson's hard coding of end-of-life into its printers could be illegal — a flagrant example of "deceptive trade practices" unless it clearly discloses the existence of the planned end-of-life to consumers before purchase.
Fight to Repair reports that Epson is “pushing its customers to throw away their printers simply because some sponges are full of ink.
"In doing so, the company is fueling the e-waste epidemic and forcing customers into an expensive and (as it turns out) unnecessary upgrade."
There are ways to restore with a combination of buttons on the printer (depending on the model, I do this) or with a program, in addition it may be necessary to empty the container with the sponges that collect the ink (when they are full due to cleaning the head or the dynamic washing that is needed to do, then you have to press it with the sponges until the ink they have retained goes away). Search e.g. How to Reset Epson