Some Epson printers are programmed to eventually become automatic

Printers are still one of the most frustrating pieces of consumer electronics, but it turns out that thirst for expensive ink and sometimes choking and choking on paper aren’t the biggest challenges of using an Epson printer. as such Discover some usersthe device may be Programmed to simply stop working one dayif used frequently.

The phrase “planned obsolescence” is often thrown around with consumer electronics, as a practical measuree where the product is specifically designed and built with a limited lifespan that needs to be upgraded or replaced in just a few years. Most companies deny using this approach, or will cite very specific but questionable reasons why this is necessary, such as Mark Havena writer and lecturer at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, recently discovered.

Haven recently moved to Twitter For sharing a frustrating experience with their wives’ “expensive @EpsonAmerica printer” which, apparently, displayed a warning message that it “has reached the end of its service life.” Then It simply stopped working, requiring either a service to bring it back from the dead, or to replace it entirely.

So what is the problem with the printer? dead engine? defective circuit board? no. The error message was related to porous pads inside the printer that collect excess ink and contain excess ink. these wear out over time, Which leads to potential risks of property damage from ink spillage, or even damage to the printer itself. usually, Other components in the printer wear out before these pads do, or consumers upgrade to a better model after a few years, but some high-volume users may end up receiving this error message while the rest of the printer looks perfectly fine and usable.

according to The fight for reform Substack, the self-build issue affects Epson L130, L220, L310, L360, and L365 models, but it may affect other models as well, going back at least five years. Already there Videos on YouTube Show Other Epson users replace these ink pads manually to bring their printers back to life. Company offers Ink Pad Reset Utility for Windows only This will extend the life of the printer for a short period of time, but it can only be used once, and then, The device will either need to be officially serviced or completely replaced.

A few years ago, Epson released its EcoTank line of printers, Specifically designed to tackle the extremely high cost of replacing inkjet cartridges for color inkjet printers. The printers feature large ink tanks that can be easily refilled with cheaper ink bottles, and while Epson’s EcoTank printers were more expensive as a result, in the long run they will be cheaper to run, especially for those who print a lot of color photos. But that assumes they actually keep working The long-term. Videos of users manually replacing the ink pads of their Epson printers seem to suggest that the company can redesign the hardware to make this part user-friendly, This greatly extends the life of the devices. But as it stands, the company’s dissolution has risks Contribute to the ever-growing problem of e-waste and forcing consumers to search for new devices long before they need to.

We’ve reached out to Epson for comment on this post and specifically asked the company about models affected by this limitation. We have also asked whether Maintenance is covered by the printer’s warranty, and what the cost might be if not, and we’ll update this story when we hear back.