Resetting your Epson printer

Resetting your Epson printer

Modern Epson printers have built in software / firmware that counts the prints that you do and each model has a set limit that will generate messages, saying something like “your printer requires maintenance”. These messages will continue unless you reset the ‘Protection Counter’, this period is called the ‘Overflow’. Each model also has a set amount of prints allowed on the Overflow, after which your printer will stop working and lock you out completely, usually with two alternating flashing lights on the printer.

You can unlock it, reset the overflow and reset the protection counter, bringing your printer back to life.

The reason for having to do this according to Epson, is that your Ink Pad is full and needs replacing. I had an Epson C86 printer reset under warranty by an Epson dealer and the ink pad was not replaced. This means that, all you really need to save your printer is the resetting software.

Resetting your Epson printer

How to use the software

Installing and opening the software ( SSC Service Utility ):

Install Software ( ssc service utility ) by double clicking on the ‘Set Up’ file or ‘sscserve.exe’ you downloaded (first unpack / unzip it if required).

When Installed, Click on the [Start Button] on your computer desktop, then click on [Program Files] or [Programs] and select SSC Service Utility from the list, this will open the program. If you chose to have a desktop shortcut when you installed the program, click this to start the program.

Click on the [Configuration] tab and select your printer from both the [Installed Printers] and [Printer Models] lists.

Please Note: Some models are listed with an ‘x’ in the model number, this means that the ‘x’ can be a variety of numbers, for example, if you had an Epson C44 printer the selection for you would be the one that looks like this ‘C4x’. This is because the selection is the same for the C42, C44 & C46 printers.

Also for R265 users, your printer isn’t listed so select the R270 with this version (v4.3) until a newer version is available, I’ve been told this works. Now close the program and it will continue to run in your Task Bar on your computer desktop (Blue bar at the bottom of your computer screen).

This utility also has other features such as separate colour cleaning and deep cleaning. Beware of the deep cleaning, this is for very bad clogging on the heads through prolonged lack of use and uses nearly half a cartridge of ink from all colours to clear the blockages. These other utilities are only available to some Epson printer models.

You can also carry out your nozzle checks and other normal utility functions using this software. Use it separately to your normal Epson printer software and close the program from the taskbar once you have finished with the utility.

The program will normally shut off when you shut your computer down and will not run again unless selected from your programs list.

Resetting your Epson printer

Soft Reset:

Some printers are designed to stand alone as well as work with a computer, therefore they have 2 different software programs controlling them, 1 within and 1 from the computer. This can sometimes throw up a continuous problem or rejection when an error occurs. Control from the computer is always the best form of printer control as there is so much more you can do with the diversity of the computer as opposed to the set built in software in the printer.

So when a cartridge circuit fails, your printer will recognise this and tell you of a problem. Unfortunately, printers don’t have the extra facility of ‘error message clearing’ and may keep showing the same error from that point on unless the printer ‘firmware’ is reset in some way.

With the service utility, there are extra functions that can be used for full control of your printer, depending on the model and level of support supplied for that model. One such useful tool is ‘Soft Reset’, this will reset anything in the printer ‘buffer’ (storage area) and the built in software (firmware). This will normally set your printer back to its default settings.

To find Soft Reset, click the right mouse button on the SSC Service Utility icon which will be running in the blue task bar at the bottom of your desktop screen, then select ‘Extra’. There you’ll find ‘Soft Reset’.

More to read: Gowerton History Programme

Scroll to Top