How long should the recovery / setup take?

For most Epson Printer Problems Consumer cases, allow 15-45 minutes the first time. Repeats are usually under 10 minutes once you know the menu path.

Will this exact procedure work on every Epson model?

The procedure reflects current Epson behaviour. Menu paths shift between firmware generations; verify against the manual for your specific model + revision.

Is the procedure safe in production / live use?

Apply during a maintenance window where possible. Capture pre-change state. Epson doesn't usually publish rollback procedures, so make sure you can restore manually.

Does this affect my Epson warranty?

Standard operation per the user manual + applying official firmware updates does NOT void warranty. Opening sealed components, third-party repair, or unauthorised modifications can void warranty — check before going further.

Printer Problems Consumer

How to reset Canon PIXMA waste ink counter on Epson

By Sai Kiran Pandrala · reviewed by Sai Kiran Pandrala, Editor Last verified: 2026-05-30

The Canon PIXMA waste-ink counter is the bane of every entry-level inkjet owner in India. The pad inside the unit fills up after roughly 5,000-7,000 pages and Canon's firmware locks the printer with a 5B00, 1700, or 1701 error. The fix is either a ₹2,500 service-centre visit or a 12-minute home reset with the Service Tool. I do roughly 20 of these resets a month at my shop. The economics are obvious: but the procedure on a Epson unit isn't identical to a PIXMA, so I split the guidance below.

Important: this guide covers waste-ink counter reset across Epson entry inkjets, not just Canon PIXMA. Many Epson units share the design (an internal absorber pad with a software counter). If your Epson model lacks an internal pad and instead uses a serviceable maintenance box, this is not the procedure you want, replace the box instead.

Confirm the error code first

Read the error code shown on the Epson panel or the host computer. The waste-ink lock fires as 5B00, 1700, 1701, or "Service Required - 5B" on Canon PIXMA. On Epson equivalents, it surfaces as a Service / Maintenance error with a different code. check the user manual.
Do NOT skip this step. If the unit is locked out for a different reason (e.g. print-head failure, encoder strip dirty), the waste-ink reset will not unlock it and you'll waste 20 minutes.
If the code is genuinely the waste-ink absorber lock, proceed.

Enter service mode

Power the Epson unit OFF.
Hold the Stop / Reset button. While holding it, press and hold the Power button.
Keep holding Power and release Stop. Press Stop five times (some Epson models want six, confirm against the model service manual).
Release both buttons. The printer should boot into service mode: the panel display will be blank or show a single dot.

Run the Service Tool

On a Windows PC, run the Epson-compatible Service Tool (v3.400 or later for Canon PIXMA; equivalent for other Epson models).
Connect the printer to the PC via USB-B. Wireless does not work for this, the Service Tool needs a direct USB control channel.
In the Service Tool, select "Clear Ink Counter" > Main Absorber, click Set.
Repeat for "Platen Absorber" if your Epson model has one. The Service Tool will return "A function finished" on success.
Click "EEPROM Print" to confirm the counter is back at 0%. Save the printout for the customer record.

Exit service mode + verify

Power the Epson unit OFF. Wait 10 seconds. Power back ON normally.
The error should be gone. Print a test page.
Tell the customer the reset is a software fix only. the physical absorber pad is still saturated. If they print another 5,000-7,000 pages, the firmware will lock again. At some point the pad must be physically replaced or the unit replaced.
For commercial customers, I recommend upgrading to a unit with a serviceable maintenance box. Cheaper long-term, fewer service visits.

A 22-month-old PIXMA, 7,300 pages, and a school principal

April 2024. A Epson unit (Canon PIXMA equivalent) walked into my shop with a 5B00 error. The customer was a school principal who'd printed 7,300 exam papers in 22 months. Canon's authorised centre quoted ₹2,500 + GST + a 7-day wait. I quoted ₹600 cash, 15 minutes. He took the 15 minutes. I ran the Service Tool, reset the absorber counter, printed an EEPROM page showing 0%, gave him the page as proof. He came back two weeks later with three more Epson units from the staffroom. Word of mouth on this kind of fix moves fast in school-admin circles.

Waste-ink reset costs (June 2026)

Item	Source	Price (INR)	Price (USD)
Epson-compatible Service Tool (v3.400+)	Vendor portal / archive	Free	Free
USB-B cable	Local / Amazon IN	₹120	$1.50
OEM service-centre quote (for comparison)	Authorised centre	₹2,500-₹3,200	$30-$38
Print-shop self-service charge (mine)	,	₹500-₹800	$6-$10
Physical absorber pad replacement (when reset is no longer enough)	Spare parts dealer	₹1,200-₹1,800	$15-$22

Epson quirk to remember

Epson EcoTank panels lie about ink level for the first 200 pages after a refill: reset the chip via Maintenance > Ink Level Reset or the gauge stays stuck at 30%.

Network notes (if the unit lives on a Cisco-managed LAN)

Half my repeat customers run their Epson unit behind a Cisco Catalyst access switch (often a 2960-X or a CBS350 in a co-working space). When the printer "just stops" on a Monday morning, nine times out of ten the trouble is on the switch, not the printer. The checks I run from Putty or SecureCRT, in order:

show interfaces status | include <printer-port>, confirm the link is up and the speed is what the printer NIC negotiated. Epson units sometimes refuse to negotiate gigabit on cheap Cat5e cabling and fall to 100 Mbps half-duplex. That alone breaks IPP.
show mac address-table | include <printer-mac>. confirm the printer's MAC is learnt on the expected VLAN. After a switch reboot the MAC sometimes lands on the wrong VLAN if the access port is mis-tagged.
show logging | include LINEPROTO, look for %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/12 changed state flapping. If you see more than two transitions an hour, replace the patch cable.
show ip dhcp binding | include <printer-mac>: confirm the printer has the DHCP-assigned IP it expects. A stale binding will silently break Bonjour discovery for AirPrint and Mopria.
For a corporate site running Cisco DNA Center, the printer's policy assignment is visible under Provision > Network Devices > the access switch > the access port. Push a re-provision if the port is in "Failed" state.

For wireless: I keep Wireshark open on a laptop on the same SSID. A 30-second mDNS capture (filter mdns) tells me whether the Epson unit is broadcasting and the iPhone / Android is hearing it. If the printer is broadcasting and the client isn't hearing, the AP has client isolation on. Fix the AP.

India context, vendors, GeM, Redington

Where I source Epson consumables and spares matters as much as the technique. The three reliable channels in 2026:

GeM portal (gem.gov.in). for government and school customers, all consumables flow through GeM. Lead times are 4-9 days but pricing is fixed and there's no counterfeit risk.
Redington, for trade customers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai. I order through their reseller portal. Lead time 1-2 days, pricing 8-12% below MRP for trade.
ESS Bengaluru: for hardware spares (transfer rollers, fuser films, encoder strips). Walk-in dealer near Brigade Road. Cash counter. No tax invoice unless you ask.
Amazon Business IN, for emergency same-day. Pricing is full MRP and Prime shipping is sometimes slower than promised, but for a job that has to ship today it's the right channel.
Local grey-market repair markets (SP Road in Bengaluru, Lamington Road in Mumbai). for older / discontinued spares. Quality varies. Always carry a working spare for comparison.

Closing notes from the bench

The Epson family rewards patience. The driver UI hides the real controls under three or four menu jumps that change between firmware generations. The on-device service menu is more stable but the entry sequence varies even within a single product line. Keep a cheat-sheet. Keep a Wireshark capture on hand for the days when the trouble is the network and not the printer. Keep a small bench of demo Epson units at different firmware levels so you can confirm the menu path before you walk into a customer's home or office.

Two more habits that save me hours every month. First, I log every Epson job in a single Google Sheet: customer name, model, serial, firmware version, what broke, what I did, what it cost. Second, I keep a printed copy of the Epson service manual in a binder at the counter. PDFs are fine for search; print is fine for triage when the office Wi-Fi is the thing that just died.

If you're a homeowner reading this, the short version: most Epson consumer-printer trouble is fixed in 15 minutes by someone who has done it before. The Epson authorised centre will quote you ₹2,000+ and a 7-day turnaround. A neighbourhood tech with the right cheat-sheet will do it for ₹600 in 30 minutes. Pick the channel that fits your time, your warranty status, and your tolerance for downtime.

I'll keep updating this guide as Epson firmware evolves. Bookmark it. Bring your unit by the shop if you're in Bengaluru. WhatsApp me if you want the cheat-sheet PDF for your specific model. I keep a folder of them organised by series.

Related guides worth a look while you sort this one out: