How to reset Epson L561, L563 error A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life

A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life is an error message that appears because the spare part that serves as the waste ink pad is full, and the waste ink pad counter value has reached 100%. Waste ink pad spare parts on Epson printers are generally located at the bottom of the printer machine. This ink pad is in the form of bearing sheets arranged in a container.

When this error occurs, when the printer is turned on, the Paper LED and Ink LED light alternately orange, and the print head does not move. When checking the status of the printer, an error message appears "A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life. Please contact Epson support."

Since the waste ink pad is full, printer repair begins with removing the waste ink pad and replacing it with a new one. It is highly recommended to replace the waste ink pad with a new one, but if a new waste ink pad is not available in the market, the alternative solution is to remove the waste ink pad, clean it, then dry it, and then reinstall it. After the waste ink pad replacement is complete, the repair continues by resetting the waste ink pad counter value.

To reset the value of the waste ink pad counter, a portable utility device called the Epson Adjustment Program is used. This utility tool works on Windows Operating System (11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP) and this software can be used if the printer is connected to a computer with a USB cable (do not use a wireless connection). After the waste ink pad counter value has been reset to zero, the printer repair has been completed. The following is a complete discussion on how to fix an Epson printer with an error "A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life. Please contact Epson support."

1.  Replacing the waste ink pad

When the waste ink pad is full, the error message "A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life" appears, all you have to do is replace the waste ink pad. The waste ink pad is located at the bottom of the printer. Here's how to replace the waste ink pad.

• Remove the screw on the back of the printer.

• Swipe right Waste ink pad assy then drag down.

• Replace the ink pad with a new one.

• It is highly recommended to replace the waste ink pad with a new one. If a new waste ink pad is not available in the market, an alternative solution is to clean the waste ink pad, dry it and then reinstall it.
• After the waste ink pad has been replaced, we will next reset the Waste Ink Pad Counter to zero. To reset the waste ink pad counter, use the Epson Adjustment Program portable software. This software can be used on Windows Operating system and the printer is connected to the computer with a USB cable (not Wireless).

2.  Reset the waste ink pad counter

• Adjustment Program can be used on computers running Windows operating system (11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP).
• Connect printer to computer with USB cable (don't use Wireless connection)
• Download Adjustment Program Epson L561/L563
Extract the file, then open AdjProg (1) - Select (2) - Model Name: L561/L563 (3) - Port: select USB port Epson L561, L563 / Auto selection (4) - OK (5) - Particular adjustment mode (6).

• Waste ink pad counter (7) - OK (8)

• To find out the value of the waste ink pad counter before resetting, check the Main pad counter, Platen pad counter (9) - Check (10). Wait a moment, the Main and Platen ink pad counter value will appear on the screen. If the Main and Platen ink pad counter value is equal to 100% or close to 100%, the Main and Platen ink pad counter must be reset.

• Check the Main pad counter, Platen pad counter (11) - Initialize (12) to reset Main and Platen ink pad counter to zero. Wait a while, Main and Platen ink pad counter will reset to zero. Follow all the instructions that appear on the screen to completion, such as; turn off the printer and turn it back on. After all the instructions that appear on the screen are completed, press Finish (13) then close the Adjustment Program. Done.

Questions and Answers

Q: There is an error "A printer's ink pad is at the end of its service life" on my printer. If the waste ink pad counter is reset, but the waste ink pad is not replaced or cleaned. Can the printer return to normal?

A: Because the waste ink pad counter has been reset, the printer can be reused, but because the waste ink pad is not replaced or cleaned, in the near future, the waste ink will overflow from the printer because the waste ink pad can no longer hold the waste ink. Resetting the waste ink pad counter becomes effective if the waste ink pad is replaced with a new one.

Q: Error Code: 20000xxx when using the Adjustment Program. What to do?

A: Communication error! Error Code: 20000xxx occurs because the printer is not ready to accept commands from the Adjustment Program because it is still busy processing the previous command.

So when the printer receives the command example Main pad counter - Check, the power light will blink for about 60 seconds. The printer can process the next command example Main pad counter - Initialization after 60 seconds have passed. Communication error! Error Code: 20000xxx occurs because the second command "Main pad counter -> Initialization" is done while the printer is still processing the previous command. So wait for the power light to stop flashing, then run the next command.

When there is damage to the Epson printer and requires replacement of spare parts, after the damaged parts are replaced, then use the Adjustment Program to reset the printer so that it can work optimally with new spare parts. If you are having trouble repairing a faulty printer yourself, we recommend contacting an Epson Authorized Customer Service Center.