How to Reset Epson Ink Cartridge Chip Without Resetter?

Are you looking at how to reset Epson ink cartridge chip without resetter? Let me share with you the exact steps on how you can do it quickly.

Your printer might say that your ink cartridge is empty when you know it isn’t. If you recently refilled it, and your printer detects that it’s empty, you need to reset its chip.

We have found the exact steps that will get you to reset it in under 10 minutes.

Let me show you how!

To reset the cartridge chip, first, switch off your Epson printer. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to remove the cartridge and look for the cartridge chip. Locate the pinhole and use a paper clip to discharge it properly. Alternatively, you can also try swapping out the cartridge chips.

Before we move on to the actual steps of the process, here are some important considerations you need to know.

Reset Epson Cartridge Without Resetter

You’ll need to reset your Epson cartridge if it keeps warning your cartridge is empty even if you just refilled it.

Usually, when it says it’s empty, it still has ink left you can use for the reset.

1. Monitor Ink Levels

Some ink cartridges will notify you to replace it with still 30 to 40 percent ink level. You should know how to reset the cartridge if you want accurate ink levels.

2. Chips are Specific to Your Cartridge

Large printer companies use chips with a unique code for every cartridge. The chip will alert your printer if it’s low on ink.

3. Reset the Chip’s Memory

A memory chip tells the Epson printer how much ink is left in the cartridge. Reset it if it still thinks there is no ink after refilling the cartridge.

4. Contains Cartridge Information

The chip stores information and sends it to the machine when requested. It contains the cartridge part number, yield, and region.

Resetting your Epson cartridge without a resetter is like clearing the memory.

Now that you know everything you need about the cartridge chip, let us proceed to the actual steps of the reset.

How to Reset Epson Ink Cartridge Chip Without Resetter

Each Epson cartridge has a memory chip that notifies your printer of the ink levels. When it says empty, even if it’s not, you need to reset Epson ink cartridge.

Of course, the quickest way would be to use a chip resetter tool. However, if you don’t have it, there’s a manual way of resetting your Epson cartridge chips.

All you need to do is follow the steps below so you can do it properly.

Step #1: Switch Off and Unplug Your Epson Printer

If your printer does not recognize the ink levels on a full cartridge, you’re going to need to reset its chip.

The quickest way to do that would be to switch off your Epson printer and unplug it from the wall outlet.

This should discharge all power from your printer, including the chips. Doing this will allow your printer to perform a rescan once it powers back up.

Here’s how to reset your chip by turning off your printer:

1. Press your printer’s Power button to turn it off.
2. Unplug your printer from the power outlet.
3. Wait for at least 5 minutes.
4. Plug your printer into the power outlet and turn it on.
5. Check your ink levels if it’s reset.

Note: This is a quick first step to follow, but it’s not the most reliable one.

We recommend moving on to the next steps if turning your printer off does not work.

Step #2: Remove the Ink Cartridge from the Epson Printer

Whenever you want to reset your ink cartridge chip, the first thing you want to do is take it out of the printer.

Usually, there are not a lot of steps when it comes to taking your empty ink cartridge. However, for Epson printers, there’s a procedure you need to follow so you don’t damage the cartridge and the printer.

Before you take out the cartridge, make sure you have a replacement ready. It doesn’t need to be new, but you’ll need to fill up the cartridge slot immediately.

This should prevent the print head nozzle from drying up and causing further issues.

Here’s how to remove the cartridge from the printer.

1. Switch on your printer.
2. Lift the top of your printer to expose the cartridge bay.
3. Press the Stop button until the print head moves to the center.
4. Gently pull the tab and lift the cartridge straight up.

Tip: Do not force the print head to move, as it can cause damage to your printer.

Step #3: Locate the Chip on Your Printer Cartridge

Now that you have better access to your Epson printer cartridge, you’re going to want to find its chip.

You’ll usually find it at the back of the cartridge on the side where it comes in contact with the cartridge bay.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to locate as you’ll instantly know the typical circuit board look with gold contacts.

You’re looking for the cartridge’s pinhole and contacts so you can proceed to the next steps and reset it.

Here’s how to locate the chip on your Epson printer cartridge:

1. Check all sides of your Epson cartridge.
2. Look for the chip on the rear or underside of the cartridge.
3. Locate the pinholes at the bottom of the chip.

Note: You want to take note if your particular cartridge comes with one or two pinholes so you can prepare the necessary tools.

Step #4: Prepare Your Tools

If you don’t have a chip resetter tool, you’re going to need to improvise. The best tool you can use to reset your cartridge chip is a paper clip.

You can also use a SIM eject tool or a pin. You want to make sure that it should fit into the holes so you can successfully reset the chip.

The tool you want to use also needs to be made of metal. You need to discharge the chip completely so it can properly reset.

Here’s how to prepare your resetting tools:

1. Figure out the number of pinholes on your cartridge chip.
2. Get one or two paper clips, depending on the pinholes.
3. Straighten the paper clips so that they can go inside the pinholes.
4. Alternatively, you can use a SIM eject tool or a safety pin.

Note: You’ll need at least an inch or two of a straight metal piece so you can insert it into the hole found in the chip.

Step #5: Reset Your Cartridge

It’s time to reset your ink cartridge. Now that you have everything ready, you can perform the reset process.

Your printer can misread the information on the chip, and resetting it ensures that your printer knows the correct ink levels on your cartridge.

Here’s how to reset the ink cartridge:

1. Grab the tools you prepared.
2. Insert the end of the paper clip into the hole.
3. Press down softly, so the paper clip is flush with the metal contact.
4. Hold for at least 10 seconds.
5. Remove the paper clip.

Note: You can now put your cartridge back in the printer and check whether the chip is successfully reset.

Alternate Method: Swap Your Cartridge Chips

If the paper clip or pin method does not work, there’s an alternative.

It does require a bit of work, and it should trick your printer to rescan the chips and report the real ink levels on your cartridge.

Here’s how to swap cartridge chips:

1. Get the ink cartridge you want to reset and another one that your printer recognizes.
2. Use a blade, and pop out chips from both cartridges.
3. Swap the chips, and they should lock back into place.
4. Place both cartridges back into the printer and wait for them to get recognized.
5. Once done, swap the chips back into their original cartridge.

Pro Tip: Make sure that you remember which chip goes into which cartridge to reset the malfunctioning chip successfully.

There you go! That’s how to reset an ink cartridge without utilizing the resetting tool. The steps are simple, and you don’t need any fancy equipment to get it done.

If your printer is still having a hard time recognizing the ink levels on your cartridges, you can contact Epson customer support for assistance.

Read Next: Epson WF-7620 Print Head Cleaning Not Working?

Bottom Line

How to reset Epson ink cartridge chip without resetter? Now that you know how to do it, you should be able to deal with any chip issues you will encounter.

This is a fairly common issue you’ll face with Epson printers, but it’s easy to fix if you know the exact steps to follow.