Epson Workforce 4540 Refillable Questions

[nowhere]

Thanks ... good to know. You must know by now we yanks have no patience or attention span and are unable to wait for an answer. These refillables are a product/service combination where a knowledgeable vendor makes all the difference. The vendor I used was willing to refund and sent replacement carts but had no technical knowledge or helpful suggestions. I sent them a link to this thread. And their ink is working well.

Now that I have things working, is there an advantage to using a different cartridge? I purchased this printer to use these refillable carts. I am "thrifty" but considering the printers lifespan a set of good carts is a small price. I have a 2 year extended warranty and I still use a laser printer I purchased well over 10 years ago.

 

[mikling]

Firmware could be part of the problem. When it comes to chips/programming and firmware, nothing is easy.
Epson is mastering the art of messing with firmware and pretty much have perfected the routine.
Canon is one generation back and is learning the ropes.Ask Hat about his printer post service center.

Electronic chips remain the number one support issue in the aftermarket. When software has bugs we accept it. Welcome to the new normal because printers are now becoming like software applications. Just understand that. The chip has to play inside the printer OS....which is undocumented. Now imagine the OS continually changing like Epson does. How is that application/chip going to ft. What kind of technical help can software people give when there is a bug...there is an analogy. Now also think when OS changes are made to ensure that the aftermarket chip/ application do not work. Who is to blame.

Just understand that chips and printers are becoming increasingly more complicated.

 

[nowhere]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm aware of Epson's contest with its customers and we have all pledged to refrain from upgrading firmware. Because yellow almost always worked & magenta often did, I figured F/W wasn't the issue.

I noted the chip position but my vendor had little to suggest. When the replacement black didn't work, I simply pushed the cart further in with the door open. tripped the door switch with a pen and it was now recognized. I had a pretty good range. The vendor encouraged me but offered little direction. I then pried the chip from the cartridge, filed the lead edge and re-tried. It took 4 attempts to file enough. You can see how close to the contacts I needed to get. For the second cart a used a nipper and trimmed about half to get it working.

 

[Leonardjohn]

Thank you, Hat
Leonard

 

[nowhere]

The Workforce 4540 continues to function well but my surgically enhanced cartridges quit mid job last Sunday. Several perfect 2 page prints followed by “cartridges not recognized.” All 4! I couldn't accomplish a quick fix so I used the 4 OEM starter carts to complete the printing.

I worked on and off all evening but couldn't get all 4 recognized or make any of the 3 color carts work with OEMs. Not even yellow that worked so well originally and was never modified. The black cart that wouldn't work originally and I made substantial modification to did work with 3 OEMs. Enough!

I ordered a new set from Leonardjohn. All 4 cartridges worked first time and every time in any order or combination even mixed with OEMs. I tested 1 before filling and it was recognized without complaint.

Many thanks Leonard.

PS: I sent an email to the original vendor simply asking for suggestions. No reply.

 

[The Hat]

@nowhere, it’s nice when a plan comes together, congratulations..

 

[ghwellsjr]

I'm curious: How often do you have to refill your cartridges?

 

[nowhere]

I got my first set working in late May and used about half the black and a little less of the colors to the point when they failed this month. I haven't checked the page count, don't yet know where to look.

 

[ghwellsjr]

So on average your cartridges are lasting about a year. Same for me. I can't see the benefit in refilling. Why don't you buy some empty cartridges from eBay and recycle them at Staples and get OEM cartridges for very low cost?

 

[nowhere]

I'm open to anything that that gives value, quality and simplicity. Even OEM in a pinch. Can we run the numbers together? Cost per image concerns me more than how long the cartridges last. Does anyone know how to pull image counts off Epson WP printers?

Leonard sells Epson pigment ink refill kits - 4 x 3.5oz/100ml for $59 or $99 with cartridges delivered. What is the net cost of Staples OEM after discount for 4 standard and XL carts? Do you know the capacity of each?