InkjetMall.com Instructions:
What is a Chip? Rev 09/15/2015
All of our cartridges come with pre-attached reset chips with the exception of the Epson 3800, 3880, and P800 (forthcoming) which come with a Controller Chip. These three model printers require the end-user to supply an OEM chip to place under the Controller Chip. All of our other cartridges that come with pre-attached reset chips are ready to be filled. Here is what you need to know about chips.
When we first began formulating and selling alternative inks into Epson printers, their cartridges did not have chips. The cartridges had an internal bag that deflated and a plastic protrusion attached to the bag would eventually break contact with a sensor inside the printer indicating that the cart needed to be replaced. The major complaint from users over this method was that about 15% of the ink supply was still trapped within the cartridge and it was unusable.
Epson introduced Intellichip cartridges which used an attached chip to monitor the ink supply. After “Ink Low” alert, the printer can continue to print normally until all usable ink in the cartridge is consumed and noted with an “Ink Out” notice. This “Ink Out” notice is triggered by a second method – a physical sensor in the cartridge – not an estimated amount. The sensor triggers when ink volume has declined to the point that further use could cause harm to the print head. The amount of ink remaining in the cartridge that is unuseable is about 15%. We are not certain if Epson is communicating that the cartridge should be emptier than it is or whether cartridges that have 15% ink trapped inside are faulty and can be repaired by the end-user. But, it is a considerable amount of ink waste where these printers are already known to expurge about 25-35% of ink in routine maintenance.
We do not recommend that you reset an Epson OEM cartridge when this occurs. We recommend that you transfer the contents of these cartridges into PP bottles for reuse at a later time, or directly into refillable cartridges.
The Intellichip as well as the chips that InkjetMall provides are not actually connected to the ink supply within a cartridge. When you first purchase an Epson cart or an empty InkjetMall refillable cart - the chip reads that the cart is 100% full. Obviously, the refillable cart is empty. It is your responsibility to fill it. The Epson cart is obviously full when you purchase it. But, in both instances the chip is reading 100% full.
How the chip monitors ink levels is actually a function of the printer counting ink drops during printing and the amount of ink that is wasted in routine maintenance and bleed printing. The printer keeps track of the amount of ink consumed and writes back to the chip what % of full it is. You can remove the cartridge and the amount of % of full is retained by the chip. When it is re-inserted, the amount if displayed on the printers LCD display or / and the Epson Status Monitor. Epson believes that there is an amount of ink that is safely useable. And there is an amount of ink that must remain in the cartridge so that the print head is not harmed in case of the cartridge running empty. This may have to do with manufacturing quality control of both chips and the amount of ink that is filled into an OEM cartridge. Possibly it is as a result of the Epson Status Monitor. In any event, the chip will read empty and there will still be a volume of ink in both the OEM cart and the refillable cart.
This means that if you do not fully fill a refillable cartridge, the chip will not be able to accurately display the % of ink remaining in the cartridge and may harm the print head if the cartridge pre-maturely empties. We think that 15% remaining is the safest amount of ink to allow the cartridge to reduce to. Epson is able to stop the printer from functioning when this amount is reached. But, with a refillable cartridge it is easy for the end-user to confuse the printer by prematurely filling a cart before its "auto-reset" function is enabled, or by forgetting to rest the chip of those refillable carts that do not auto-reset. It is critical that the end-user fill and monitor their refillable cartridges correctly.
We offer different types of cartridges that use different types of chips. You can read about how these function in each of the instruction sheets for each of our models. Most either auto-reset, or and can be reset manually.
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Epson introduced Intellichip cartridges which used an attached chip to monitor the ink supply. After “Ink Low” alert, the printer can continue to print normally until all usable ink in the cartridge is consumed and noted with an “Ink Out” notice. This “Ink Out” notice is triggered by a second method – a physical sensor in the cartridge – not an estimated amount. The sensor triggers when ink volume has declined to the point that further use could cause harm to the print head. The amount of ink remaining in the cartridge that is unuseable is about 15%. We are not certain if Epson is communicating that the cartridge should be emptier than it is or whether cartridges that have 15% ink trapped inside are faulty and can be repaired by the end-user. But, it is a considerable amount of ink waste where these printers are already known to expurge about 25-35% of ink in routine maintenance.
How the chip monitors ink levels is actually a function of the printer counting ink drops during printing and the amount of ink that is wasted in routine maintenance and bleed printing. The printer keeps track of the amount of ink consumed and writes back to the chip what % of full it is. You can remove the cartridge and the amount of % of full is retained by the chip. When it is re-inserted, the amount if displayed on the printers LCD display or / and the Epson Status Monitor. Epson believes that there is an amount of ink that is safely useable. And there is an amount of ink that must remain in the cartridge so that the print head is not harmed in case of the cartridge running empty. This may have to do with manufacturing quality control of both chips and the amount of ink that is filled into an OEM cartridge. Possibly it is as a result of the Epson Status Monitor. In any event, the chip will read empty and there will still be a volume of ink in both the OEM cart and the refillable cart.