Vista Epson R300

Epson Artisan 50

The message on your printer saying that 'some parts have reached their life expectancy' or 'service is required' followed by a shutdown of the printer has caused many people great anxiety. Some users have even sworn never to buy another inkjet printer from the manufacturer. If you interpret the message to mean that the mechanical parts of the printer have worn out, this feeling is normal. After all, who wants a printer that wears out when maybe only two years old? The message really should say, 'The ink waste pads are full and must be replaced.' With the Epson, R300 printer the problem can be solved as follows:
1. You can buy a new printer.
2. Reset the inkpad counter to zero by holding down both the Power and Stop buttons for at least 10 seconds. Then redirect the waste ink to an outside receptacle. Open the panel located on the right hand side of the back of the printer near the serial number location. It is held by a single screw. The ink waste tube can be fished out of the printer through this opening and lead into an outside receptacle. You will never have to replace the inkpads.
3. Reset the inkpad counter as above. Take the printer apart and replace the inkpads with new pads, if you can buy some. If you can't buy new inkpads, wash the used inkpads with soap and water. Let them dry and put them back in the printer. You can also replace them with absorbing materials like Huggies, Kotex, etc.
Fortunately, I chose the first method before becoming aware of the other solutions. Buying a new printer is actually cheap and this is probably due to the manufacturer's desire to keep you as a customer. At the Epson online Store, under refurbished printers, I bought an Artisan 50 printer for under $60. When you figure that six new ink cartridges come with the printer and you don't have to buy inkpads it is essentially free. In addition, the new software is better than that on the R300 and the CD/DVD tray is smoother. The software is also compatible with files made by the R300.
Since the R300 was no longer needed, it was used to look at the other methods for solving the inkpad problem.
The second method was the cheapest and quickest solution. However, it potentially has a disastrous problem. The ink waste is pumped through the plastic waste tube by compression of the tube. This puts motion on the ink and it is unbelievable how easy it is to have the ink leave the receptacle. If this happens, clean up any ink spill with Resolve carpet cleaner. In addition, if you have kids or pets the ink receptacle may not always stay where you put it.
The third method is NOT recommended unless you just like to take things apart or have other problems, like a clogged ink head that requires the removal of the ink carriage. See the PDF on web site.
Every time a site was found that purported to have a service manual for the Epson R300 printer it couldn't be delivered, even for a steep price. Therefore, I decided to make a 'Take a Part' document for the Epson R300 and try all of the methods shown above for inkpad and other repairs. This 'Take a Part' document is available as a PDF.I will be pleased to email it to you. I am not a printer technician so please forgive any errors in nomenclature. The photos should identify the part.
Washing the inkpads for reuse is, in my opinion, the worst operation imaginable. DON'T DO IT. If you can't find new inkpads, use one of the materials mentioned above to replace them. In the 'Take a Part' document, two layers of Moddess Hygiene Pads are shown as the substitute. Do not take the pads apart, but be sure the bottom layers are placed with the water resistant layer side down and the upper layers with the water resistant layer side up. There are certain parts of the printer that should not be disassembled if you only want to change the inkpads. These include removal of the ink carriage and its shaft, removal of the waste ink pump, and removal of the CD/DVD print mechanism.
Bob Kay