Is my printer pooped ?

Dazstoke · 2026-03-26T12:10:43+0000

I have an Epson xp-3100 which I only use occasionally,it was working ok about 2 weeks ago.
I've come to print off a delivery label today and I'm seeing an error on the display " ink cartridges not recognised, magenta and cyan"
I've taken all 4 cartridges out and reinstalled them 1 at a time and it recognises every one has been installed but then the same error comes up.
If they were empty I'd get a different message wouldn't I.
I've powered it off and on,makes no difference.
The thing is I really only use the black cartridge, I wish there was a way to ignore the others but there doesn't appear to be.
Any thoughts ?

Armageus · 2026-03-26T12:13:56+0000

Genuine carts or 3rd party?

If 3rd party then it could have been a firmware update or driver update has locked out the 3rd party cartridges

Dazstoke · 2026-03-26T12:34:56+0000

You might be right, I think there was a firmware update the last time I used it.
There's no way around that then other than using Epson cartridges ?

joey1211 · 2026-03-26T12:38:58+0000

Rollback the firmware update?

Dazstoke · 2026-03-26T12:46:13+0000

joey1211 said:
Rollback the firmware update?

Apparently that can be done via usb but I've had a quick Google and can't find any information on what is the current version or the older versions and I can't bring it up on the display screen either, it's stuck on the cartridge messages

Dazstoke · 2026-03-26T12:55:10+0000

Epson software updater utility is downloaded on my pc but doesn't appear to be installed , could the printer firmware have updated without this running ?
I could be wrong about it updating a couple of weeks ago in this case

nade · 2026-03-27T08:06:42+0000

Is this the first time you're using 3rd party ink with your printer?

It's a fairly old post/page, but I did find something online which suggested disabling "Epson Status Monitor". Page I found was here, but there are comments from people which suggest this is no longer a fix:

Epson Printers: How to use third party or cloned ink cartridges?

No other printer type can be at par with an inkjet when it comes to print quality, but it comes with a price. Epson ink cartridges are so expensive, and in selected instances some cartridges are even expensive than the upfront cost of the Epson printer. Due to this pricing anomaly, most users...

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