An error message appears on the printer’s control panel
A customer using an Epson printer asked us to do something about the following message being displayed on the printer’s control panel and not printing. Maintenance error: There is no more free space in the maintenance box. Box needs to be replaced.
Problem solving
The box that stores waste ink installed in printers that Epson has been using since around 2016 is called a maintenance box. When the box is full of ink, this message will be displayed on the operation panel, prompting you to replace the box. I will warn you to do so. Therefore, the customer purchased a maintenance box that matched the model number of the printer he had at a nearby electronics store, and when the printer was installed, he was able to print without any problems.
What is a maintenance box?
This is one of the mechanisms that Epson has been using in its main printers since around 2016, and it is also used in some models from Canon and Ricoh, and from the name it seems like a box for maintaining printers. It may work, but it’s not that highly functional. It may be easier to understand if you think of the maintenance box as a trash can for waste ink. Replacement procedures vary by manufacturer and model, so please check the manufacturer’s manual for instructions.
About the ink inside the printer
You may think that ink is used exclusively for printing, but ink is also used for more than just printing. For example, ink is used for self-maintenance when turning the power on and off, and for head cleaning when ink clogs occur, and the ink used at this time is absorbed by the sponge in the maintenance box as waste ink. I’ll go. When the maintenance box is full of waste ink, the printer will alert you, allowing you to continue using the printer by replacing it with a new maintenance box.
Regarding printers without a maintenance box
Printers that do not have a maintenance box mechanism also have waste ink absorption pads, but they cannot be replaced by the user themselves and must be sent to the manufacturer for repair.
Compatible maintenance box recommended
Just as there are genuine inks produced by manufacturers and compatible inks made by third parties, there are also compatible maintenance boxes. The maintenance box is just a container for storing waste ink, so there is not much difference between the genuine product and the compatible product. Since it is a compatible product, the price is also cheaper than the genuine product, so when replacing the maintenance box, please consider a compatible maintenance box.
