Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions, Precautions, and Specifications

Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children.

Be careful when you handle used ink cartridges, as there may be some ink around the ink supply port.
If ink gets on your skin, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water.
If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water. If discomfort or vision problems continue after a thorough flushing, see a doctor immediately.
If ink gets into your mouth, spit it out immediately and see a doctor right away.

Do not remove or tear the label on the cartridge; this can cause leakage.

Do not remove the transparent seal from the bottom of the cartridge; otherwise, the cartridge may become unusable.

Do not disassemble or remodel the ink cartridge, otherwise you may not be able to print normally.

Do not touch the green IC chip or the small window on the side of the cartridge. Doing so may prevent normal operation and printing.

Do not leave the printer with the ink cartridges removed or do not turn off the printer during cartridge replacement. Otherwise, ink remaining in the print head nozzles will dry out and you may not be able to print.

Epson recommends the use of genuine Epson ink cartridges. Epson cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-genuine ink. The use of non-genuine ink may cause damage that is not covered by Epson’s warranties, and under certain circumstances, may cause erratic printer behavior. Information about non-genuine ink levels may not be displayed.

If the new ink cartridges have the part number 18/18XL, 17/17XL, or 176/177/178, shake the black ink cartridge four or five times before opening the package. The color cartridges do not require shaking.

If the new ink cartridges have the part number 200/200XL or 190/190XL, shake all the cartridges four or five times before opening the package.

Do not shake ink cartridges too vigorously; otherwise ink may leak from the cartridge.

This printer uses ink cartridges equipped with an IC chip that monitors information such as the amount of remaining ink for each cartridge. This means that even if the cartridge is removed from the printer before it is expended, you can still use the cartridge after reinserting it back into the printer. However, when reinserting a cartridge, some ink may be consumed to guarantee printer performance.

To maintain optimum print head performance, some ink is consumed from all cartridges not only during printing but also during maintenance operations such as ink cartridge replacement and print head cleaning.

If you need to remove an ink cartridge temporarily, be sure to protect the ink supply area from dirt and dust. Store the ink cartridge in the same environment as the printer. When storing the cartridge, be sure that its label identifying the color of the ink cartridge is facing upward. Do not store ink cartridges upside down.

The ink supply port is equipped with a valve designed to contain the release of excess ink; there is no need to supply your own covers or plugs. However, careful handling is recommended. Do not touch the supply port of the ink cartridge or its surrounding area.

For maximum ink efficiency, only remove an ink cartridge when you are ready to replace it. Ink cartridges with low ink status may not be used when reinserted.

Do not open the ink cartridge package until you are ready to install it in the printer. The cartridge is vacuum packed to maintain its reliability. If you leave a cartridge unpacked for a long time before using it, normal printing may not be possible.

Install all ink cartridges; otherwise, you cannot print.

When color ink is expended and black ink still remains, you can continue printing temporarily with black ink only. For more information refer to Temporarily Printing with Black Ink When Color Ink Cartridges are Expended.

If an ink cartridge is running low, prepare a new ink cartridge.

Be careful not to break the hooks on the side of the ink cartridge when you remove it from the package.

You must remove the yellow tape from the cartridge before installing it; otherwise, print quality may decline or you may not be able to print.

After bringing an ink cartridge inside from a cold storage site, allow it to warm up at room temperature for at least three hours before using it.

Store ink cartridges in a cool, dark place.

Store ink cartridges with their labels facing upward. Do not store cartridges upside down.

You cannot use the cartridges that came with your printer for the replacement.

Epson recommends using the ink cartridge before the date printed on the package.

The ink cartridges packaged with your printer are partly used during initial setup. In order to produce high quality printouts, the print head in your printer will be fully charged with ink. This one-off process consumes a quantity of ink and therefore these cartridges may print fewer pages compared to subsequent ink cartridges.

Quoted yields may vary depending on the images that you are printing, the paper type that you are using, the frequency of your prints and environmental conditions such as temperature.

To ensure you receive premium print quality and to help protect your print head, a variable ink safety reserve remains in the cartridge when your printer indicates to replace the cartridge. The yields quoted for you do not include this reserve.

Although the ink cartridges may contain recycled materials, this does not affect product function or performance.

When printing in monochrome or grayscale, color inks instead of black ink may be used depending on the paper type or print quality settings. This is because a mixture of color inks is used to create black.