For $10 on AliExpress or eBay, buy an "Epson 1390 waste ink tank kit." It includes a tube, a drill bit, and a plastic bottle.
I did this after my second reset. Now, every six months, I run the adjustment program, reset the counter to zero, and empty the little bottle. My Epson 1390 has been "fixed" permanently since 2021.
The fact that someone needed an "adjustment program" highlights a controversial feature of Epson printers: the waste ink pad counter.
Congratulations. Your Epson 1390 is officially fixed.
Before we talk about the adjustment program, you need to understand why the Epson 1390 demands a reset. adjustment program epson 1390 resetter fixed
Inside your printer, there is a spongy absorbent pad. Every time you clean the print head (either manually or automatically), a small amount of ink is flushed through the nozzles to unclog them. This waste ink doesn’t evaporate; it drips down into the waste ink pad.
Epson, in their wisdom, installed a digital counter. Every time the printer performs a head cleaning or powers on/off, the counter increments. Once the counter hits a specific number (usually around 15,000 to 20,000 cleaning cycles), the printer locks down completely.
The error message is misleading. It says “service life ended.” But in reality, the pad is rarely full. Epson simply wants you to pay an authorized service center $100+ to run a software reset and (sometimes) replace the pad. If you don’t know about the adjustment program, you throw your printer away.
I was guilty of this once. My first Epson 1390 sat in a landfill because I didn’t know about the resetter. I vowed never again. For $10 on AliExpress or eBay, buy an
If you own an Epson Stylus Photo 1390 (or its sibling, the R1410), you know the feeling of dread. You’re in the middle of a high-quality photo print on A3+ paper. The colors are perfect, the detail is sharp, and then—it happens.
The printer stops. Two red lights start flashing. A message pops up on your screen: “Parts inside your printer are at the end of their service life. See your documentation.”
Your heart sinks. You think the printer is dead. You think you need a costly repair or a new unit. But here is the secret that professional printing labs and refurbishers don’t want you to panic over: Your Epson 1390 is not broken. It is lying.
The truth is, your printer has hit a software-based counter called the Waste Ink Pad Counter. And the solution is not a new printer—it is the Epson 1390 Adjustment Program and the Resetter tool. Once you understand how this works, you can get your printer "fixed" in under five minutes. For free. I did this after my second reset
In this article, I will explain exactly what the adjustment program is, why the Epson 1390 needs a resetter, how I fixed my own printer after it was “bricked” by this error, and the step-by-step process to ensure yours runs for another five years.
If you want the same result, follow this guide exactly. Do not skip steps. A wrong move won’t kill your printer, but it might require restarting the process.
A quick note: Using the Adjustment Program voids your warranty if the printer is still covered. However, most Epson 1390 units are over a decade old. The warranty is long gone.
Also, Epson technically considers this "unauthorized software." But you are not hacking the printer; you are resetting a counter that Epson intentionally designed to lock you out. In the EU, right-to-repair laws actually support your ability to reset your own hardware.
If you feel guilty, simply install the external waste tank first. Then reset. You are now maintaining your printer responsibly.
Before turning to third-party adjustment programs, consider the following: