DISCLAIMER: Following the information below will void your printer warrenty. You may also damage your printer. I will not be responsible for any damage or loss caused as a result of any following any suggestions on this page. If you are not sure then take your printer to a dealer for service.

If your C42  blinks both lights and displays a message to the effect that parts inside your printer have reached the end of their servicable life, then you probably need to clean the waste ink pads. These pads collect waste ink whenever the printer cleans it's heads. The printer counts how much ink it thinks is in the waste ink pads and refuses to print when they are full.

To verify whether this is the case, download the "SSC Service Utility" from http://www.ssclg.com/epsone.shtml. Run this and configure it for C42 printers:



Then close the window using the "X" in the top right hand corner. An icon will appear in your system tray, looking like a printer with a coloured triangle in the top right hand corner. Right click on this and select "Protection Counter -> Show Current Value". If this looks like this:



Then your waste ink pads are full.

You can follow the instructions below to wash your waste ink pads.

1. Unplug the printer's USB and Power connections.

2. Using a flat blade screwdriver, carefully release the locking tabs that secure the top of the printer to the bottom. See position of tabs in the following 3 pictures. Start at the back, then the sides, then the front. Take care not to break or mark the plastic. Once released, remove the top plastic cover.









3. Now find the waste ink pads. They are located towards the back of the printer on the right hand side (looking from the front). The yellow arrows in the following 2 pictures show the position of the waste ink pads. First picture is from the front, second is from the back.






4. Wearing rubber gloves and old clothes, carefully remove the waste ink pads. There are 2 pads, each is about 1 inch by 3 inches.



5. Take them to a sink and wash them using hot water until no more ink runs from them.



6. Dry them, either using the sun, a radiator, or for faster drying time, a hairdryer on low heat.



7. Once they are both dry, replace them where you found them, replace the printer cover and click the locking tabs back into place.

8. Now connect the printer power supply and USB cable

9. Start the "SSC Service Utility" program again. This time, select the "Protection Counter -> Reset Protection Counter" option. You'll be prompted with the following dialog - click "Yes".



10. Check that the counter has reset using the "Protection Counter -> Show Current Value". If the current value is not zero, turn of the printer, turn on the printer and repeat step 9. I had to do this twice to actually reset the counter.

11. Turn off the printer and disconnect the power lead, wait for 30 seconds, and then reconnect and turn the printer on. You should now have a working printer.

One visitor reported that SSC was unable to reset the counter on his C42. He found a program called "Dr. Tool" that helped to reset the counter. Download Here