trouble with printer/scanner... please help

a few years ago i bought an epson photo rx580 printer/scanner unit. it worked well, but the ink was so expensive and lasted for such a short time that i soon stopped using the printer and kept it only because of the scanner. ever since it last ran out of ink, there has been a modal dialog on the printer's screen telling me to change the ink. this has never been a problem for me before, i just ignore it and the scanner works alright on its own. my problem is this: recently, the scanner stopped responding (actually, its just that the scanning utility crashes every time i try and open it, but this always happens if the scanner is not hooked up correctly or not on.) and this is what i assume happened- my printer has three modes, copy, specialty print and memory card. i have always left it in copy mode, because i have never needed to use the other two. somehow, it got into memory card mode and i cant get it back into copy mode because the ink replacement dialog is modal (i.e. i cant do anything until i acknowledge it and replace the ink). unless i have mistakenly identified the problem, the scanner cannot be used when the printer is not in copy mode. hence my question: is there anyway that i could interface directly with the printer, whether through physically resetting it or through a CLI like terminal, force the printer back into copy mode?


p.s.: i did try reinstalling the scanning utility from its disk; this did not change my predicament.

What happens if you turn the printer off completely (not standby) and unplug it overnight? I'm thinking that might reset the memory mode and enable you to get back to copy mode. What does the printer manual tell you to do, like "hold down the XX button on startup to activate the settings menu", something like that?

thanks for the reply, hughvane.

hughvane said:

What does the printer manual tell you to do, like "hold down the XX button on startup to activate the settings menu", something like that?

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as far as i can tell, it doesnt cover this problem. it does tell you how to restore the default settings, but to do this, you have to go to the setup menu, which puts me back at square one :S

there doesnt seem to be a way to force reset it...

hughvane said:

What happens if you turn the printer off completely (not standby) and unplug it overnight? I'm thinking that might reset the memory mode and enable you to get back to copy mode.

Click to expand...

i tried this; it didnt work :-/

...any other suggestions?

...bump

muenster said:

...bump

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Okay, it's in memory card mode, right? Therefore, in your situation I'd satisfy its craving for a memory card (is it XD or SD for example?), if such a thing is feasible at affordable cost. Methinks there's a setting that will not change until there has been interaction between the Epson controlling chip and an inserted memory card.

I'm not familiar with that model of printer, so I can't be more specific. I note that it's discontinued. Does that mean you cannot get support from Epson itself?

hughvane said:

I'm not familiar with that model of printer, so I can't be more specific. I note that it's discontinued. Does that mean you cannot get support from Epson itself?

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yes. i did call them, and the customer support still assists with problems with this model, but they told me that there is no way to change the mode while the printer is out of ink. i of course took this to mean that epson didnt think of this, didnt make a workaround for it, and so there is no easy way to do it. but i am sure that there is a way. i just need to figure out what it is.

if i unplugged all of the cords from the main processor and then plugged them back in correctly, would that maybe reset the memory? or is there perhaps any set of terminal commands by which i could force reset it? anything at all?

hughvane said:

Okay, it's in memory card mode, right? Therefore, in your situation I'd satisfy its craving for a memory card (is it XD or SD for example?), if such a thing is feasible at affordable cost. Methinks there's a setting that will not change until there has been interaction between the Epson controlling chip and an inserted memory card.

Click to expand...

this seems plausible, and i do have a memory card that the printer can recognize (i actually think it may have gotten into memory card mode from someone sticking a memory card in there, thus forcing the mode to change). however, it seems like i would not be able to do anything from there, because i still have the dialog on the screen. ill try this and see what happens.

well, i tried inserting a memory card into the slot, but it made no difference. i still cant interface with the printer

Okay, well at this stage, in your situation, given your evident desire not to waste a working machine (and I agree with that), I would say it's time to change printers. I used to operate an Epson 850 and loved its print quality - but not its running costs. I now operate two printers, a Canon MP110 for the sort of work you're doing with the Epson, and a Brother 2040 laser for text only.

*sigh*.... alright, then

thanks for your efforts, nonetheless.