Stop printing if the same fault returns after one careful restart or basic recovery step.
Epson / EcoTank ET-4700 / L5190 series

E-11 - The ink pad needs to be replaced and support is required.

The ink pad needs to be replaced and support is required.

This guide is scoped to the EcoTank ET-4700 / L5190 series family. Exact menu wording, cartridge naming, and service behavior can still vary by model variant and firmware.

Severity

High

Most likely cause

The internal ink pad reached its service limit.

Can you keep using it?

Usually no - see below

Consumables involved

Ink pad, Waste ink system

Can you keep using it?

Can you keep using it?

Contact customer support if any of these apply

  • !E-11 is displayed, since Epson treats this as a support-required condition.
  • !The printer is important enough that you need a clean service plan rather than reset experimentation.
If the printer still starts normally: Try one careful restart or the first official recovery step, then stop if the same error comes back straight away.

What to check first

Step-by-step checks

  1. 1

    Safe first step

    Stop trying repeated cleaning cycles.

    Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.

  2. 2

    Escalate

    Check Epson support or authorized service options.

  3. 3

    Safe first step

    Plan downtime before the printer becomes unavailable for printing.

Background

What this message usually means

Epson uses E-11 when the ink pad needs to be replaced on the ET-4700 and L5190 family. This is a service-life condition rather than a user maintenance step, so Epson directs users to contact support.

Diagnosis

Likely causes

Most common

The internal ink pad reached its service limit.

Common

Automatic cleaning and purge cycles filled the waste-ink area over time.

Possible

The printer's service counter is now blocking normal use.

Service

When service or replacement is more likely

  • -Waste-ink or ink-pad warnings are not the same as low-ink warnings.

See also

Related codes in this family

Source notes

Epson's ET-4700/L5190 status table identifies E-11 as an ink-pad replacement condition and directs users to contact Epson support.

Built around Epson ET-4700 and L5190 official status-message guidance. The same LCD code meanings generally apply across this family, but exact button labels can vary by region and control-panel layout.

Printer error codes can vary a little by firmware, region, and exact model variant. Use this guide as a family-level starting point and stop if the next step would require disassembly or service-mode changes.

Known family variants: ET-4700, L5190

Last reviewed: 2026-04-12

Reference: Open reference

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