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.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Stop trying repeated cleaning cycles.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Escalate
Check Epson support or authorized service options.
- 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.
Before the message
What users usually notice first
Messages like this often appear after the printer fails one of its normal startup, supply, or paper-path checks and cannot return to ready state cleanly.
Diagnosis
Likely causes
The internal ink pad reached its service limit.
Automatic cleaning and purge cycles filled the waste-ink area over time.
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.
Avoid wrong turns
Common misreads of this message
- -Treating the message like a confirmed failed part instead of a support clue about which system has stopped the printer.
- -Assuming any supply-related wording means the next step is automatically to buy a cartridge, toner, drum, or printhead.
See also
Related codes in this family
Explore more
More Epson printer families
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Helpful guides for this problem
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When a printer says paper jam but there isn't one
What a false paper-jam warning usually points to, from hidden scraps and tray issues to faults that are no longer simple jams.
Guide
How to tell if a printer fault is a cartridge issue or a service issue
How to separate ordinary cartridge or toner trouble from the kind of printer fault that usually points to real service.
Guide
How to find the right printer model family before using error codes
How to match the right printer family or series before trusting an error page that might only be a near match.
Boundary
When to stop troubleshooting and move to support
If the same message returns immediately after one careful recovery attempt or the printer cannot reach ready state, stop there and use the family-specific support path.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
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