Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !You want to prevent downtime and the warning is already recurring.
- !The printer is used heavily enough that the warning could become a full stop soon.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Continue printing only if you understand the warning is still active.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Escalate
Plan Epson service before the pad reaches the full replacement condition.
- 3
Escalate
Avoid repeated cleaning cycles because they can shorten the remaining service life.
Background
What this message usually means
Epson uses W-11 on the ET-4700 and L5190 family as a warning-stage ink-pad message. Epson says to contact support, but also notes that printing can continue after the user presses the indicated button. This is a service-planning warning, not a routine low-ink message.
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 has reached a warning threshold.
The waste-ink counter is nearing its service limit.
Heavy cleaning or purge cycles shortened the remaining pad life.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -W-11 is a warning-stage service-life message, not a normal consumables prompt.
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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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
Use the message once to classify the problem, then move to support if the printer still cannot return to ready after the first safe checks.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
Source notes
Epson's ET-4700/L5190 status table identifies W-11 as an ink-pad warning and notes that printing can continue after the user acknowledges it.
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