Epson / EcoTank ET-4700 / L5190 series

W-11 - The ink pad is nearing the end of its service life.

The ink pad is nearing the end of its service life.

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

Medium

Most likely cause

The internal ink pad has reached a warning threshold.

Can you keep using it?

Maybe after the first checks

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

  • !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.
If the printer still starts normally: Finish the first checks once, then stop if the same message repeats or the printer still cannot return to ready.

What to check first

Step-by-step checks

  1. 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. 2

    Escalate

    Plan Epson service before the pad reaches the full replacement condition.

  3. 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.

Diagnosis

Likely causes

Most common

The internal ink pad has reached a warning threshold.

Common

The waste-ink counter is nearing its service limit.

Possible

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.

See also

Related codes in this family

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

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