Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !The printer error message returns after restart with no jam present.
- !The printer never reaches a ready state or repeats the same error.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Turn the printer off and back on once.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Consumable check
Check for visible paper jams before retrying the job.
- 3
Safe first step
If the printer returns ready, test with one page only.
Background
What this message usually means
Epson uses this printer error message on the ET-4950 series for a broad printer fault. The official guidance is to power-cycle the printer, check for paper jams, and contact support if the problem remains.
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
A serious internal printer fault was detected during startup or printing.
A paper jam or obstruction left the product in an unstable state.
The printer could not recover from its prior error condition.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -This is a broad restart-first Epson fault rather than a simple media or ink 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.
- -Assuming no physical path issue exists just because no full sheet is visible at first glance.
See also
Related codes in this family
Explore more
More Epson printer families
Read this next
Helpful guides for this problem
Guide
Before ordering a printer printhead or other expensive part
The checks worth doing before you spend real money on a printhead or another printer part that may not solve the fault.
Guide
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.
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 official ET-4950 series guide says this printer error should be handled with a restart first, then a jam check, then support if it persists.
Built around the official ET-4950 series user's guide and related Epson support pages for ET-4950, ET-4955, and ET-4958. Message wording can vary slightly by model and firmware, but the status behavior stays close across the family.
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-4950, ET-4955, ET-4958
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12
Reference: Open reference