How to do Chipless on the WF-2850 Epson WorkForce Printer

In this blog, we’ll walk through converting the Epson WF-2850 model to chipless. Before going into this, let’s define “chipless.” Why would someone want a chipless printer? All Epson cartridges come with a special chip that tracks the number of pages printed.

The problem is that this chip only works with the printer model for which it was designed, preventing users from swapping out different cartridge types. Also, when you hit the maximum number of pages allowed for your specific printer or cartridge, the chip will stop you from printing, forcing you to replace the cartridge.

A chipless printer allows you to use any cartridge as long as it fits. You can also drill a hole in the cartridge and fill it with third-party ink so that you don’t have to keep buying new cartridges.

For this process, you will need a USB cable and Windows operating system. Let’s get started!

Installing the Firmware

First, turn on the printer and let it run normally for a moment. Connect your USB cable and open your browser. Go to inkchip.net and click on the “SOFT” tab at the top of the homepage. Scroll down and find your printer model (we will be using the WF-2850 for demonstration) and download the firmware and activation key.

Notice that the firmware file is in RAR format. If you don’t have a decompressing tool for this file type, BCH Technologies suggests using 7-zip. Right-click on the file and extract it. After the extraction is finished, you will see that it has become a folder. Look for the INKCHIP firmware in the folder and click on it. Read through the agreements, hit confirm, and start the update. The firmware update should finish in about three minutes. The printer will then restart automatically.

Here comes the confusing part. The status bar will show that the computer is still updating when the printer itself has already restarted. Simply ignore this message and consider the process complete. If the printer restarted, the update was successful, regardless of what it says on your computer.

When the software starts running, it will show an error telling you that the update failed. You can dismiss this error, as well.

Activating the Firmware

Now it’s time to activate the firmware. Remember that we downloaded two files from INKCHIP. The first was the firmware, which we uncompressed to a folder, and the second was a single file named “activation.” Open this file, and it should install the software on your computer.

The first time you run this file, it’s going to download the update, and after you download the update, it’s going to restart. If you receive a popup message telling you that the client updated and to please re-run, simply click “ok” and rerun it. This software has to connect to the internet, so the first time you run it, you may be asked if you want to connect to the internet. Click “ok.”

You should see that the current version is the latest. Click English for the language and select your printer. To activate online, you’ll need to purchase the activation key. Return to INKCHIP and click “buy.” Scroll down, find the Epson WorkForce Series option, and select your printer model from the dropdown menu. Add one key to your cart and check out. Upon purchase, you will receive the key through email. Be sure to check your spam folder in case it went there.

Back on the software menu, your printer should automatically be selected, but if it’s not, just scroll down and find it. Then click “activate online.” Copy the key you received via email and paste it into the popup box. You will see that the bottom activation code is populated.

You’ll want to open a text file and copy and paste this activation code. If you accidentally delete the chipless software from your printer, you’ll need this code to recover and reinstall it. You’ll have to pay for a new one if you lose this key.

Restart your printer

You will see that the ink is 100% full, even if you don’t have a cartridge inserted. Something to be aware of is that sometimes Epson releases automatic printer updates, which can wipe your chipless solution. To avoid losing your software, you can simply turn the automatic updates off. However, if it’s too late and an update has already been installed, you can recover it with your saved code.

For detailed instructions on how to disable automatic updates for your Epson printer, you can purchase this manual from BCH Technologies for $0.99. We hope you found this blog helpful! As always, feel free to visit us atbchtechnologies.com or locally at our Greensboro, North Carolina location. Cheers!