Epson Expression Photo 970 Not Printing After Refill? Troubleshooting "No Print at All" with Third-Party Ink (Including KD600X-CE-LCLM)

Question:

I purchased your ink to use in my Epson Expression Photo 970 with refillable cartridges. I've already tested three other third-party inks (Aomya, InkXPro, and Hemeiny) and all of those worked fine. However, your ink will not print at all - no color, no black - even after two manual head cleanings, several printer cleanings, and a power clean. I'm considering returning the ink through Amazon, but I wanted to check if there's another fix. I also saw the KD600X-CE-LCLM ink on your website. Is that ink more compatible with Epson printers? Any guidance would be appreciated.

Answer:

Let's walk through what typically causes an Epson printer like the Expression Photo 970 to show "no print at all," even when the nozzles were previously firing fine with other inks. I'll also explain how the KD600X-CE-LCLM ink relates to this issue.

Why You Get Zero Ink Output - Even After Cleanings

When a printer suddenly refuses to fire any ink (not even faint lines), it almost never indicates a clogged printhead. Instead, it usually points to a cartridge recognition or ink-level chip problem. Epson uses highly sensitive micro-chips on their cartridges, and here's what can happen:

1. Cartridge Chip Reads "Empty" or "Not Recognized"

Even if physically full, a cartridge with a non-reset chip may report itself as empty.
When this happens, Epson printers simply do not fire the nozzles at all, resulting in:

• No black

• No cyan

• No light cyan

• No magenta

• No light magenta

• No yellow

No amount of cleaning will work if the chip tells the printer "do not print."

2. Other Ink Brands Worked Because Their Cartridges Had Reset Chips

Aomya, InkXPro, and Hemeiny often ship:

• ARCs (Automatic Reset Chips), or

• Pre-reset chips reading "full"

This allows the printer to fire normally.

If your current refillable cartridge does not have an ARC or hasn't been reset, the printer might accept it visually but never fire ink.

3. Dirty Chip Contacts Prevent the Printer from Reading the Cartridge

If ink or residue gets on the golden contacts:

• The printer may detect the cartridge

• But still refuse to fire ink because the communication is partial/incomplete

This produces the exact symptom you're seeing:
The printer "acts" like it's printing, but no ink hits the paper.

4. Printer Firmware May Be Stricter With Certain Chip Types

Epson sometimes updates firmware to become more aggressive at rejecting older or lower-quality third-party chips.

If your Expression Photo 970 firmware is newer than when you used the other inks, the printer may now be selectively rejecting the refill cartridge - without displaying an explicit error.

Is the KD600X-CE-LCLM Ink More Compatible With Epson?

The KD600X-CE-LCLM Six-Color Refill Ink Set is designed to work with all Epson six-color dye-based models. It's an excellent match chemically for the Expression Photo 970.

However - and this is the key -
👉 Ink compatibility does not override chip behavior.

Even if you switch to KD600X-CE-LCLM, you still need one of the following:

• A refillable cartridge with Automatic Reset Chips (ARC)

• A manual chip resetter

• A new reset-compatible chip installed on the cartridge

Without a valid "full" chip, the printer will continue to fire zero ink, no matter what ink you pour into the cartridge.

Recommended Fixes Before Returning the Ink

Here are the most effective steps to try based on your symptoms:

1. Clean the Cartridge Chip and Printer Contact Pins

Remove the cartridge and gently clean:

• The golden chip contacts

• The chip seat

• The printer's metal pins

Use a lint-free cloth or isopropyl alcohol.
A tiny smear of ink can break the circuit.

2. Re-insert the Cartridge With the Printer Powered On

This forces a chip recheck and sometimes clears the "empty memory flag."

3. Power On the Printer Without Cartridges Installed

This triggers an internal cartridge-memory reset.
When the printer prompts you, reinstall all cartridges.

4. Ensure Your Cartridge Has an ARC or Has Been Reset

This is the most likely missing link.

If your refillable cartridge:

• Has no ARC

• Has never been reset

• Previously showed "low ink"

Then the printer is behaving exactly as expected by refusing to fire.

5. If All Else Fails: Try New ARC Cartridges

Many Expression 970 users find issues vanish the moment they switch to a fresh set of ARC refillables.

What I Would Do in Your Situation

If I were troubleshooting this setup myself, I would:

1. Remove the cartridges and clean all chip contacts.

2. Reinsert them while powered on to force recognition.

3. Verify the chips reset to full.

4. If they don't, switch to ARC cartridges or use a resetter.

5. Only then test printing with either your current ink or KD600X-CE-LCLM.

If the cartridges cannot reset, the ink will not print regardless of brand.

A Note About Printer Repair Support

Addressing printer issues can be tricky because these machines often require hands-on testing to diagnose properly. For this reason, we aren't able to provide remote troubleshooting or repair support. We do offer in-person diagnostics through our local printer repair service (link: Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]). Due to high demand, repairs are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and may involve a waiting period before drop-off. We can repair full units or specific components, depending on what you need. However, repair costs aren't always the most affordable option, so we strongly encourage self-help through online research. You can start by using the search feature on our YouTube channel homepage (BCH Technologies [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]) to locate videos by topic. With nine years of content, even I can't remember every video - but YouTube's search tool does a fantastic job, and it may even recommend helpful videos from other creators.

Thank you again for taking the time to reach out and for giving our ink a fair try. Your patience, feedback, and support are truly appreciated. If you decide to continue troubleshooting or switch cartridges, feel free to update us - we're always glad to hear how things turn out.