However, if your printer is older, the pads may actually be saturated with ink. If you reset the counter without cleaning or replacing the pads, ink will eventually overflow, leak out of the bottom of the printer, and potentially short-circuit the electronics.
For advanced users, install an external waste ink tank . This involves drilling a small hole in the printer case, attaching a tube from the pump to an external bottle. Once you do this, you can reset the counter forever without ever opening the printer again.
The reset process involves software that "zeroes out" the digital counter, allowing the printer to resume operation.