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Issue
Cause and solution
Ink tank is empty
Open the Top Cover of the printer to confirm how the ink lamps light or flash, and then take the appropriate action depending on the error condition. For details, see [Getting the Ink Status Information].
Cause and solution
The protective film is remaining
Make sure all of the protective film is peeled off and the air hole is exposed, as illustrated in (A). If the orange tape is left as in (B), pull the orange tape and remove it.
(A) Correct
L-shaped air hole is exposed.
(B) Incorrect
The tape is not peeled off.
Cause and solution
Print Head nozzles are clogged
See [Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern] and perform any necessary maintenance operation.
Clean the Print Head if lines are missing or if white streaks appear in the printed nozzle check pattern. Cleaning unclogs the nozzles and restores the print head condition. Note that cleaning the Print Head causes used ink to be absorbed in the ink absorber. Cleaning the Print Head consumes ink, so perform Print Head Cleaning only when necessary.
Caution
Make sure that the Inner Cover is closed.
The Print Head can also be cleaned from the printer itself, using the RESUME/CANCEL button.
1. Make sure that the printer is on.
2. Hold down the RESUME/CANCEL button until the POWER lamp flashes green once, and then release it immediately.
Windows
If you click Cleaning on the Pattern Check dialog box that is displayed after printing the nozzle check pattern, the Print Head Cleaning dialog box shown in of step 4-(3) in the following procedure will appear.
1. Make sure that the printer is on.
2. Press the Open button to open the Paper Output Tray and extend the Output Tray Extension.
3. Open the printer properties dialog box.
4. Start Print Head Cleaning.
(1) Click the Maintenance tab.
(2) Click Cleaning.
(3) Select the ink group to be cleaned.
When cleaning the nozzles of black ink tanks: Select Black to clean the nozzles of PGI-5BK, Color to clean the nozzles of CLI-8BK.
(4) Click Execute.
Print Head Cleaning starts when the POWER lamp starts flashing green.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head Cleaning finishes. This takes about 60 seconds.
Caution
Clicking Initial Check Items displays the items to be checked before cleaning.
5. Check the print head condition with the printed nozzle check pattern, and take appropriate action.
(1) If lines of this pattern are missing, the Black print head nozzle needs cleaning.
Example: When lines are missing
(2) If these patterns have white streaks, the Color print head nozzle needs cleaning.
Example: When white streaks appear
Caution
If the problem is not resolved after performing steps 4 and 5 twice, try Print Head Deep Cleaning. See [Print Head Deep Cleaning].
Macintosh
If you click Cleaning on the Pattern Check dialog box that is displayed after printing the nozzle check pattern, the Print Head Cleaning dialog box shown in of step 4-(3) in the following procedure will appear.
1. Make sure that the printer is on.
2. Press the Open button to open the Paper Output Tray and extend the Output Tray Extension.
3. Open the Canon IJ Printer Utility dialog box.
4. Start Print Head Cleaning.
(1) Make sure that Cleaning is selected in the pop-up menu.
(2) Click Cleaning.
(3) Select the ink group to be cleaned.
When cleaning the nozzles of black ink tanks: Select Black to clean the nozzles of PGI-5BK, Color to clean the nozzles of CLI-8BK.
(4) Click OK.
Print Head Cleaning starts when the POWER lamp starts flashing green.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head Cleaning finishes. This takes about 60 seconds.
Caution
Clicking Initial Check Items displays the items to be checked before cleaning.
(5) Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Rear Tray or Cassette.
(6) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source in which you loaded the paper.
(7) Confirm the displayed message and click Print Check Pattern.
The nozzle check pattern is printed.
Do not perform any other operations until the nozzle check pattern finishes printing.
Caution
The nozzle check pattern will not be printed correctly if there is not enough ink. Replace the ink tank if the remaining amount of ink is insufficient.
See [Replacing Ink Tanks].
5. Check the print head condition with the printed nozzle check pattern, and take appropriate action.
(1) If lines of this pattern are missing, the Black print head nozzle needs cleaning.
Example: When lines are missing
(2) If these patterns have white streaks, the Color print head nozzle needs cleaning.
Example: When white streaks appear
Caution
If the problem is not resolved after performing steps 4 and 5 twice, try Print Head Deep Cleaning. See [Print Head Deep Cleaning].
If print quality does not improve by standard Print Head Cleaning, try Print Head Deep Cleaning, which is a more powerful process. Note that cleaning the Print Head causes used ink to be absorbed in the ink absorber. Print Head Deep Cleaning consumes more ink than standard Print Head Cleaning, so perform this procedure only when necessary.
Windows
1. Make sure that the printer is on.
2. Press the Open button to open the Paper Output Tray and extend the Output Tray Extension.
3. Open the printer properties dialog box.
4. Start Print Head Deep Cleaning.
(1) Click the Maintenance tab.
(2) Click Deep Cleaning.
(3) Select the ink group to be deeply cleaned.
When cleaning the nozzles of black ink tanks: Select Black to clean the nozzles of PGI-5BK, Color to clean the nozzles of CLI-8BK.
(4) Click Execute.
(5) Confirm the displayed message and click OK.
Print Head Deep Cleaning starts when the POWER lamp starts flashing green.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head Deep Cleaning finishes. This takes about 90 seconds.
Caution
Clicking Initial Check Items displays the items to be checked before deep cleaning.
5. Check the condition of the Print Head.
(1) Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Rear Tray or Cassette.
(2) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source in which you loaded the paper.
(3) Print the nozzle check pattern to check the print head condition.
See [Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern].
If a particular color is not printed properly, replace the ink tank of that color.
See [Replacing Ink Tanks].
(4) If the print head nozzles are still not clean, turn off the printer and perform another Print Head Deep Cleaning after 24 hours.
(5) If this does not solve the problem, the Print Head may be damaged. Contact your Canon Service representative.
Macintosh
1. Make sure that the printer is on.
2. Press the Open button to open the Paper Output Tray and extend the Output Tray Extension.
3. Open the Canon IJ Printer Utility dialog box.
4. Start Print Head Deep Cleaning.
(1) Make sure that Cleaning is selected in the pop-up menu.
(2) Click Deep Cleaning.
(3) Select the ink group to be deeply cleaned.
When cleaning the nozzles of black ink tanks: Select Black to clean the nozzles of PGI-5BK, Color to clean the nozzles of CLI-8BK.
(4) Click OK.
Print Head Deep Cleaning starts when the POWER lamp starts flashing green.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head Deep Cleaning finishes. This takes about 90 seconds.
Caution
Clicking Initial Check Items displays the items to be checked before deep cleaning.
5. Check the condition of the Print Head.
(1) Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Rear Tray or Cassette.
(2) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source in which you loaded the paper.
(3) Print the nozzle check pattern to check the print head condition.
See [Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern].
If a particular color is not printed properly, replace the ink tank of that color.
See [Replacing Ink Tanks].
(4) If the print head nozzles are still not clean, turn off the printer and perform another Print Head Deep Cleaning after 24 hours.
(5) If this does not solve the problem, the Print Head may be damaged. Contact your Canon Service representative.
Cause and solution
The media is loaded with the wrong side facing upwards
Many types of paper are made to be printed on only a particular side of the paper.
Printing on the wrong side may cause unclear prints or prints with reduced quality.
Refer to the instruction manual supplied with the paper for detailed information on the printable side.
Cause and solution
Print Head is misaligned
See [Aligning the Print Head] and perform Print Head Alignment.