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Issue
(A) The Edges of Paper Are Smudged
(B) Printed Surface Is Smudged
Cause and solution
Check 1: Did you confirm the paper and print quality settings?
Cause and solution
Check 2: Is the appropriate type of paper used? Check the followings:
-⋗ [ Media Types You Can Use ]
-⋗ [ Printing Area ]
Cause and solution
Check 3: Load the paper after correcting its curl
Turn the paper over and reload it to print on the other side.
Leaving the paper loaded on the Rear Tray for a long time may cause the paper to curl. In this case, load the paper with the other side facing up. It may resolve the problem.
We recommend putting unused paper back into the package and keeping it on a level surface.
If the curl on the four corners of the paper is more than 0.1 inch / 3 mm (A) in height, the paper may be smudged or may not be fed properly. In such cases, follow the procedure described below to correct the paper curl.
1. Roll up the paper in the opposite direction to the paper curl as shown below.
2. Check that the paper is now flat.
We recommend printing curl-corrected paper one sheet at a time.
Caution
(C) Printing side
We recommend printing paper that has been curled outward one sheet at a time.
Cause and solution
Check 4: If you are printing on thick paper, select the Prevent paper abrasion setting
Selecting the Prevent paper abrasion setting will widen the clearance between the Print Head and the loaded paper. If you notice abrasion even with the media type set correctly to match the loaded paper, set the machine to prevent paper abrasion by using the Operation Panel or the computer.
Print speed may be reduced if you are selecting the Prevent paper abrasion setting.
* Deactivate the Prevent paper abrasion setting once printing is complete. If not, this setting remains enabled for all subsequent print jobs.
Press the Setup button, then select [ Device settings ] and [ Print settings ] in this order, then set Prevent paper abrasion to [ ON ].
Open the printer driver setup window, and in [ Custom Settings ] in the [ Maintenance ] sheet, select the [ Prevent paper abrasion ] check box, and then click [ OK ].
In the Canon IJ Printer Utility, select [ Custom Settings ] in the pop-up menu, select the [ Prevent paper abrasion ] check box, and then click [ Apply ].
Cause and solution
Check 5: If the intensity is set high, reduce the Intensity setting in the printer driver and try printing again
If you are using plain paper to print images with high intensity, the paper may absorb too much ink and become wavy, causing paper abrasion.
Reduce the Intensity setting in the printer driver and try printing again.
1. Open the printer driver setup window.
2. On the [ Main ] sheet, select [ Manual ] for [ Color/Intensity ], and then click [ Set ].
3. Drag the [ Intensity ] slide bar on the [ Color Adjustment ] sheet to adjust the intensity.
1.Open the Print dialog.
2.Select [ Color Options ] in the pop-up menu.
3.Drag the [ Intensity ] slide bar to set the intensity.
-⋗ [ Making Copies ]
Cause and solution
Check 6: Is printing performed beyond the recommended printing area?
If you are printing beyond the recommended printing area of your printing paper, the lower edge of the paper may become stained with ink.
Resize your original document in your application software.
To ensure the best print quality, the machine allows a margin along each edge of media. The actual printable area will be the area inside these margins.
Recommended printing area 
Printable area 
However, printing in this area can affect the print quality or the paper feed precision.
Caution
Borderless Printing
- By selecting Borderless Printing option, you can make prints with no margins.
- When performing Borderless Printing, slight cropping may occur at the edges since the printed image is enlarged to fill the whole page.
- Duplex printing is not available when performing Borderless Printing.
- For Borderless Printing, use the following paper:
Performing Borderless Printing on any other type of paper may substantially reduce printing quality and/or result in printouts with altered color hues.
Borderless Printing on plain paper may result in printouts with reduced quality. Use them only for test printing. You can perform Borderless Printing on plain paper only when printing from your computer.
- Borderless Printing is not available for A5, B5, Legal-sized paper, or envelopes.
- Depending on the type of paper, Borderless Printing may reduce the print quality at the top and bottom edges of the paper or cause these parts to become smudged.
In Borderless Copying, you can specify the amount of extension by Extended copy amount in Print settings.
Letter, Legal
| Size | Printable Area (width x height) |
| Letter | 8.00 x 10.69 inches / 203.2 x 271.4 mm |
| Legal | 8.00 x 13.69 inches / 203.2 x 347.6 mm |
A. 1.23 inches / 31.2 mm
B. 1.28 inches / 32.5 mm
C. 0.12 inches / 3.0 mm
D. 0.20 inches / 5.0 mm
E. 0.25 inches / 6.4 mm
F. 0.25 inches / 6.3 mm
Envelopes
| Size | Recommended Printing Area (width x height) |
| European DL* | 4.06 x 7.07 inches / 103.2 x 179.5 mm |
| US Comm. Env. #10* | 3.86 x 7.91 inches / 98.0 x 200.8 mm |
* This page size can be used only when printing from your computer.
A. 0.32 inches / 8.0 mm
B. 1.28 inches / 32.5 mm
C. 0.13 inches / 3.4 mm
D. 0.13 inches / 3.4 mm
Other Sizes than Letter, Legal, Envelopes
| Size | Printable Area (width x height) |
| A5 | 5.56 x 7.95 inches / 141.2 x 202.0 mm |
| A4 | 8.00 x 11.38 inches / 203.2 x 289.0 mm |
| B5 | 6.90 x 9.80 inches / 175.2 x 249.0 mm |
| 4" x 6" / 10 x 15 cm | 3.73 x 5.69 inches / 94.8 x 144.4 mm |
| 4" x 8" / 10 x 20 cm* | 3.73 x 7.69 inches / 94.8 x 195.2 mm |
| 5" x 7" / 13 x 18 cm | 4.73 x 6.69 inches / 120.2 x 169.8 mm |
| 8" x 10" / 20 x 25 cm | 7.73 x 9.69 inches / 196.4 x 246.0 mm |
| Wide | 3.73 x 6.80 inches / 94.8 x 172.6 mm |
* This page size can be used only when printing from your computer.
A. 1.23 inches / 31.2 mm
B. 1.28 inches / 32.5 mm
C. 0.12 inches / 3.0 mm
D. 0.20 inches / 5.0 mm
E. 0.13 inches / 3.4 mm
F. 0.13 inches / 3.4 mm
Cause and solution
Check 7: Is the Platen Glass or the ADF Glass dirty?
Clean the Platen Glass or the glass of ADF.
Caution
Caution
Be sure to turn off the power and unplug the power cord before cleaning the machine.
With a clean, soft, lint-free cloth, wipe the Platen Glass (A), the inner side of the Document Cover (white sheet) (B), the glass of the ADF (C), and the inner side of the ADF (white area) (D) gently. Be sure not to leave any residue, especially on the Platen Glass.
Caution
Cause and solution
Check 8: Is the Paper Feed Roller dirty?
Clean the Paper Feed Roller.
Caution
If the Paper Feed Roller is dirty or paper powder is attached to it, paper may not be fed properly.
In this case, clean the Paper Feed Roller. Cleaning will wear out the Paper Feed Roller, so perform this only when necessary.
You need to prepare: three sheets of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper
1. Make sure that the power is turned on.
2. Open the Paper Output Tray gently.
3. Select Roller cleaning.
(1) Press the Setup button.
The setup menu screen will appear.
(2) Select [ Maintenance ] 
The Maintenance screen will appear.
(3) Select [ Roller cleaning ], and press the OK button.
The confirmation screen will appear.
(4) Select [ Yes ], and press the OK button.
4. Clean the Paper Feed Roller without paper.
(1) Follow the message to remove paper in the Rear Tray.
(2) Press the OK button.
The Paper Feed Roller will rotate as it is cleaned.
5. Clean the Paper Feed Roller with paper.
(1) Make sure that the Paper Feed Roller has stopped rotating, then follow the message to load three or more sheets of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Rear Tray.
(2) Press the OK button.
The machine starts cleaning. The cleaning will be completed after the paper is ejected.
(3) When the completion message appears, press the OK button.
The screen will return to the Maintenance screen.
Caution
If the problem is not resolved after cleaning the Paper Feed Roller, contact the service center.
Cause and solution
Check 9: Is the inside of the machine dirty?
When performing duplex printing, the inside of the machine may become stained with ink, causing the printout to become smudged.
Perform the Bottom Plate Cleaning to clean the inside of the machine.
Caution
Cleaning the Inside of the Machine (Bottom Plate Cleaning)
This section explains how to clean the inside of the machine. If the inside of the machine becomes dirty, printed paper may get dirty, so we recommend performing cleaning regularly.
Caution
Do not perform any other operations while performing the Bottom Plate Cleaning.
1. Make sure that the machine is turned on.
2. Open the Paper Output Tray gently.
3. Press the [ Setup ] button.
4. Select 
The Maintenance screen is displayed.
5. Use the 
The confirmation screen is displayed.
6. Use the
7. Remove any paper from the Rear Tray following the on-screen instructions, then press the OK button.
8. After folding a single sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in half widthwise, unfold the paper following the on-screen instructions, then press the OK button.
9. Load only this sheet of paper on the Rear Tray with the open side facing to the front following the on-screen instructions, then press the OK button.
(A) Load the paper after unfolding it.
The paper cleans the inside of the machine as it feeds through the machine.
10. When the completion message is displayed, press the OK button.
Check the folded part of the ejected paper. If it is smudged with ink, perform Bottom Plate Cleaning again.
If the problem is not resolved after performing cleaning again, the protrusions inside the machine may be stained. Clean them according to instructions.
-⋗ [ Cleaning the Protrusions inside the Machine ]
Caution
Cleaning the Protrusions inside the Machine
If protrusions inside the machine are stained, wipe off any ink from the protrusions using a cotton swab or the like.
Caution
- Be sure to turn off the power and unplug the power cord before cleaning the machine.
Cause and solution
Check 10: Set Ink Drying Wait Time longer
Doing so gives the printed surface enough time to dry so that paper smudged and scratched are prevented.
1. Make sure that the machine is turned on.
2. Open the printer driver setup window.
3. Click the [ Maintenance ] tab and then [ Custom Settings ].
4. Drag the [ Ink Drying Wait Time ] slide bar to set the wait time, and then click [ OK ].
5. Confirm the message and click [ OK ].
Cause and solution
Check 11: Is the paper scratched by other loaded paper?
Depending on the media type, the paper may be scratched by other loaded paper when feeding from the Rear Tray. In this case, load one sheet at a time.