How to Diagnose Canon Printer Problems

Canon is one of the largest manufacturers of printers and copiers for home and office use. Canon printers come in several types and models, including laser, inkjet, photo and the very popular all-in-one printers that copy, scan, print and fax. As with all technical equipment, printers can misbehave. Follow the steps below to diagnose Canon printer problems.

Instructions

1.     General Issues

o    1

Check for a paper jam. Paper jams occur when one or more sheets of paper become stuck in the feeding or printing mechanism. Gently remove any jammed paper and reset the printer.

o    2

Check ink levels. Those ink cartridges run out fast. If your printer looks like it is printing but nothing comes out on the page, you might be out of ink. Try replacing the cartridge and printing again.

o    3

Check for a clogged print head. If you know you have ink, the print head might be clogged. Navigate to "Control Panel > Printer > Right Click > Properties > Maintenance > Clean Cartridges" to attempt to clean the print head.

o    4

Reinstall printer drivers and software. If none of the above helps, try uninstalling and reinstalling the printer and software to correct possible software bugs, errors or conflicts.

2.     Canon-Specific Issues

o    5

Check printer drivers. Navigate to "Control Panel > Printers > Right Click > Properties > Update Driver" to check for a new driver for your printer. You can also find drivers and software on the Canon Support site (see Resources).

o    6

Resolve the Waste Ink Error. Press menu on the printer and press scan/copy to enter service more. Press the right arrow to access "NVRAM." Set ABS-M level to 0. Set ABS-P level to 0. Press "Stop" to exit.

o    7

Resolve Wrong Cartridge Message. Turn off the printer and unplug the power cord. Remove the cartridges and the print head. Clean the print head in lukewarm water. Set it aside to dry. Clean the contacts gently with an eraser and wipe with a tissue. Reinstall the print head and reinsert the cartridges. Run a cartridge alignment.

o    8

Resolve E0D02 error. Clean the cartridges and the sender strip. The sender strip is behind the rubber drive belt behind the main hatch. It runs horizontally across the machine. Wipe it gently with a lint free cloth.

How to Troubleshoot a Canon Bjc 85 Printer Problem

The Canon BJC-85 is a high-quality color ink-jet printer that can be connected to either a USB or parallel port. If problems occur with the printer, perform troubleshooting steps to identify the potential causes. In many cases, the issue can be resolved by completing the troubleshooting process.

Instructions

           

            1 Run a print-head cleaning sequence if printouts are faded. Press and hold the "Resume" button until you hear two beeps. Release the button. The print-head cleaning process commences.

            2 Run a print-head deep-cleaning if a print-head cleaning sequence does not clear up a faded printout problem. Press and hold the "Resume" button until you hear three beeps. Release the button. The deep-cleaning sequence will run.

            3 Replace ink cartridges if printouts are faded and deep cleaning did not resolve the issue. One or more of the cartridges may be either low or empty.

            4 Check the cable connections from the computer to the printer, if the printer is not responding to print commands. Make sure the cable is fully plugged in to both the printer and the computer port.

            5 Turn off print spooling if the computer displays a printer communication error message when printing. Click "Start." Click "Settings." Click "Printers." Right-click "Canon BJC-85," select "Properties." Click the "Details" tab. Click "Spool Settings." Click the button next to the "Print directly to the printer" option. This option turns off print spooling.

            6 Turn on auto sheet feeder if the printer is not automatically feeding paper while printing. Click "Start." Click "Settings." Select "Printers." Right-click "Canon BJC-85." Click "Properties." Click the "Main" tab. Select "Advanced." Click the "Quality" tab. Click the "Paper Feed" drop-down menu. Select "Auto Feeder." Click "OK."

            7 Make sure the ink cartridge is properly installed if vertical lines on printouts are jagged or broken. Make sure the triangular marks on the cartridge and the cartridge holder are aligned.

            8 Press the paper release button if a jammed paper will not come out of the printer. The paper release button is located to the right of the paper input tray.