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.