Troubleshooting Canon printer poor printouts

In the Canon printer Maintenance menu, two options are provided to fix the problem of poor printouts, namely Cleaning and Deep Cleaning. After the Cleaning or Deep Cleaning process is carried out, the printer will automatically print a Print Pattern which will describe the condition of the Cartridge or Print Head after the maintenance process is complete. If the print out produces a satisfactory print pattern, then the poor printout has been resolved, but if Cleaning or Deep Cleaning still does not solve the problem then there are several things that must be done to improve the poor print quality. Here are some of the problems that occur with Canon printer's poor printouts and how to fix them.

1.  Streaked or banded prints

Reason

This problem is caused by a faulty print head. The following are some of the factors that cause print head damage.

-  The ink in the black/color cartridge runs out but printing continues. When the ink runs out but printing continues, it will eventually damage the print head.

-  The quality of the ink injected into the ink tank is poor. Poor ink quality can damage the print head.

-  The print head is worn out. Print heads have a life limit. On old printers, there will be a decrease in print quality. In order to maintain satisfactory print quality, it is highly recommended for older printers to replace the cartridge or print head.

Solution

-  The print head is damaged, the solution is to replace the cartridge or print head.

-  Always use original ink when filling the ink tank, and don't change ink brands when filling the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.

2.  Printout is cut off vertically

Reason

-  The encoder strip is dirty because it is exposed to ink splashes so that the printout is cut off vertically.

Solution

-  Clean the encoder strip.

-  If the ink stuck to the encoder strip cannot be cleaned, replace the encoder strip with a new one.

3.  Printout for vertical lines (tables) not straight or zigzag

Reason

-  When the printer is used to print tables, the table lines are not straight or zigzag, this problem is caused by dirty encoder strips or ink stains stuck to the encoder strips.

Solution

-  Clean the encoder strip.
-  If the ink stuck to the encoder strip cannot be cleaned, replace the encoder strip with a new one.

4.  Print Check Pattern

Print pattern 1

Print Pattern: Normal

Print head ink marks: when the print head is affixed to tissue paper and marks the three colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) it means that the print head is not clogged, this can be seen in the normal print pattern results.

Print pattern 2

Print pattern: black, cyan, magenta: normal, while for yellow: not out.

Print head ink marks: yellow ink does not come out.

Solution:

-  Open the Maintenance menu and do Deep Cleaning so that the yellow ink flows into the print head. Do the same thing (Deep Cleaning) if the black, cyan, and magenta colors do not come out when the print head is stuck to the tissue paper.

-  After the Deep Cleaning is done and the yellow color does not come out, repeat the Deep Cleaning process again, until the yellow ink flows into the print head.

Conclusion:

-  The yellow color does not appear in the printed pattern because the yellow ink is not flowing into the print head. Perform Deep Cleaning so that the ink flows into the print head.

Print pattern 3

Print pattern: black, cyan, magenta: normal, while for yellow: not out.

Print head ink marks: when the print head is affixed to tissue paper, there are ink marks of the three colors cyan, magenta, and yellow, but the yellow color does not appear in the print pattern.

Solution:

-  Inside the cartridge there are three main parts, namely the ink tank, print head, and electrical contact. When there are three colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) on the tissue paper, it means that the ink has flowed to the print head, but the yellow color did not appear on the print pattern. This problem occurs because there is a fault in the electrical contact on the path for the yellow color. The solution to this problem is to replace the cartridge with a new one.

Conclusion:

-  When the print head is attached to tissue paper and shows that all three colors are out, while one of the colors in the print pattern does not come out, it means that the electrical contact cartridge is damaged.

Print pattern 4

Print pattern: black print pattern: dashed, or color print pattern: striped or interrupted.

Print head ink marks: when the print head is affixed to tissue paper, there are traces of black ink and three color inks.

Solution:

-  Ink marks on the tissue paper indicate that the ink is flowing into the print head but the print pattern is streaky or imperfect. The solution to this problem is, do Cleaning 1x, then observe the results. If the print pattern is still not satisfactory, do Cleaning again. If the print pattern is still not satisfactory, do Deep Cleaning.

Print pattern 5

Print pattern: black: normal, color: striped and color that comes out faintly. If we compare Print Pattern 4 (see picture above) and Print Pattern 5, there are differences, namely Print Pattern 4 is striped/cut off but the color that comes out is clear, while Print Pattern 5 is striped/cut but the color that comes out is vague.

Print head ink marks: when the print head is affixed to tissue paper, there are traces of black ink and all three color inks. This indicates that ink has flowed into the print heads.

Solution:

-  Because Print Pattern 5 is streaked, cut off, not clear or faint, this indicates that a print head damage has occurred. The solution to this problem is to replace the cartridge/print head with a new one.

Conclusion:

-  Print Pattern 4: striped, cropped, and vivid colors.
-  Print Pattern 5: striped, cut off, but the color coming out is not clear or faint.
-  Problems that occur with Print Pattern 4 are caused by a clogged print head, while Print Pattern 5 is caused by a damaged print head.

5.  Support code: 1401. The following ink cartridge cannot be recognized

Possible causes of error

1.   Electrical contacts are dirty. Solution: clean the electrical contacts.
2.   Electrical contact is damaged. Solution: replace the cartridge or print head.

There are two types of print heads on Canon printers

1.   The print head and the ink tank become one unit or called a cartridge.

2.   The print head and the ink tank are separate parts.

Assuming that this damage is caused by dirty electrical contacts, here is a solution for the error Support code: 1401 / the following ink cartridge cannot be recognized / cartridge is not installed.

Solution 1

If your printer uses cartridges, follow the following procedure

-  Use gloves
-  Turn ON the printer
-  Open the printer cover then the cartridge will move to the center.
-  Remove the two cartridges and then clean the electrical contacts with a wet tissue or clean the electrical contacts with a pencil eraser.

-  Reinstall the cartridge until you hear a "click" sound, close the printer cover and observe the results.

-  If the error is resolved, the conclusion is that the cause of the error is dirty electrical contacts.

-  If the error still occurs, the last solution is to replace the cartridge. Because in the printer there are 2 cartridges (black / color), determine which cartridge is damaged. So you don't have to replace both cartridges because this error can occur because one of the cartridges is damaged.

Note

This error is caused by dirty electrical contacts, so when the cartridge is installed (B2 to B1 and C2 to C1), the electrical contact is not connected to the cartridge connector. It is better if the cartridge connector in the printer is also cleaned / wiped with a dry tissue.

Solution 2

If the print head and ink tank are separate parts, please follow the procedure below:

1.    Turn ON the printer.

2.    Open the document cover.

3.    Open the ink cover.

4.    Wait until the print head stops in the middle.

5.    Remove all ink tanks.

6.    Press the Stop button.

7.    The print head holder has moved to the head replacement position.

8.    Open the inner cover.

9.    Pull out the latch to release the print head.

10.  Hold it by the center of the print head.

11.  Pull out the print head.

12.  Clean electrical contacts. To clean it can be done by wiping it with a wet tissue or rubbing the gold connector with a pencil eraser until clean.

13.   Install the cleaned print head.

14.   Close the print head lock and inner cover.

15.   Install all ink tanks.

16.   Close the document cover.

17. If after cleaning the electrical contacts the printer returns to normal, the conclusion is that this error is caused by dirty electrical contacts. If the error still occurs, the last solution is to replace the print head.

6.  Support Code 1686, the following ink may have run out and Support Code 1688, the following ink has run out

Support Code: 1686 (the following ink may have run out)

Condition

-  The ink in the cartridge is running low.

Action

Solution 1

-  The printer can still be used to print approximately 5 to 10 sheets.

-  After the remaining ink in the cartridge runs out a message will appear: Support Code 1688, the following ink has run out.

-  Before the ink in the cartridge runs out, immediately buy an original ink cartridge so that when the ink in the cartridge runs out you can immediately replace it. New ink cartridges can be purchased online in Standard or XL sizes.

Solution 2

If you want to install a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) or inject ink into the cartridge, follow the following procedure.

-  Immediately Cancel/Stop the process of printing, copying, scanning, or faxing when a message appears: Support Code 1686, the following ink may have run out.

-  Open the printer cover so that the cartridge moves to the center, then unplug the printer power cable.

-  Install CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) or inject ink into the cartridge by making a hole at the top of the cartridge and injecting ink into it. The volume of ink injected for manual filling is:

     -  Standard ink cartridge (black): 7.5 ml
     -  Standard ink cartridge (color): Cyan 3 ml, Magenta 3 ml, Yellow 3 ml.
     -  XL ink cartridge (black): 14.3 ml

     -  XL ink cartridge (color): Cyan 4 ml, Magenta 4 ml, Yellow 4 ml.

-  After the CISS installation is complete or after the cartridge is filled with ink, reinstall the cartridge. Then plug the power cable back in and turn on the printer.

-  Use the printer to print (5-10 sheets), and wait for the error message to appear: Support Code 1688, the following ink has run out. Press and hold the Stop/Reset/Resume button on the printer for about 5 seconds then release. Wait a few moments because the printer will disable the ink level detection in the cartridge.

-  After detection of the cartridge ink level is disabled, immediately do a Deep Cleaning so that the ink in the CISS tube or the ink in the cartridge flows into the print head. If the printer is CISS installed, make sure there are no air voids in the hose. Do a Deep Cleaning so that all the air cavities in the ink hose are gone.

Support Code 1688 (The following ink has run out)

Condition

-  The ink in the cartridge has run out.

Action

Solution 1

-  Immediately Cancel/Stop the process of printing, copying, scanning, or faxing.

-  Immediately replace the ink cartridge with a new original ink cartridge so that the ink level detection returns to normal. New ink cartridges can be purchased online in Standard or XL sizes.

Solution 2

If you want to install a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) or inject ink into the cartridge, follow the following procedure.

-  Immediately Cancel/Stop the process of printing, copying, scanning, or faxing when a message appears: Support Code 1688, the following ink has run out.

-  Open the printer cover so that the cartridge moves to the center, then unplug the printer power cable.

-  Immediately install CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) or inject ink into the cartridge by making a hole at the top of the cartridge and injecting ink into it. The volume of ink injected for manual filling is:

     -  Standard ink cartridge (black): 7.5 ml
     -  Standard ink cartridge (color): Cyan 3 ml, Magenta 3 ml, Yellow 3 ml.
     -  XL ink cartridge (black): 14.3 ml

     -  XL ink cartridge (color): Cyan 4 ml, Magenta 4 ml, Yellow 4 ml.

-  After the CISS installation is complete or after the cartridge is filled with ink, reinstall the cartridge. Then plug the power cable back in and turn on the printer.

-  Use the printer to print (1 sheet), and wait for the error message to appear: Support Code 1688, the following ink has run out. Press and hold the Stop/Reset/Resume button on the printer for about 5 seconds then release. Wait a few moments because the printer will disable the ink level detection in the cartridge.

-  After detection of the cartridge ink level is disabled, immediately do a Deep Cleaning so that the ink in the CISS tube or the ink in the cartridge flows into the print head. If the printer is CISS installed, make sure there are no air voids in the hose. Do a Deep Cleaning so that all the air cavities in the ink hose are gone.

Conclusion

-  When this error occurs we recommend replacing the cartridge with a new one. Use genuine Canon ink cartridges so that the ink level detection returns to normal.

-  Canon Service Tool cannot be used to reset the used cartridge ink level detection.

-  If you want to reuse a used cartridge, when an error occurs, press and hold the printer's Stop/Reset/Resume button for 5 seconds and then release it. Wait a while because the ink level detection will be disabled and the used cartridge can be reused.

-  For filling ink on used cartridges, please install CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) on the printer, or do ink filling manually by injecting ink into the cartridge. The volume of ink injected for manual filling is:

     -  For standard ink cartridge (black): 7.5 ml

     -  For standard ink cartridge (color): Cyan 3 ml, Magenta 3 ml, Yellow 3 ml.

     -  For XL ink cartridge (black): 14.3 ml

     -  For XL ink cartridge (color): Cyan 4 ml, Magenta 4 ml, Yellow 4 ml.

-  The main problem faced by using used cartridges is that the ink from the CISS tube does not flow into the cartridge, or the ink injected into the cartridge has run out, while the ink level detection is disabled.

-  When the used ink cartridge runs out / is empty / does not flow, and the printer is used to print, while the User is not aware of the problem, in the end the print head of the cartridge will be damaged. Read the paragraph above, problem #1. Streaked or banded prints. Problem #1. Streaked or banded prints occur in used cartridges whose ink runs out/empty/does not flow, while the printer is continuously being used to print.

Cross-sectional and cut-out photos of black cartridges

1.   Black cartridge cap

2.   An ink pad filled with black ink

3.   Washed black ink cartridge pads

4.   The black ink pad is removed from the cartridge, and inside the cartridge there is a membrane that is right above the print head.

5.   Black cartridge split vertically

6, 7.   Side view of the split black cartridge.

8, 9.   When the membrane is removed, you will see small space partitions that are right under the membrane that is connected to the print head.

Cross-sectional and cut-out photos of color cartridges

10.   Close the color cartridge

11.   Ink pad filled with color ink

12.   Washed color cartridge ink pads

13, 14.   3 sheets of color ink pads are removed from the cartridge, and inside the cartridge there is a membrane that is right above the print head.

15, 16.   Color cartridge split vertically

17, 18.   Side view of a split color cartridge

19.   The space in the color cartridge is divided into three parts, namely magenta (top), cyan (left), yellow (right) and each chamber has a membrane connected to the print head.

Additional photos

How to open the cartridge cover

20.   Place the knife along the cartridge cap then gently strike the knife to a depth of 2 millimeters. Repeat the process on the other side.

21.   Pry the cap with a knife to remove the cartridge cap.

Black cartridge PG-40, PG-830, PG-810

Black cartridge print head zooming photo

Questions and Answers

Q: I need Canon Service Tool to reset Canon printer. Where can I download Canon printer service tools?

A: A complete discussion regarding Canon Service Tool and the download link can be read in the following post Canon Service Tool Version or Canon Service Tools and Supported Printers.