Advanced Guide Troubleshooting

Contents > Appendix > Tips on How to Use Your Printer

# Tips on How to Use Your Printer

This section introduces the tips on how to use your printer and for printing with optimal quality.

### Ink is used for various purposes.

### How is ink used for various purposes other than printing?

Ink may be used for purposes other than printing. Ink is not only used for printing, but also for cleaning the Print Head to maintain the optimal printing quality.

The printer has the function to automatically clean the ink jet nozzles to prevent clogging. In the cleaning procedure, ink is pumped out from the nozzles. Used ink for nozzle cleaning is limited to a small amount.

Important The ink pumped out from the nozzles, such as when cleaning the Print Head, is absorbed by ink absorber in the printer. The ink absorber needs to be replaced when it is full. You cannot replace it by yourself. When the error message appears, contact your Canon service representative as soon as possible.

Refer to the "Troubleshooting" in the on-screen manual: Advanced Guide.

### Does black-and-white printing use color ink?

The use of color or black ink varies depending on the color of image to be printed or the contents of document. Black-and-white printing may also use color ink. So, color ink is consumed even when printing in black-and-white.

### Printing on special paper: How to print with optimal quality!?

### Tip!: Check the printer status before printing!

#### Is the Print Head ok?

If print head nozzles are clogged, print will be faint and papers will be wasted. Print the nozzle check pattern to check the Print Head.

See When Printing Becomes Faint or Colors Are Incorrect.

#### Is the inside of the printer smeared with ink?

After printing large quantities of paper or performing borderless printing, the area where papers go through may get smeared with ink. Clean the inside of your printer with Bottom Plate Cleaning.

Refer to the on-screen manual: Advanced Guide.

### Tip!: Check how to load the paper correctly!

#### Is the paper loaded in the correct orientation?

To load paper in the Rear Tray, load paper with the printing side facing you.

#### Is the paper curled?

The curled paper causes paper jam. Flatten the curled paper, then reload it.

Refer to the "Troubleshooting" in the on-screen manual: Advanced Guide.

### Tip!: After loading paper, be sure to specify the paper settings!

After loading paper, be sure to select the loaded paper in Media Type of the printer driver. If the type of paper is not selected, you may not be able to get the satisfactory print result.

See Printing.

There are various types of paper: paper with special coating on the surface for printing photos with optimal quality and paper suitable for documents. Media Type of the printer driver has different settings for each type of paper in advance (such as using ink, ejecting ink, or distance from nozzles) so that you can print on each paper with the optimal image quality. You can print with different settings in Media Type suitable for each type of loaded paper.

### Use the RESUME/CANCEL button to cancel printing!

### Tip!: Never press the Power button!

If you press the Power button while printing is in progress, the print data sent from the computer queues in the printer and you may not be able to continue to print.

Press the RESUME/CANCEL button to cancel printing.

Note If you cannot cancel printing by pressing the RESUME/CANCEL button while printing from a computer, open the printer properties dialog box to delete the unnecessary print jobs from the printer status monitor (Windows).

### How to maintain the optimal printing quality?

The key to printing with the optimal printing quality is to prevent the Print Head from drying or clogging. Always follow the following steps for optimal printing quality.

#### Follow the procedure below to turn the power off.

1 Press the Power button on the printer to turn it off.

2 Be sure that the Power lamp is not lit.

3 Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet, or turn off the extender cable connector.

If you press the Power button to turn off the power, the printer caps the Print Head (nozzles) automatically to prevent from drying. If you unplug the power cord from the wall outlet or turn off the extender cable connector before the Power lamp is turned off, the Print Head will not be capped properly and this will cause drying or clogging.

To turn off the power, be sure to follow this procedure.

#### Print periodically!

Just as the tip of a felt pen becomes dry and unusable if it has not been used for a long time, even if it is capped, the Print Head too, may become dried or clogged if the printer has not been used for a long time.

We recommend the printer to be used at least once a month.

Note Depending on the type of paper, ink may blur if you trace the printed area with a highlight pen or paint-stick, or bleed if water or sweat comes in contact with the printed area.

### Dose the printer need to be handled with care when storing or transporting?

### Tip!: Do not store or transport the printer vertically or slanted!

If the printer is stored or transported vertically or slanted, the printer may become damaged or ink may leak from the printer.

Be sure not to store or transport the printer vertically or slanted.

### Lamp on the printer is flashing: What can I do?

#### Alarm lamp is flashing orange.

(A) Alarm lamp flashes

(B) Alarm lamp is off

(C) Alarm lamp flashes repeatedly

→Your printer has an error. Refer to the "Troubleshooting" in the on-screen manual: Advanced Guide, then resolve the error.

#### Power lamp flashes green once and Alarm lamp flashes orange once alternately.

→An error that requires repair has occurred. Contact your Canon service representative.

### Colors are uneven, and print results are blurred.

### Tip!: Print the nozzle check pattern to check if the nozzles are clogged.

If the print head nozzles are clogged, colors may become uneven or the print results may be blurred.

In this case

Print the nozzle check pattern

Check the printed check pattern to see if the nozzles are clogged.

See When Printing Becomes Faint or Colors Are Incorrect.

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