Canon Printer Error Codes Explained

On touchscreen models the code appears as a four-character Support Code (sometimes with a letter prefix such as U041). On simpler panels you may only get an Alarm lamp pattern, with the code shown in Canon’s software or in the manual’s lamp chart.

Support Codes are diagnostic labels. Many point at printer hardware or maintenance life — waste-ink absorbers, printhead communication, carriage motion — not at a tank that needs replacing. Buying more ink will not clear a full absorber or a failed head.

Canon’s message is along the lines of: the printer’s waste ink absorber is full and the machine requires servicing. Related codes in the same family (5B01, 5B12–5B15 on many TS-series models) mean the same class of fault — model lists vary.

The absorber (sometimes called a waste-ink pad) soaks up ink used in head cleaning, borderless printing and maintenance. It is a printer part, not a cartridge. Age and heavy cleaning use matter more than which brand of tank you fitted last.

• Not a cartridge fault — replacing ink will not clear 5B00.
• Scanning may still work on many multifunction models (often via Stop / cancel print) even when printing is blocked.
• OEM path: Canon service, authorised repair, or replacement / upgrade options when the unit is out of warranty.

Support Codes 1700 and 1701 (and close cousins such as 1712 / 1714 / 1716 on some models) mean the ink absorber is almost full. Canon’s usual advice is that you can often press OK, Resume, or the Black / Colour button (wording depends on the panel) to keep printing for a while.

Use that window to plan service or replacement. When the counter later hits full, you typically land on the 5B00 family and printing stops until the absorber is dealt with professionally. Again: this is maintenance life of the printer, not evidence that your last cartridge was “wrong”.

Canon’s published wording for B200 (and related B201–B207) is that print head communication has failed and the printer will require service or replacement. This sits in the hardware / consumable-life bucket — not “buy another tank”.

• It can appear from cold or after the machine has been printing for a while (overheating / head failure patterns are reported; treat persistent B200 as a failed head path).
• Fresh ink will not repair head electronics or a dead head assembly.
• Cautious triage only: power cycle once; if your model has a user-removable head, a careful reseat can be worth one try — see our printhead removal guide. If B200 returns, stop and arrange service.

Support Code 5100 (sometimes 5101 / 5110 depending on model) usually means the print head holder / FINE cartridge holder motion was interrupted — Canon’s “printer error has occurred” class. The spirit of the triage is similar to carriage obstruction work on 6A81.

1. Cancel any job, then turn the printer off.
2. Open the cover and look for jammed paper, packing tape, or foreign objects blocking the carriage path. Remove carefully without yanking belts or clear films.
3. Confirm cartridges / tanks are clicked fully home (a proud tank can impede travel).
4. Close the cover, power on, and retest.
5. If 5100 returns, Canon’s next step is service.

For a related walk-through of hunting scrap paper near the parking / sponge area, use the 6A81 full fix as a companion — then come back to service if the code persists.

6A80 sits in the same broad family as popular 6A81: Canon classifies both as printer errors that may need servicing after a power cycle. On older MX-class machines, support articles also walk through paper and foreign-object checks in the front output, rear tray, cassette and inside the printer. Field repair notes often point at the purge / parking area on the right-hand side as well as the paper path — exact cause varies by model.

Safe first steps: unplug, remove the cassette and rear-feed paper, inspect feed paths with a torch, clear any scraps, reconnect and power on once. If 6A80 remains (or you hear grinding), stop and book service.

1401 is Canon’s “FINE cartridge / print head is not installed” style message. 1403 is the “ink cartridge cannot be recognised” / print head may be damaged class on many PIXMA models. Exact screen text differs by region and series.

• Power off, open the cover, and reseat the FINE cartridge or print head firmly (model-specific — integrated FINE vs separate head).
• If the error clears after a clean reseat, you were in install / contact territory.
• If it returns immediately, treat it as a printhead / carriage service issue more often than a tank return — especially when every colour is flagged.

For physical head handling on common PGI/CLI platforms, see how to remove a Canon printhead. For general recognition checklist language, see cartridge not recognised / missing or damaged.

These Support Codes cover “the following ink tank cannot be recognised”, “not installed”, or “not compatible” messages on many PIXMA lines. Colour position is often encoded in the code (exact mapping is model-specific — check Canon’s list for your machine).

1. Confirm the SKU printed on the tank matches your exact printer model (PGI vs CLI, standard vs XL, region). Use our find the right cartridge guide and PGI vs CLI explained.
2. Reseat the indicated tank until it clicks; check protective films are off the contacts.
3. If the correct UK/EU SKU still will not recognise after a clean reseat and power cycle, treat it as a replaceable tank / chip issue — see not recognised — or escalate if every position fails (printer-side).

MAXIFY owners removing tanks safely: MAXIFY how to remove cartridges.

U041 (and related on-screen “ink may have run out” / remaining level messages on some panels) is about level detection, not a proven empty sponge. Chips estimate remaining ink; they do not weigh the tank.

Canon documents an official continue path on many PIXMA / MAXIFY inkjets: hold the Stop / Resume (triangle-in-circle) button for about five seconds to dismiss the alert and keep printing. After that, the ink gauge for the affected tank is typically disabled — you must watch print quality yourself and replace the tank when output fades or blanks.

On models that show lettered U-codes, Canon’s LCD tables describe:

• U051 — print head is not installed; install the print head.
• U052 — the type of print head is incorrect; install the correct print head.

Safe first response: power cycle, then reseat the head (and tanks) carefully. If the message returns, the head may be damaged or the wrong assembly for that chassis — service or a correct replacement head, not another random ink multipack. Use the printhead remove / refit guide only as cautious reseating help.

Support Code 5200 is Canon’s generic “printer error has occurred” on a range of PIXMA, MAXIFY and MegaTank (G-series) models. Published steps usually start with checking remaining ink / refilling tanks where relevant, a full power cycle (sometimes unplug for several minutes), then model-specific cleaning or ink-flush menus. If it returns, Canon points to service or printhead replacement options — wording differs by series.

We keep 5200 high-level on purpose: do not invent a single MegaTank-only root cause. Follow your exact model’s Canon support article, then service if the code persists.

Before ordering ink against an error code, match the code to the fault class: