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Problem Description:

• Streaks appear on the printed page.
• Vertical lines are uneven on the printed page.
• Banding or uneven printing appears.

Causes:

• The tanks are not seated properly.
• The print head nozzles may be clogged.
• The printhead is misaligned.
• Printing on Specialty Media.
• Printing on the wrong side of the Specialty Media.
• Driver settings are not selected appropriately for the print job.
• The ink in the ink tank has run out. Click here to get a new tank.

Solutions:

Check the level of ink in the BJ tanks

1. If a BJ tank is low or has run out of ink, replace it. Failure to do so may shorten the life of the printhead. Click here to order new ink tanks.
2. Check that the tops of the tanks are aligned properly. If the tank is not seated correctly, ink will not flow out of the chamber into the printhead. Press down on the top of the tank until it locks into place.

Check the status of the printhead by printing a Nozzle Check Pattern

The Nozzle Check Pattern confirms whether the inks are being correctly ejected from the printhead nozzles and whether the printhead is correctly aligned.

1. On your printer, press and hold the Resume button until the printer light flashes twice. When you release the button, the Nozzle Check Pattern will be printed. You can also print the test pattern by clicking on the Nozzle Check button in the Maintenance tab of the printer properties dialog box in Windows or from the Printer Utilities dialog box in Macintosh.
   
   
   
   
2. After the Nozzle Check Pattern is printed, check the linear pattern (top 4 patterns without letter titles; example A, B, C, etc.) to see if any lines are missing. Missing lines indicate a printhead cleaning is required.

Perform the printhead cleaning procedure

1. On your printer, press and hold the Resume button until the printer light flashes once. 
   Note: You can also clean the printhead by clicking the Cleaning button in the Maintenance tab of the printer properties dialog box in Windows; or clicking Cleaning pull-down menu in the Printer Utilities dialog box on a Macintosh computer. Choosing this option will allow you to select all nozzles, black or just the color nozzles. Pressing Resume on the printer will clean all nozzles.
2. Once the printhead cleaning has completed, perform the Nozzle Check Pattern test again.
3. If the results are satisfactory, resume normal printing.
4. If the results are not satisfactory, you may need to execute a printhead deep cleaning.

Deep printhead cleaning in Windows

1. On Windows desktop, click Start |  Printers. Note: For Windows XP, click Start | Control Panel | Printers and Other Hardware | Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the Canon  icon then click Properties.
3. Click the Maintenance tab then Deep Cleaning icon.
4. Click the Cleaning button then select the ink nozzles to be cleaned then click Execute.
5. When the printhead cleaning begins, the POWER light starts flashing. The process takes 2 to the 3 minutes to complete, so wait for the light to stop flashing before you resume normal operation.
6. Perform the Nozzle Check Pattern test again.
7. If the Nozzle Check Pattern is still unsatisfactory, you may need to execute a printhead alignment.

Deep printhead cleaning in Macintosh

1. From the File menu in a software application, click Page Setup.
2. Click the Utilities button.
3. Select Cleaning from the pull-down menu then click the Deep Cleaning icon.
4. Click OK.
   When the printhead cleaning begins, the POWER light starts flashing. The process takes 2 to the 3 minutes to complete, so wait for the light to stop flashing before you resume normal operation.
5. Perform the Nozzle Check Pattern test again.
6. If the Nozzle Check Pattern is still unsatisfactory, you may need to execute a printhead alignment

Printhead alignment in Windows

1. Make sure the printer is on, sheets of blank plain paper are loaded in the sheet feeder and the paper thickness lever is to the left. The paper thickness lever is located inside the printer, above the printhead.
2. On Windows desktop, click Start  | Printers. Note: For Windows XP, click Start | Control Panel | Printers and Other Hardware | Printers and Faxes.
3. Right-click the Canon icon then click Properties (click Document Defaults if you are using Win NT 4.0).
4. Click the Maintenance tab then click the Print Head Alignment icon.
5. When prompted to start printhead alignment, click OK.
6. Wait until the sheet is printed and the dialog boxes become active then click the appropriate button to continue to the next screen.
7. On the printout, select the smoothest pattern in each column. To do so, click the up or down arrow to the right of the particular column (example A, B, C, etc) to select the appropriate pattern. Then click OK.
8. Click OK to complete the printhead alignment and close the Properties window.

Printhead alignment in Macintosh

1. Make sure the printer is on, sheets of blank plain paper are loaded in the sheet feeder and the paper thickness lever is to the left. The paper thickness lever is located inside the printer, above the printhead.
2. From the File menu in a software application, click Page Setup.
3. Click the Utilities button.
4. Click the down arrow to select Test Print.
5. Click the Print Head Alignment icon.
6. When prompted to execute printhead alignment, click OK.
7. On the first printout (colored patterns), select the smoothest pattern in each column. To do so, click the up or down arrow to the right of the particular column (example A, B, C, etc) to select the appropriate pattern. Then click Send.
8. On the second printout (monochrome patterns), select the pattern that contains the least white or black striping at the arrow positions. The white striping will appear on the positive numbered patterns and the black striping will appear on the negative numbered patterns. Then click Send.
9. Click Close on the Printer Utility window then OK to close Page Setup.

To replace a BJ Tank

Leave the printhead in the printer when replacing a BJ tank. Make sure the printer's power is on. Make sure you insert the BJ tank in the correct slot.

1. Open the front cover.
2. The cartridge holder is positioned to the left of the center of the printer.
3. Remove the empty BJ tank by pulling the release tab on the top of the ink tank toward you, and then lifting the tank up and out of its slot.
4. Dispose of the tank properly, taking care to avoid spilling ink on your hands, floor, furniture, or clothing.
5. Remove the new BJ tank from its package and remove the orange cap.
6. Insert the BJ tank by holding it at a slight angle, aligning it with the correct slot. Press down on the top of the tank until it locks into place. You should hear a click.
7. Close the printer cover.
8. The printer will automatically start cleaning the printheads. When the printheads are clean, the printer is ready for operation.
9. Perform another test print to make sure the new ink tanks are performing correctly.

Print Media

Some papers, especially specialty media, have specific sides for printing. The print side is usually the glossier or brighter white side. Check the package of the media to confirm.

Selecting the incorrect Media Type setting in the printer Properties can also have and adverse effect on print quality.

1. On Windows desktop, click Start | Printers. Note: For Windows XP, click Start | Control Panel | Printers and Other Hardware | Printers and Faxes.
2. Click the  printer icon to highlight it.
3. From File menu, select Properties for Windows 95, 98 or Me; or Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 and XP. The Printer Properties dialog box opens.
4. On Canon Printer Properties window, click Main tab and select the type of paper you are using in the Media Type drop down menu.
5. Click OK or Apply to register the setting.