Rep: 409
3
2
1
Printer stopped working
Support code B203 says to turn off printer and contact service centre.
An extended period turned off allowed it to print a few pages before error B203 again.
This only worked once.
Is there any at home fix.
Is this a good question?
Rep: 100k
8
161
355
@riddochplace, Riddoch, Info. from 1st link below, Error B200 means the print head voltage or temperature is not normal. The Printhead could be defective, but first, try these solutions at links below. If still warrantied return for repair/replacement/refund, you can contact Cannon at the last link. Good luck. I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button.
http://fix-your-printer.blogspot.ca/2011...
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1...
Was this answer helpful?
Hi, I have been getting B200 error reports on a Pixma MG7550 and in my case I believe the error is temperature related. I took my defective printer to my unheated office and let it stand without power whilst I went on holiday. Upon my return, I powered it up and it started working again. The printer used to be housed in a cabinet not far from the fireplace at home, so that would be my guess.
The questions above were about B203 not B200
I followed this to the letter took a few times including leaving the printer unplugged for ten minutes and finally it worked. Thank you so much ( 06/25/2018 by John)
This solved my B203 on a MG5650. I had ignored previous messages about ink running out, as the quality was still good. I opened the cover, and then took out the powerlead when the cartridges were in the middle. I replaced the empty cartridges but the B203 message was still there. I thus opened the cover before switching on, and as soon as the heads moved, closed the cover and all is well and all cartridges are showing as full
Wow. Thanks. Fingers crossed it stays fixed.
wow dzięki działa
Rep: 1.1k
3
1
1
Hey guys,
So I just want to post my solution finally after a while of trying some of the solutions on the internet and none worked for me. I simply could not throw my MG 7540 Pixma just like that. So to summarize it in short follow these steps and you may be as lucky as I have.
While the printer is off, open the front cover where the ink is. Now turn on the printer wait till the ink head starts moving a bit then just shut the cover back to normal. You should see canon logo now. Wait a minute or two and you should be back to normal menu. Now if you try to print anything the error might come again in which u repeat the steps above. Next go to settings/ maintenance settings / auto head allignment. And start the process let it finish and follow any instructions it may ask. Once done it will print a test page and tadaaaaa! it works. You can do a few more maintenance checks if you want to keep your printer in mint condition. Sounds simple yes but I just followed my gut feeling. And it worked. Hope it helps someone .
Cheers
Was this answer helpful?
you're a &&^&^$^ legend thank you. I followed your instructions, the first auto head alignment failed and the second one worked wow thank you so much :)
Awesome! so glad it worked for you :D
Thanks so Much! It took a couple of tries aligning before the B203 message went away. Every sheet printed has nothing on it, the pages are completely blank -but the error is finally gone. As soon as some ink appears on the page, it's fixed.
Nice! Try to perform other maintenance tests available to you. maybe a cleaning test might help get the ink going. Best of luck!
Thank you so much I cannot believe I found your post! Every other place I looked or asked said my printer was pretty much shot that I needed a new one. You ARE awesome!!! I haven't tried to print yet lol.... I was just so excited that things started to move on my printer and the light went off. I know it's going to work just fine. Thank you again....will keep you posted . Susan
Rep: 49
1
Hello,
I have exactly the same problem. My printer is approx. 2 years old (a Canon MG6650) and it worked perfectly. Yesterday, it printed two pages and as I wanted to print another one, I received the error code B203 "unspecific problem, please turn off the printer and let it check by the service center". There has never been a problem before, there were no strange sounds or anything extraordinary.
I have a specific doubt: this is caused by a self-destroying programme which was installed by the producer in order to boost the sale because buying a new product is less expansive than repairing it...
I am very upset, I don't want to spend money again, don't want to produce waste, and I really do think that printer isn't broken aktually...
Please share youre experiences and ideas!
Thanks
Was this answer helpful?
I have a MG6650 since 2y and it did exactly the same: was working well and perfectly printed a set of photos for Christmas and now I get a B203 error right after I start the printer. If I try the "trick" given above (start the printer with panel open, close it after a few seconds) I can access the GUI and swiftly move to maintenance menu. But once I start a check print or a head alignment , the process starts but when it is about to load paper the printer turns off (black screen, no led) and I cannot turn it on again. I have to unplug it >10min to start it again but same issue after that.
I had several HP and Canon in the past but they all lasted between 4 and 10 years. But now every generation is just worse than the previous one. Moreover the firmware is so bad that it does not even remotely report the possible cause of error and what hint to what should be fixed... this is most obviously PROGRAMMED OBSOLESCENCE!! I wil never buy Canon again, this is what they will get with their strategy.
I have an MG6650, which has worked perfectly for 2 1/2 years. Same issue as reported above halfway through printing a page. I tried the various tricks in the blogs above, but after trying the 'printer door open, then switch on' procedure, the screen went black and power off. Left it unplugged overnight, tried again this morning, no power at switch on, black screen, nothing. Looks like 'the end'!! So the trick hasn't worked in my case and in fact finished it off.
Very annoyed. just bought a new cheap printer this morning. Such a waste to throw away, what was, a great piece of kit. Bill
Have tried this solution multiple times. Was able to print once, then back to B203. I did recently install some 3rd-party ink cartridges, which suggests to me there is some correlation.
I have an MG 6821 for about 2 years. Now it shows the same issue.
@bill2 SAME thing has happened to me after trying "the trick" yesterday :(
Rep: 37
1
I've had my red MG7765 printer for 3 1/2 years and it looks great. Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly clogged, despite doing cleans and deep cleans. Eventually it stopped working completely with error code B203. Here is how I got it working again, as new (Hint: You might want to read the last two bolded paragraphs first?):
Canon Support initially advised I should do this:
"I am sorry to hear that your PIXMA MG7765 is having support code B203. Support Code B203 indicates that the carriage unit has encountered an internal fault and my recommendation to clear the error is to reset the printer.
Please follow the steps below to try to resolve the issue with the machine:
1. Turn the printer off.
2. Open the printer like you will be inserting ink cartridges.
3. Turn the printer on.
4. Once the ink cartridge holder starts to move to the center, close the printer. The printer will do a self check for 3 to 4 minutes then it will be ready to print. "
That didn't work so Canon Support provided the following instructions:
"I understand that you are having an issue with your MG7765, please follow the troubleshooting below.
Reseating or Replacing the Print Head
On very rare occasions, like a print head error condition or poor print quality issues, it may be necessary to reseat or remove the print head from one printer to install it into another.
Removing the Print Head:
1. Make sure that the power is turned on, then, holding sides of the paper output tray, gently open it.
2. Lift the operation panel open until it stops.
The print head holder will move to ink tank replacement position.
3. Push the tab (A) on an ink tank and lift it out of the printer.
4. Remove the rest of the ink tanks from the holder.
5. After all the ink tanks have been removed from the holder, press and hold the Stop button for two seconds (or longer) until the print head carriage moves to the replacement position and then release the button.
The carriage will move to the right and then return almost centered with the front opening.
6. Open the the inner cover (B) and push it down all the way to the bottom.
7. Pull the Head Set Lever towards the front of the machine. You may find resistance when the bottom of the Head Set Lever hits the back of the front edge. The Head Set Lever will move forward as it slides above that front edge.
8. Use your finger tips to grab the top of the center tab and pull out the print head. You will notice the front of the print head will drop face down as you pull it out of the machine.
9. Now go to section Installing (or Reseating) the Print Head.
Installing (or Reseating) the Print Head:
1. If you are installing a replacement print head, remove it from its packaging.
2. Hold the center tab of the replacement print head, with the front of the print head facing down (so you can see the back of the print head (green circuit board)), and ensure the two tabs on the front, bottom corners of the print head are inserted into the rails on either side of the print head holder.
3. Now slide the replacement print head into the machine.
As the print head slides into the holder, it will start to sit in an upright position.
4. Once the print head is seated in the print head holder, push the Head Set Lever towards the back of the machine.
5. Reinsert the ink tanks into their proper slots.
a. Insert the front end of the ink tank into the print head at a slant. Make sure that the position of the ink tank matches the label.
b. Press on the top of the ink tank until the ink tank snaps firmly into place. Make sure that the ink lamp lights up red.
6. Close the inner cover and then operation panel.
If the print head carriage returns to home position before the print head is installed, close the inner cover and operation panel and follow the instructions on the display. Then repeat step 3 to get the print head holder into the replacement position."
These instructions didn't fix the problem but then I remembered what I used to do to clean out blocked print heads; I boiled the print head. Its easy. Simply remove the print head as per step 8 above. Put it in a pot with enough water to cover the print head and boil it. Not for long. Just enough that it starts bubbling. You will notice that ink will blacken the water. Now take it out of the water taking care not to burn yourself and dab it dry with a paper towel or tissue. What you want to see is the ink of each colour is absorbed into the paper towel. Once its dry insert it back into your printer.
When I did this, not only did error B203 go away, but the printer also resumed printing as though it was new again. Ie. the print head was blocked and needed unblocking.
Was this answer helpful?
Well I am glad that worked for you, but is a bit extreme when several other here have used the 'accidental' method of opening and closing the door while the carriage is moving until it resets itself... It is a software issue not physical in a lot of cases, it is simply a matter of causing the carriage to reset the cart status.
I can not imagine going through all that work to get a printer going, especially for a common person in a home.. I have had Epson in the better quality area and was very happy with the performance. Now with these Canons (4 of them-some expensive) always this code and that code--No service from Canon to help.??
I've arrived here after looking for a B203 solution for a friend. I also own a Canon Pixma all-in-one which is much older than my friends and has never had this error. But, having read this solution, I am reminded of what the dealer I purchased mine from, said to me at the time: "if you ever experience any problems, they can often be solved by removing the printhead and washing it" - I recall questioning that and he went on to tell me that the printhead is easily removed and can be "washed in hot water and replaced instead of buying a new one".
Rep: 25
1
This B203 error came up directly after I did a firmware update, which I had been ignoring for months. Now I wish I would've kept ignoring it because even after multiple tries of the ideas above, my printer is still not working and is less than 2 years old. I'm highly disappointed since this printer is not used that often so should not be having these kinds of issues after such a short period of time.
I don't tend to be a conspiracy theorist, but I can't help but wonder if that firmware update was the culprit of my printer's failure. I'm disappointed in this Canon product and will probably go back to Epson, even though the cost of ink is pricier, but the machines seem to last a lot longer.
Was this answer helpful?
Perfectly agree.
Have similar experience with PIXMA MG 6650. Very ennoying.
yobenet
If you are in the EU, according to EU law you have a two year warrenty on EVERYTHING!
Dig out the reciept and off you go
Ditto on my 6620, Living on a SMALL FIXED INCOME, I'm NOT HAPPY CANNON!
@cindi_kofalk I have this model printer as well. I unplugged my printer for about the time it took to pick up the kids from school. plugged it in & turned the power on with the ink cover lifted. Once the power came on and I got the ink jet corrected (https://youtu.be/ao9aRyPgbCk) I went through each of the maintenance steps. Head alignment first, then the rollers and then the tray. So far it seems to have resolved the issue.
Yes, I agreed, I have same problem, I have Canon Pixma MG 6821, used only over a year, the printer was working fine then just one day it stoped and showed error code B203, I tried to install new ink cartridges, still showed Error B203, tried to take out the printhead and cleaned it, still had error code B203. Called Canon support then I got recommended to buy a new one and they would give an discount. So that is telling me that the machine was programmed to use for a short time ???
Rep: 25
1
I have a fairly new Pixma 5722 and had the same error come up - b203 . I had printed many invitations that used a lot of ink, strange thing is, it didn't come up during or just after printing them, it was when I went to use it again much later. I read all the suggestions above but couldn't do some as the error wouldn't let me access the menu. A 2nd error showed up a few times, can't remember the #, 405 maybe - said I had the wrong print head and to change it! I did try to access the menu thru the computer to realign the head, but you can't. I then looked on Youtube and found a few videos that suggested a hard reset - that did the trick! I did an auto alignment after it came on just in case and is now working fine. Hope this helps others.
Was this answer helpful?
Rep: 37
1
Before you do anything else - check your inks - physically.
I did the open/shut thing over and over again to no avail and then found a fix on another site posted by a person calling themselves Colas (to whom I am now most grateful)!
He suggested that despite the display showing his inks were full, when he checked one or two of them were empty. Presumably a problem with the chip - which I assume would be more common if you’re using compatibles rather than genuine (I use compatibles).
I did the same - found this to be the case - replaced them and now my printer is working again. I am keeping my fingers cross that this isn’t a temporary fix, but so far so good.
Good Luck!
Was this answer helpful?
Thx , changing the inks with new ones, and restarting many times , fixed the problem for now.
I was thinking that the probleme started by using compatibles inks and theire chip or they leek and jam the head.
Rep: 1
1
Maximum time this error will activated due to miss allignes ink cartridge . Before apply any major steps for printer error B203 . You should check your ink cartridge.
some time it indicates the empty ink cartridge. Maximum printer is running on two different kinds of ink cartridges. then it might possible that one of them is empty and that is causing error. Refill the cartridge to resolve the error.
Try to reconnect the printer.
If not then update the printer driver.
Was this answer helpful?
Rep: 13
1
Having printed two Word documents, my printer gave a B203 error code, which asked me to turn the printer off and contact a service centre. My printer is a white two-year-old Pixma MG5650, and has printed almost 1,000 pages: I use cheap ink. I turned the printer off and looked on the internet to see if this condition was fixable by me. A number of people had experienced the same problem. In summary, they reported that this was a print-head problem and several gave suggestions to try this and try that, but thought that it would be necessary to buy a new printer, this being cheaper than having it repaired. After a couple of days thinking about what to do, I wanted to print another document. I decided to try it, turned the printer on: no message, so I printed the document. It was obvious that there was a problem with the blue, so I used the printer's menu to carry out a print-head clean, followed by a nozzle test print: the print showed the blue to be a little streaky. I did another head clean and print: the blue was much more streaky. I then did a deep clean, followed by a test print, and the blue had completely disappeared. After 24 hours, I carried out another deep clean, followed by a test print: the blue was still missing. I removed the cyan cartridge, which still had half the ink present. I touched the ink pad, which was moist and left ink on my finger. I shone a torch into the space vacated by the cartridge and saw that the small ink receptor pad was white. Should it be white? I checked the other colours and saw that their receptor pads were their respective colours. I put in a new cyan cartridge and did a nozzle test print, and - serendipity! - the blue was back! I reprinted the document which had showed the blue to be wrong - and it was correct this time. For each of the next seven days I printed documents and photographs. The printer is now working correctly. This solution beats sending the printer to a service centre - and beats buying another printer!
Was this answer helpful?
It’s better for your mental health to just trash it and never buy Canon.
$90 is not worth going nuts over. After 3 internet fix try’s it went into the can and I have an HP on order.
It might be more helpful to know what wass wrong withn yours, Jim.
@Jim Toms lol I Agree! and I STILL have my Dinosaur Printer from 14 yrs ago STILL Works...who makes it You ask.....HP
Rep: 37
1
Hi there. Do you use the printer often? I discovered from another forum that if you don't use it very often the inks dry out even though your printer thinks they're full (especially if they're compatibles). Have a check and see if this is the case. If so change them over, switch the printer off and as soon as it comes on get it to do a print head clean. You might have to switch on and off a couple of time and do a couple of cleans. It's a pain and requires patience but it's worked for me a couple of times now. Good luck!
Was this answer helpful?
Rep: 13
1
in my case, I just pulled out ink cartridges and put them back.
error is gone.
Was this answer helpful?
Rep: 1.8k
6
3
By the way, folks, there's an easy (and cheap) solution if you just can't get your Canon Pixma to work:
Walmart.com sells Canon Pixma printers really cheap. I just got a Canon Pixma MX490, printer/scanner/copier/fax, with automatic document feeder, for $35 at Walmart.com!
The price on that one has gone up a little bit; but there are other Canon Pixma models, some as low as $30.
An added benefit to buying a new printer: if you refill your ink cartridges, you will get a new set of cartridges with your new printer. You can refill them only so many times, so it's good to get a new set every now and then.
In fact, if you buy the super cheap printer, and you somehow mess things up by refilling the cartridges, you haven't lost much, because you didn't pay much for the printer.
Was this answer helpful?
After B203 !&&* on MG665 I got my new Canon TS5050 for free when ordering 3 sets of compatible XL cartridges (100 EUR) . I hope the printer lasts long enough to use them all up
That’s the problem with this country, just buy another (they’re inexpensive). Who cares about the stream, or should I say ocean, of garbage we generate! Planned obsolescence. Buy more,more,more. . .
@mary_means you are absolutely right. That is why answers like this one do not get very well supported. What we need to do is fix more stuff. That is the reason why most of us on here volunteer to help others with their broken devices. Most of us volunteers also support the Right -to -Repair https://repair.org/stand-up Reduce Reuse Repair and Repurpose and stop feeding the greed machine !!!!!
I agree, Mary. It's disgraceful, this throw away society. I would rather spend time fixing it. Besides, I have an MG7550. It wasn't cheap at all.
There's a very easy, eco friendly way to resolve the problem that won't even cost you anything: remove the printhead and give it a thorough wash in very hot water - assuming you're already using renewable energy to heat your water (and if not, then you're a disgrace to humanity), then the entire process will not impact on the planet.
My printer threw the same error after a year of usage, but I found it next to the dumpster with jammed paper, so no complaints.
In this case I'm almost convinced what happened. It is a short circuit between several copper traces on the printer head. See the picture. And it smelled a bit too when I opened the cartridge door. The page I printed had little bit of a other colors at the bottom though it should have been in grey scale only.
Was this answer helpful?
I fixed this fault doing the following:
Follow the steps for removing print head (good youtube video available)
Wash print head under hot running water from tap to thoroughly clean. Dry with kitchen roll.
Reinstall print head and ink.
Go to device settings menu > reset settings > full reset.
Was this answer helpful?
Past 24 Hours: 186
Past 7 Days: 1,126
Past 30 Days: 4,909
All Time: 384,339
54 Comments
This solved my B203 on a MG5650. I had ignored previous messages about ink running out, as the quality was still good. I opened the cover, and then took out the powerlead when the cartridges were in the middle. I replaced the empty cartridges but the B203 message was still there. I thus opened the cover before switching on, and as soon as the heads moved, closed the cover and all is well and all cartridges are showing as full
by John
Last week I had a similar іѕѕuе, I couldn’t use my printer, I was getting B203 error code
I tried everything and nothing helped.
Finally I managed tо fix this error after getting help from Cannon Windows Support
Follow the steps here: http://bit.ly/PrinterErrorB203
It should solve the issue
Goodluck
by Susan
Somewhat puzzled and disappointed there - I've followed that like in previous post (hppt://bit.ly/PrinterErrorB203), and all the entries are from people who could not solve the problem, other than by replacing the printer! Sounds like unless I'm very lucky, it's a dead one.
I do think it's something to do with print heads - I found that virtually all the tanks had no ink, though the printer properties was indicating part full - i think it had just warned me that one of them was low, but just replacing them hasn't resolved it.
by Eddie
Further to my previous answer 3 days ago on a MG5650 that the printer is now working, I have removed the B203 message, but now all the pages are blank. Ink is getting into the printhead as the cartridge levels are reducing. I have removed the printhead and cleaned it to flush out the ink, but the pages are still blank. Do I need a new printhead?. This is the 2nd canon in 3 years. I like the printer as it prints card. Can anyone recommend another brand around £80 that prints card and can use compatible ink
by John
I managed to fix it! Opened and closed the lid at various times while it was initialising. On one of these the carriage went to the left while door was open and was checking each cart one by one and showed no red light. After that I did a nozzle check and it worked with no error! This is really stupid set of errors and is not a service adjustment it is a stupid software glitch! Shame on you Canon... put out a fix!
by philtazzz
Show 49 more comments