FAQ: Printer is not working: Canon cartridge PG-210 CL-211 PG-243 CL-244 PG-245 CL-246 PG-240 CL-241 XL or non-XL

Help! My Canon Printer is Not Working!
At BCH, we often receive support tickets stating that “my printer is not working.” Let’s further diagnose the issue. When someone says their “printer is not working,” it may mean the printer is not printing at all or that the printer works but the printout quality is less than desirable. Let’s define “working” as the printer can produce some kind of output page.

The printer works, but the output is blank or is low quality
Since the printer works, you can focus on the cartridge problem. Most likely, the cartridge needs priming. You can use a priming tool to fix the problem.  If you bought our "EZ" series (First-Timer Kit), the priming clip will be included in the product.  Otherwise, you can use these kit (instruction video is listed under the product page).

https://bchtechnologies.com/priming-clip-for-canon-pg-240-cl-241-pg-40-cl-41-ink-cartridge-as-pmclip-t-cn/
Works with: PG-40, CL-41, PG-240, CL-241 (XL or non-XL)

https://bchtechnologies.com/priming-clip-for-canon-pg-210-cl-211-pg-243-cl-244-pg-245-cl-246-ink-cartridge-as-pmclip-s-cn/
Works with: PG-210, CL-211, PG-243, CL-244, PG-245, CL-246 (XL or non-XL)

The printer works but 1) complains that the “ink toner is low,” or 2) the light next to an ink cartridge is yellow (steady yellow or blinking yellow).
The ink monitor is a one-way counter and records printed pages. Once the page count reaches the maximum, you can turn it off and let the cartridge print forever. However, you cannot do this before the counter reaches the maximum.

When the ink counter reaches the maximum, your printer will show an error message window: “The following cartridge has run out.” Do not close this window on the computer. With this window open, go to the printer and press and hold the STOP (triangle) button for 5 seconds, and the error window will disappear. This will turn off the ink monitor. If you are not sure how to do it, watch this video, beginning at the 3:15 mark:

The cartridge lights should be blinking yellow (which is okay) after you turn off the ink monitor.

If your printer hasn’t shown the above error message and instead shows an “ink is low” warning, you can keep using the printer until you encounter the error message. You cannot turn off the ink monitor before the counter reaches the maximum. Therefore, you can ignore the low ink warning and just keep using the printer.

If you worry about the LED light, it should go as follows: when the printer counter is reaching 85% of its maximum, the light will be steady yellow. You should ignore this and the low ink warning on the computer and keep using the printer. When it reaches the maximum, both the cartridge light and the hazard light will be blinking and an “Error 1686/1688” window will be displayed on your computer. Follow the step above to turn off the ink monitor. After the ink monitor is turned off, the LED light will be blinking yellow (which is good). If you don’t like the blinking yellow, you can put a piece of duct tape to cover it.

The printer works, but the cartridge is hard to install or stuck inside the printer.
When you install, focus on lifting up the cartridge rather than pushing it forward. Similarly, try to focus on pushing down when you uninstall the cartridge. If you find it is very hard to do, follow this video (xxx) to sand down the bottom of the top cover a little.

The printer doesn’t work, and the printer shows “the following cartridge is missing or damaged.” or “Check Ink 1682 or 1684”

The printer doesn’t have a good connection to the electronic ribbon on the cartridge. This can be caused by:

1. The electronic ribbon being dirty

2. The cartridge not being seated correctly

3. The cartridge being damaged.

Take the cartridge out and make sure the electronic ribbon is clean and dry. Re-insert the cartridge a few times.

If the problem occurs when you made spongless cartridge, you could have sanded the cartridge shell too much. As a result, the cover is a little lower than the OEM cartridge and thus knocks the chip out of alignment with the contact points. You can file the bottom of the cover a little. Also, you will find the cartridge is difficult to slide because the cartridge is shorter than the OEM cartridge. For how to file the cartridge, please see video:

With any luck the “Check Ink 1682/1684” error has now disappeared, leaving you free to carry on printing. If however it remains it is likely that the cartridges contacts have been damaged physically or stopped functioning electronically. Whatever the case, the next step is to try a replacement cartridge. I would suggest using virgin OEM cartridges only. Remanufactured cartridges are usually re-chipped, which means they have a 3rd party chip welded on top of the OEM chip. The re-chipped cartridge will have a higher faulty rate than the OEM cartridge.

The printer is not working. When I send a page to the printer, nothing happens.

Use the “COPY” function to copy a page from the printer. If the copy works, then your printer has a connection issue:

1. If you use WiFi, you may need to reset the router

2. If you use a USB cable, there may be something wrong with the cable or your computer’s USB port.

3. Your computer may need to be re-started.

4. Restarting the computer will usually solve the problem.