Canon Printer Alignment Page Is Crooked or Staggered? Here’s How to Fix It

Question: My Canon printer is printing an alignment page with very crooked and staggered columns. What could be causing this, and how can I correct it?

What Causes a Staggered or Crooked Canon Alignment Page?

If your Canon printer's alignment page looks uneven—such as with misaligned columns, wavy lines, or staggered blocks—it’s a strong indication that the printhead is misaligned, either electronically, mechanically, or both. Below are the most common causes and solutions:

1. Run Canon’s Built-in Printhead Alignment Utility

Canon printers typically come with an automatic alignment feature to correct skewed nozzle firing. This is your first and most straightforward step.

How to do it:

• On the printer’s control panel or in the printer software on your computer, go to:
  Maintenance > Align Print Head or Printer Tools > Maintenance > Print Head Alignment.

• The process will print a test sheet and use optical sensors to realign the printhead electronically.

If the misalignment is mild or caused by digital offset, this should resolve it.

2. Manually Align the Printhead

If the automatic utility fails, you may need to perform manual alignment, which lets you select the best-printed sample from a grid and correct it accordingly.

Instructions:

• On your PC or Mac, access the printer driver settings and look for Custom Settings > Manual Print Head Alignment.

• Follow the prompts to print a test pattern and enter your preferred alignment manually.

This process is constructive for fine-tuning color-to-color accuracy in sublimation or photo printing.

3. Physically Reseat the Printhead

If alignment patterns are not just skewed but severely staggered, the issue might be mechanical, such as a printhead that is not correctly seated in the carriage.

Fix:

• Turn off and unplug the printer.

• Open the top cover to access the printhead.

• Gently lift the printhead locking lever and remove the printhead.

• Reseat it carefully, ensuring it sits flush and locks into place.

Mis-seated printheads can throw off both alignment and ink distribution.

4. Clean the CR Encoder Strip

A dirty or smudged encoder strip (the thin, transparent band running behind the carriage) can cause misreads of the carriage position. This throws off timing and results in skewed printing, including misaligned test patterns.

How to clean:

• Power off the printer and open the access lid.

• Use a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with 70%+ isopropyl alcohol.

• Gently wipe the encoder strip front and back.

• Allow it to dry before turning the printer back on.

Don’t use excessive force—this component is fragile but crucial for accurate movement.

5. Check for Paper Skew or Feed Issues

Sometimes, crooked alignment pages are caused not by the printhead, but by the paper not feeding straight. This could be due to:

• Worn rollers

• Improperly loaded paper

• Warped or curled sheets

Fix:

• Always load flat, clean sheets of standard-weight paper.

• Ensure the paper guides are snug against the edges without bending the sheets.

• Run the roller cleaning utility from the printer maintenance menu if available.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. For that reason, we are not able to provide remote support or one-on-one troubleshooting. However, we do offer in-person diagnostic and repair services (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) through our local facility. Please note that because of high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, and wait times can be a few weeks. You’ll have the option to repair specific parts or the whole printer. That said, we recognize that our service costs might not be the most affordable, so we strongly encourage you to explore self-repair first.

As a next step, feel free to explore related repair topics on our YouTube channel homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). To find the most relevant content, use the search icon near the “About” tab and type keywords like “Canon alignment,” “printhead cleaning,” or “encoder strip.” With nearly a decade of videos, there’s a good chance we’ve already covered your issue or something similar.

Thanks again for reaching out. If you can share your Canon printer model and any specific symptoms you're seeing, I’d be happy to give you more targeted advice in the future!