Canon Pixma Mx300 Quick Start Guide

57
Routine Maintenance
Routine Maintenance
When Printing Becomes Fain t or Colors Are Incorrect
When printing becomes faint or colors are incorre ct, the print head nozzles on FINE Cartridges are 
probably clogged. Print the nozzle check pattern  to confirm the condition of the nozzles and then 
perform Print Head Cleaning.
If print results are not satisfactory, performing Print Head Alignment may improve print quality.
Note
Before performing maintenance
z Make sure that a FINE Cartridge has not run out...

58Routine Maintenance
Printing the Nozzle Check Pattern
Print the nozzle check pattern to determine whet her the ink ejects properly from the print head 
nozzles.
1Make sure that the machine is turned on, then load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized 
plain paper in the Rear Tray.
2Open the Paper Output Tray, then set the Paper Thickness Lever.
(1) Put your finger in the rounded indent beside the Paper Output Tray and open it gently.
(2) Open up and set the Output Tray Extension completely by pressing down the...

59
Routine Maintenance
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern
Examine the nozzle check pattern,  and perform cleaning if necessary.
1Check the nozzle check pattern you printed.
(1)If lines of this pattern are missing, the print head nozzles need cleaning.
Example: When lines are missing (Black ink)
(2) If these patterns have white streaks, the print head nozzles need cleaning.
Example: When white streaks appear (Color ink)
2When cleaning is necessary, perform Print Head Cleaning.
See “Print Head Cleaning” on...

60Routine Maintenance
Print Head Cleaning
Clean the Print Head if lines are missing or if  white streaks appear in the printed nozzle check 
pattern. Cleaning unclogs the nozzle s and restores the print head condition. Note that cleaning the 
Print Head causes used ink to be absorbed in t he ink absorber. Cleaning the Print Head consumes 
ink, so perform Print Head Cleaning only when necessary.
1Make sure that the machine is turned on.
2Start Print Head Cleaning.
(1) Press the  Menu button repeatedly...

61
Routine Maintenance
Print Head Deep Cleaning
If print quality does not improve by standard  Print Head Cleaning, try Print Head Deep Cleaning, 
which is a more powerful process. Note that cl eaning the Print Head causes used ink to be absorbed 
in the ink absorber. Print Head Deep Cleaning consumes more ink than standard Print Head 
Cleaning, so perform this procedure only when necessary.
1Make sure that the machine is turned on.
2Start Print Head Deep Cleaning.
(1) Press the  Menu button repeatedly...

62Routine Maintenance
Aligning the Print Head
If ruled lines are printed misaligned or print results are otherwise unsatisfactory, adjust the print head 
position.
1Make sure that the machine is turned on, then load two sheets of A4 or Letter-sized 
plain paper in the Rear Tray.
2Open the Paper Output Tray, then set the Paper Thickness Lever.
(1)Put your finger in the rounded indent beside the Paper Output Tray and open it gently.
(2)Open up and set the Output Tray Extension completely by pressing down...

63 Routine Maintenance
(2)Repeat the procedure until you finish inputting the pattern number for column L.
(3)Confirm the displayed message and press the OK button.
The second pattern is printed.
(4)Check the printed patterns and press the [ or 
] button to select the number of the pattern in 
column M that has the least noticeable streaks, 
then press the OK button.
In the same way in step (1), select the number.
(5)Repeat the procedure until you finish inputting 
the pattern number for column R.
Note...

64Routine Maintenance
Replacing a FINE Cartridge
This section explains the way to confirm the  ink status and the procedure to replace FINE 
Cartridges.
When ink runs out or other errors occur, an error  message is displayed on the LCD to inform you of 
the error. See “An Error Message Is Displayed on the LCD” on page 76 and confirm how to handle it.
When printing from your computer, error mess ages appear on your computer screen as well.
„Getting the Ink Status Information
You can confirm the status of...

65
Routine Maintenance
z With the Computer Screen
You can confirm the status of each FINE Cartri dge on the printer status monitor (Windows) and 
Canon IJ Printer Utility (Macintosh).
(A) Confirm whether any sy mbols are displayed here.The function for detecting the remaining ink 
level is disabled.
The statuses of a Color and Black FINE 
Cartridges may not be the same.
This message is displayed on the following 
occasions. We recommend that you replace 
the FINE Cartridge promptly.
zInk is low while...

66Routine Maintenance
Follow the procedure below to open each of the confirmation screens.
1Open the printer properties dialog box.
Refer to “Opening the Printer Properties Dialog Box Directly from Control Panel” in “Opening 
the Printer Properties Dialog Box (Windows)” of the User’s Guide on-screen manual.
2Click View Printer Status on the Maintenance sheet.
To confirm the FINE Cartridge information, click the Ink Details menu.
1Open the Canon IJ Printer Utility.
Refer to “Opening the Canon IJ Printer...