Description:
The print head is not installed or has not been properly installed.
Resolution:
Resolving this error requires the assistance of a Canon authorised service facilit.
U051
Clearing the Canon “Check Ink” 1401,
1687 and 1485 Error Messages
When
your Canon Pixma printer is having trouble recognising one or more of the
cartridges installed it will present you with the Check Ink 1401, 1687 or 1485
error message. The official Canon explanations for these codes are “The FINE
cartridge is not installed” for 1401, “The FINE cartridge is not installed
properly” for 1687 and “Appropriate ink cartridge is not installed” for the
1485 message. Although several of these messages refer to Canon FINE cartridges
this does not mean that you have an new genuine Canon cartridge installed and
can still use your printer with the correct refilled or remanufactured ink
cartridge. More information on Canon FINE cartridges can be found here.
Is there any way to fix the 1401, 1687 and 1485 support codes?
Depending
upon the message you are receiving the cause will vary. “The FINE cartridge is
not installed” or “The FINE cartridge is not installed properly” indicate
something is breaking communication between one or more of the installed
cartridges and your printer, and “Appropriate ink cartridge is not installed”
indicates a cartridge installed in the incorrect position within your printer.
To resolve any of these Canon error messages please follow the steps below
until the message disappears.
·
Ensure both a black and colour cartridge
are installed. Open up
your printer and remove both cartridges to ensure the one of each cartridge is
installed. Your printer requires that both a black and colour cartridge is
installed in order to print, even if you only wish to print in black/colour.
You can find our more about why this is necessary here.
·
Check the cartridges have the correctcodes. Although
many Canon cartridges are similar in appearance your printer requires specific
cartridges to be installed in order to recognise them and print with them. The
cartridge should be carrying codes machine or at least similar to PG-540,
PG-540XL, PG-545 or PG-545XL for the black and CL-541, CL-541XL, CL-546
or CL-546XL for the colour cartridge. Which codes are correct for your specific
printer will depend upon the model of your printer. If you have any doubts
either check your printers paperwork or give your model number a quick Google.
·
Make sure the contacts are clean. The only thing your printer uses to
communicate with your cartridge is an unassuming set of metallic contacts you
can find on a strip to the front of the cartridge. If these contacts have
become dirty or otherwise damaged from use then your printer will be unable to
recognise and use the cartridge. I recommend wiping down the cartridge firmly
with a piece of kitchen tissue or any other non-fibrous tissue to remove any
dirt, oxidisation or otherwise invisible natural oils that may be obscuring the
contacts. If you notice anything particularly stubborn that may be causing
problems, you may wish to clean then again using an alcohol based cleaning
solution.
·
Replace the defective ink cartridge. If your printer still cannot recognise the
cartridge then sadly it is defective and will need to be replaced. If you have
another cartridge to hand that you know to have worked previously it may be
worth installing this one again. Otherwise I would advise installing a unused
replacement cartridge (preferably a Canon original).
·
Clean the contacts inside the printer. If the error remains it may be that the
cause of the problem is the contacts within your printer are dirty or damaged
much the cartridge contacts we mentioned earlier. If you take the problem
cartridge out of your printer and shine a light inside, you should see a series
of contacts in roughly the same formation as those we have examined on the
cartridge. These contacts can be cleaned in the same way that you cleaned the
cartridge contacts, but be careful not to leave scraps of tissue on the
contacts as they are sometimes pointed. With this done just reinstall the
cartridge to see if the error disappears.
I hope
this has helped, if however your Canon Pixma printer is still presenting you
with the Check Ink 1401, 1687 or 1485 error message then it may be that the you
have a more serious problem with your printer electronically. Sadly the
troubleshooting above is not a guaranteed fix and in some cases intervention by
Canon or a printer technician may be needed. If however your printer is still
under warranty you should be able to get it fixed free of charge.
