Canon MP250 - Printer LEDs

A B LED light denotes that the black ink cartridge is running low.

A C LED light denotes that the colour ink cartridge is running low.

If the alarm light is on (lightning bolt in a triangle) it should be accompanied by an error code.

Canon MP250 - Error Codes

If the printer displays an error message, the following information should help to diagnose the problem.

The led screen on the printer will flash a letter E and will then be followed by two numbers:

  • Error E02 - The machine is out of paper or will not feed.
  • Error E03 - Paper jam or output tray is closed.
  • Error E04 - The Cartridge cannot be recognised.
  • Error E05 - The Cartridge cannot be recognised.
  • Error E07 - Cartridge is not installed in the correct position.
  • Error E08 - Ink absorber is almost full.
  • Error E13 - The remaining ink level cannot be detected.
  • Error E14 - The Cartridge cannot be recognised.
  • Error E15 - The Cartridge cannot be recognised.
  • Error E16 - The ink has run out.
  • Error P02 - Carriage encoder error.
  • Error P03 - Line feed error.
  • Error P07 - The waste ink absorber is full.
  • Error P08 - Print head fault.
  • Error P10 - Print head fault.
  • Error 5100 - Carriage Encoder error.
  • Error 5200 - Print head fault.
  • Error 6000 - Line feed error.
  • Error B200 - Print head fault.
  • Error 5B00 - The waste ink absorber is full.

Canon MP250 - Error E03

This error is normally the result of a paper jam. Small pieces of paper can get caught inside the printer mechanism if you had to rip the paper out of the machine. Have a really good look inside to see what is still stuck. It may not be paper that is causing the jam. It is quite easy to put an object on top of the printer only for it to fall in to the printer accidentally.

Canon MP250 - Error E05 / Error E07

This error is shown when there is a fault with one of the cartridges. Remove both cartridges and then insert them again.

Having some old cartridges around can be handy in this case. Change each cartridge in sequence until the error clears, this should help you identify which cartridge is causing the problem.

Canon MP250 - Error P02 / Error 5100

The Canon MP250 can display this error for a few reasons. It could be that one or both of the cartridges are not inserted into the printer correctly. One or both of the cartridges may have failed electrically, and need to be replaced.

There may be a paper jam, check the printer thoroughly for any small pieces still stuck inside.

The encoder film strip may have some dirty marks on it, and therefore needs cleaning. The encoder film strip in the clear strip of plastic that the printer carriage runs on. Be extremely careful when touching this, as it is very delicate.

Canon MP250 - Error P03 / Error 6000

This is a major fault. You may be able to fix it yourself if you are willing to take the machine apart and spend some time with it.

Youtube video: Fix error P03

Canon MP250 - Error P07 / Error 5B00 / Error E08

This error is shown when the waste ink absorber is full in the printer. Every time the printer runs a head cleaning routine, it flushes some ink through the print heads to keep them clean and clear. That ink runs in to the waste ink absorber. It is normally a large sponge or tank.

The absorber can be can be cleaned, emptied and reset but it is an extremely difficult and messy process. This means that the printer is at the end of it's life. Be careful when moving and disposing of the printer though. The ink absorber is full and so there is a small chance of the printer leaking when it is moved! To be on the safe side, put it in a large bag first.

Canon MP250 - Error P08 / Error P10 / Error 5200 / Error B200

This error is shown when there is a faulty cartridge or a problem with the logic board in the printer.

Most cases are due to the cartridge, and can be rectified by replacing the faulty cartridge. This can be checked by installing some old cartridges to see if the error clears.

If it is the logic board, it is cheaper to replace the printer than to repair it.

Canon MP250 - Reset Ink Levels on the Cartridges

The printer cannot physically see inside the cartridges to find out how much ink is left. The copper contacts on the outside of the cartridge contain the ink level information. It is not possible to reset the ink levels to full. If you refill your cartridge, the printer will always show an empty cartridge message.

You can override the empty cartridge message by holding down the “stop / reset” button on the printer for around five seconds. The printer should continue printing, and use any of the remaining ink in the cartridge.

If the printer thinks that both cartridges are empty, you will receive a second error message, and you will need to hold the button for another five seconds.

If the electronics on the cartridges have failed, unfortunately this process will not work.

Youtube Video: Override the empty cartridge message.

Canon MP250 - Change Ink Cartridge

Youtube Video: Change Ink Cartridge

Canon MP250 - Maintenance Codes

There are a number of maintenance procedures you can run without the need of a computer. By pressing the maintenance button (looks like a spanner and a screwdriver) repeatedly, you can cycle through the following codes.

  • A - Print nozzle check pattern.
  • H - Run head cleaning routine.
  • Y - Run deep head cleaning routine.
  • u - Print out alignment page.
  • U - Align page
  • L - Print out head position adjustments.
  • b - Clean the paper feed roller.
  • J - Clean the bottom plate.
  • d - Switch paper size.
  • r - Switch to prevent paper abrasion.

Canon MP250 - Nozzle Check

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "A". Now press the black or colour copy button to print out a nozzle check pattern.

If there are any missing lines in the pattern, or white streaks in the blocks of colour, then it may be worth running a head cleaning routine.

If the patterns and blocks of colour are good, then no further action is required.

Canon MP250 - Head Cleaning Routine

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "H". Now press the black or colour copy button to run a head cleaning routine.

This procedure takes some ink from the cartridges and flushes it through the print heads to try and remove any blockages. These blockages are the main causes of poor quality print.

Be warned, every head cleaning routine run will use some of the ink from the cartridges, and is the quickest way to use up all of the ink.

Canon MP250 - Deep Head Cleaning Routine

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "Y". Now press the black or colour copy button to run a deep head cleaning routine.

This procedure is very similar to the standard head cleaning routine, but should be used when there are significant blockages in the print head.

However, this process will use a large quantity of ink in order to flush the print heads. Use this sparingly, it can be very easy to run a few of these procedures and use all of your ink.

Canon MP250 - Alignment Page

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "u". Now press the black or colour copy button to print the alignment page.

If the print is blurry or misaligned, this process should help rectify the problem.

Take the alignment page and place it printed side down on the scanner. Make sure the printed triangle in the corner of the page is aligned to the same corner as the embossed arrow on the plastic surround of the scanner. Close the scanner lid. The LED should now be displaying an uppercase "U". Press the black or colour copy button to complete the automatic alignment.

Canon MP250 - Clean Paper Feed Roller

Remove all paper from the printer.

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "b". Now press the black or colour copy button to run the first cleaning phase of the paper feed roller.

Once the paper feed roller has stopped rotating, place three sheets of plain paper in to the paper tray. Make sure "b" is still showing on the LED and press the black or colour copy button.

Once the cleaning routine has finished, press the stop / reset button to return to stand by mode.

Canon MP250 - Bottom Plate Cleaning

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "J". Now press the black or colour copy button to clean the bottom plate.

If your prints are coming out dirty, there may be stains on the inside of the printer. This procedure will help to clear these away.

Canon MP250 - Switch Paper Size

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "d". Now press the black button to switch to A4, or the colour button to switch to Letter.

Canon MP250 - Prevent Paper Abrasion

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "r". Now press the black button to allow for thicker paper to run through the printer.

Press the maintenance button on the printer repeatedly until the LED displays "r". Now press the colour copy button to allow for thiner paper to run through the printer.