Checking the Ink Level With the Computer Screen

You can confirm the status of each ink tank on the printer status monitor (Windows) and Canon IJ Printer Utility (Macintosh).

What Is A Low Ink Warning?

The Low Ink Warning is the ink counter calculating the a remaining level of ink and advising you that the FINE Cartridges are running out of ink during printing.The ink counter assumes the ink is full when a new FINE Cartridge is installed, and then starts the remaining level of ink. In this instance, if an old FINE Cartridge is installed, a message that the remaining level of ink cannot be detected appears.

When the mark appears on the Low Ink Warning

*Displayed image varies depending on printer model

(A) Check if any symbol appears on the screen.

The ink level of the FINE Cartridge showing the mark is low. You should ensure you have a new FINE Cartridge.

Note: An error message may appear while printing. Confirm the message and take an appropriate action.

Follow the procedure below to open each of the confirmation screens.

1. Open the Printer Properties dialog box.
   
   
2. Click the 'Maintenance' tab and then 'Ink Cartridge Settings'.
   
   
3. Select 'Color only' when the cartridge runs out of Black ink, or select 'Black only' when the cartridge runs out of Color ink, and then click the 'OK' button.
   
   Note: You can also display the printer status monitor by clicking Canon XXX (where "XXX" is your printer's name) which appears on the taskbar during printing.

1. Open the Canon IJ Printer Utility.
   
   
2. Double-click the model name from Name in the Printer List, and then click 'Utility'.
   
   
3. Choose the name of your machine from Product and click the 'Maintenance' button.
   
   
4. Choose Ink Cartridge Settings from the pull down menu.
   
   
5. Select 'Color only' when the cartridge runs out of Black ink, or select 'Black only' when the cartridge runs out of Color ink, and then click the 'Apply' button.

The Black only setting can be used when you select Plain Paper in the Media Type. In this case the Borderless Printing setting cannot be enabled.

If you select Color only or Black only when the cartridge runs out of ink, remember to return the Ink Cartridge Settings to Black and Color after replacing with new one.

When the "?" mark appears on the Low Ink Warning:

If you install an old FINE Cartridge, the "?" icon appears for the FINE Cartridge in question. In this case, the remaining level of ink cannot be calculated correctly. We recommend that you replace the FINE Cartridge with a new one.
If you try printing when "?" mark appears, the following message appears and printing stops.

In either case, clicking [OK] cancels the error indication and enables continuation of printing.
However, the error detection function is disabled after the error indication is canceled, therefore, Low Ink Warning message does not appear later on. When you install a new FINE Cartridge, the Low Ink Warning is enabled automatically.

Canon IJ Printer Utility

1. In the Apple menu select System Preferences
   
   
   
2. Open Print & Fax.
   
   
   
3. Make sure the correct printer is selected and, depending on OS version, click 'Open Print Queue...' or 'Print Queue...'.
   
   
4. If using OS X 10.5 or earlier, proceed to step 5. If using OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard),
   click here for the remaining steps.
   
   
   
5. Click the Utility icon.
   
   
   
6. Select the printer, then click 'Maintenance'.
   
   

Additional steps for OS X 10.6.x

1. Click the Printer Setup icon
   
   
2. Click the Utility tab.
   
   
3. Click Open Printer Utility.
   
   
4. Select the correct printer, then click Maintenance
   
   

Return to Mac Ink Status Instructions