There are a few ways to check the ink levels on your printer.

Check ink levels from the printer operation panel

You can confirm the ink status from the LED lights on the printer:

Check to see which lights are lit:

• ​Alarm lamp (1)

• Color ink lamp (2)

• Black ink lamp (3)

If the color (2) or black ink lamp (3) is lit, the ink is running low.

If the color (2) or black (3) ink lamp flashes, while the alarm lamp is lit, an error has occurred.

 In the illustration above, all the lamps on the operation panel are shown lit for explanatory purposes.

Check ink levels from your computer

• ​ Windows
  From a Windows computer, you can check ink levels from the Canon IJ Status Monitor (also called the "Canon IJ XPS Status Monitor").
  The IJ Status Monitor automatically launches when you send data to the printer. The printer button appears on the task bar.

  
  
  To check ink levels:

1. Click on the printer icon in the task bar. The printer dialog screen displays.

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2. Select Ink Details at the top of the screen for complete information.
    To open the Canon IJ Status Monitor when the machine isn't printing, open the printer driver setup window and select View Printer Status from the Maintenance tab.
    When you receive a notice about the remaining ink level, a mark appears above the ink icon

• Mac

You can check ink levels from the Canon IJ Printer Utility.

1. Open the Canon IJ Printer Utility menu.

2. Select Ink Level Information from the pop-up menu. An illustration of the ink types and their status displays.
    Select the question mark icon  to check which FINE cartridge your model uses.
    Select Update to display the current remaining ink level.
    When you receive a notice about the remaining ink level, a mark appears above the ink icon. For example: The ink is running low.

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Ink error messages

The ink level detector is part of the machine and detects ink levels. The machine considers the ink full when a new cartridge is installed. After that, it starts to detect the remaining ink level. If you install a used cartridge, the indicated ink level may not be correct. In such case, refer to the ink level information only as a guide.

When remaining ink cautions or errors occur, the error code will displays on the LED to inform you of the error. Check the error code and take appropriate action.

For some types of errors, the alarm lamp may not light.