How to Perform a Self-Test on a Canon Photo Inkjet Printer

Performing a self-test can give you helpful diagnostic information when you are troubleshooting your inkjet printer. Every model has a slightly different method, so here’s how you can find out how to run a self-test on your Canon Photo Inkjet Printer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Canon Photo Inkjet Printer

1. Read the manual for the quickest way to find out how to do a self-test on your printer.
2. Check the Canon Web site if you have misplaced your manual. Click on the "Support" link for assistance.
3. Next, click on "Product Support" under the "Consumer Products" heading.
4. Find your model. There will be three pull-down menus. Choose your printer from each menu.
5. Download the user manual. If the manual is available online, you can download it on the next page.
6. Search commercial sites. Some Web sites are reselling manuals online for a small fee.
7. Try some of the following methods. Hold the "Resume," "Cancel" or "Power" button for five seconds. Or hold the "Resume" and "Cancel" buttons as you power on. Or finally, hold both the "Resume" and "Cancel" buttons at the same time for five seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• Not all printers have a self-test function, but all can print test pages from the drivers. Open "Printer Properties" from the "Control Panel" and go to the "Maintenance" tab for this task.
• Take advantage of the other technical support pages on the Canon Web site. There is step by step troubleshooting as well as e-mail technical support.
• Printing the self-test page lets you know if your ink is low, your nozzles are clogged or if you need to realign the print heads.
• Test pages take a lot of ink, so don’t print them unless you need to.