Canon Printer in Error State – Common Causes and Quick Fixes

 

Troubleshoot Canon Printer in Error State

So… you’re staring at that dreaded message: “Canon printer in error state.”

Annoying, right? And honestly—way too common. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Canon PIXMA, MAXIFY, or some other model. It usually means the printer is basically throwing a tantrum. Could be software. Could be drivers. Could be some tiny hardware hiccup. The silver lining: most of the time, you don’t need to drag it to a repair shop. You can fix it yourself.


Let’s go through what usually causes it (the boring but useful part) and then what you can actually do about it.


Why Canon Printers Throw the Error State Fit


There’s no single reason, which is why it’s so annoying. Here’s the usual lineup:

Shaky connections

USB loose. Wi-Fi dropping. Printer isn’t showing up on your computer. Basically, it can’t talk to your PC properly.


Drivers gone bad

Canon printers need drivers to work with your computer. If those drivers are old, corrupted, or just not the right ones… error state.


Print spooler being weird (Windows thing)

The print spooler is like a little manager that queues your print jobs. When it freezes, nothing moves. And then the printer sulks.


Hardware quirks

Paper jam. Low ink. Cartridge sitting slightly crooked. Yep, something this small can bring the whole thing down.


Firmware or software bugs

Sometimes Canon pushes an update that accidentally causes issues. Or your system updates and suddenly the printer doesn’t like it.


Quick Fixes (Stuff You Can Actually Try)


Alright, enough with the causes. Here’s the hands-on bit:


1. Restart everything and check the cables/wifi

I know, cliché advice. But seriously. Plug the USB back in, or reconnect Wi-Fi from the printer panel. Then restart both the printer and your computer. Fixes more than you’d think.


2. Update or reinstall the drivers

Go to Canon’s support site, download the latest driver for your model. Uninstall the old one first. If you’re on Windows, you can also right-click the printer in Device Manager and hit “Update driver.” Fresh drivers = fewer errors.


3. Reset the print spooler (Windows only)

This one’s a bit geeky but not hard:


  • Press Windows + R

  • Type services.msc and hit Enter

  • Find “Print Spooler,” right-click, hit Restart

  • Also clear out any jobs stuck in the queue


4. Check the cartridges

Canon printers are super picky here. Turn off the printer, open it up, and take the cartridges out. Put them back in carefully until they click. If they’re empty or messed up—replace them with Canon ones (not knockoffs).


5. Hard reset the printer

Unplug the power cord while it’s off. Wait like 5 minutes (make yourself coffee). Plug it back in, power it on. This wipes out little glitches hiding in memory.


6. Update the firmware

Some models let you do this straight from the control panel. Otherwise, grab it from Canon’s site. Outdated firmware = surprise errors.

Wrap-Up


“Error state” sounds dramatic, but nine times out of ten it’s something you can fix in a few minutes. Check the basics, update what’s outdated, reset what’s stuck. And yeah, always stick to Canon’s own drivers and cartridges. It saves you from a lot of these headaches.

If you’ve gone through all this and it’s still giving you grief, then it’s time to call Canon Support or hand it over to a service center.

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