Why Canon Printer Prints Blank Pages? [SOLVED]

Canon Printer printing blank pages is a common but annoying issue for Canon printer users.

But what is the solution? Read through this article and know what to do if your Canon printer prints black pages.

Also read: How To Fix Canon Printer Offline Issue?

How To Fix The Printer Printing Blank Pages In Canon?

Contents

Follow the steps given below and fix the problem when a Canon printer prints black pages.

1. Restart The Printer

When your Canon printer prints blank pages, restart it. A fresh restart can fix the temporary glitches.

Follow the steps below to do so:

Switch off the printer and unplug all the cables and peripherals attached to the printer.
Wait for several minutes. Then connect all the cables, and turn on the printer.

Try a test print. If the printer still prints blank pages, go to the next solution.

2. Skip The Blank Pages

If the document you want to print has some blank pages, then your printer may print some blank pages.

If the printing document is small in size, then go to print preview options and omit all the blank pages.

But if you have a large number of documents to print, then follow the steps below to do so:

Windows

Search Printers & scanners from the Windows search bar and select the first displayed option.
After the Printers & Scanners menu opens, click on the Printer and select the Manage button.

Click on the Printing preferences option from the next window.

Choose the Skip Blank Page option and select Ok to close the window, and save the changes.

Mac

From the Main menu, choose System Preferences.
Click on the Print & Scan / Print & Fax / Printers & Scanners option and choose your device.
Click on the Options & Supplies option.
Click on the Driver or Options.
Alter the Skip Blank Pager option to On.
Finally, click on Ok.

Now, restart the printing process and check if the issue is resolved; otherwise go to the next solution.

3. Check Cartridges

Check the ink cartridges when your canon printer is printing blank pages. Make sure the ink tank is not empty.

Search for Control Panel on the Windows search bar and select the first option.
Change the View by to Large Icons and select the Devices and Printers option.

In this window, you’ll see all the printers connected to your system.
Select the printer and from the next section, you’ll see the ink levels at the bottom.

If you see that the ink is low or empty, then fill the ink- cartridges.

If you need to replace one, buy an original product, and it must be adequately re-connected.

To connect the cartridges to your device, follow the instructions below:

Switch On your printer.
Open the ink door and remove the ink cartridges while the device is On.
Now, unplug all the power cables.
Leave for at least 1 minute.
Insert the ink cartridges very gently but firmly.
Put the power cable back and switch on the printer.

After restarting the printer, it will perform a warm-up cycle and re-arrange all the temporary issues.

Now, after the process completes, insert the ink cartridges and start to print. If the problem persists, go to the next solution.

4. Clear The Print Head

A dirty and clotted print head can trigger the problem. To clean the print heads, follow the steps below to solve the issue:

Manually

Turn off your Printer.
Remove all ink tanks or cartridges one by one from your printer.
Place the cartridges on a clean paper or tissue in an inverted position.
Now, remove the print head very carefully from the printer.
Clean the print head’s back position with a microfiber cloth by damping it in warm water.
Clean the nozzle position until no black ink is sticking to the fabric.
Soak in lukewarm water or hold in running tap water for 10 minutes to clean the print head.
Wash properly, and then dry the print head by covering it with a dry towel or lint-free cloth sheet.
Now place it on tissue paper for a minimum of 15 minutes to air-dry.
Place the print head on the cartridge and insert it into their respective slots.

For Windows (Automatically)

Press Windows + R to open the Run Utility.
On the dialog box, type control and hit the Enter key to open the Control panel.
Select the Hardware and Sound option from the list.
Choose the Devices and Printers and right-click on your product, and click on Printer Properties.

Click on Maintenance and choose the Clean Heads option, and select Ok.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

For Mac

Select the System Preferences from the Apple menu.
Choose the Printers and Scanners option and click on the Machine
Select the Options & Supplies option.
Choose the Utility button, and select the Open Printer Utility.
From the Status monitor screen, selects the Control menu and click on Maintenance.
Select the Print Head Cleaning option from the following screen menu.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Then turn on the printer and check if the issue is resolved.

5. Align The Printer

If the cartridge is not correctly aligned, then this may also cause the Canon printer to print blank pages.

Follow the instructions below to align the printer:

For Windows:

Turn on the Power of the device.
Load any paper in the tray and leave it there.
Open the paper tray and also open the extension of the tray.
Launch the Canon Printer Setup Window.
Navigate to the Maintenance tab, and select the Print Head Alignment.
Confirm the pop-up notification and select the Align Print Head option.

Wait until the printers rearrange the print head, and don’t power off or intervene in the operations.

For Mac:

Power on the device.
Leave some plain paper on the paper tray and open the tray with tray extension.
Launch the Canon IJ Printer
Select the Test print from the drop-down pop menu.
Click on the Print-head alignment.
Confirm the display message.

Wait until the printers rearrange the print head.

6. Troubleshoot Printer (Windows)

Windows have an in-built troubleshooter option, which automatically solves some temporary issues. Run the troubleshooter if your Canon printer is still printing blank pages.

Press Windows + I to open the Settings option.
Click on the Update & Security option from the list.

From the left panel, select the Troubleshoot option.
Select the Additional troubleshooters from the right-panel option.

Choose Printer from the list and click on the Run the Troubleshoot option.

After the process completes, check if the problem is solved; otherwise, go to the next solution.

7. Update Printer Driver

If your system is missing the latest printer patch, then update the driver.

To do so, follow the steps below:

Press Windows + R to open the Run Utillity.
Type devmgmt.msc on the dialog box and press the Enter key to open the Device Manager.

Expand the Print queues option, right-click on the model number, and select the Update driver option.

Select the Search automatically for drivers option from the next window.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. After the process completes, restart the PC and check if the issue is resolved.

8. Check Paper Tray

Make sure that there is enough paper in the paper tray and also if it is set correctly.

Check that the paper size is correct and the quality matches your desired type.

9. Remove Tape

After troubleshooting all the processes, check your cartridge guard tape if you are still facing the problem.

Sometimes, when changing the cartridges, the protective tape remains there and causes the issue.

So, remove the cartridges gently and then check for the tape.

Remove the tape if it is there and reinsert the cartridges.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]

1. Why Is My Canon Printer Printing Blank Pages?

There are various reasons for your printer to print blank pages, like blank pages on the print document, low or empty ink tank, empty paper tray, outdated driver, and clotted print nozzle.

2. How Do I Fix My Printer From Printing Blank Pages?

If you want to fix the printer from printing blank pages, restart your printer, update the driver, troubleshoot the printer, refill the cartridge, skip blank pages on the documents and clear the print head.

3. Why Is My Printer Printing Blank When It Has Ink?

If your printer has ink in cartridges but still printing blank pages, then skip the blank pages in the documents, clear the print heads and outdated driver and remove the protective tap from your cartridges.