Canon Error Code B200: Meaning, Causes & Fix
A printer error has occurred — Canon's manuals define B200 only that far and route it directly to 'turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, then contact the service center'. Canon USA's guidance for the B200-B207 family and Canon's own support staff identify the print head hardware as the likely failure behind it.
B200 is the most feared code in the PIXMA line, and the first honest thing to say about it is what Canon itself says — which is deliberately little. In Canon's user manuals (the MX870 Advanced Guide is representative) the entry reads, in full substance: 'Error Number: B200 — a printer error has occurred. Turn the printer off and unplug the power cord of the machine from the power supply. Then contact the service center.' No cause, no owner procedure, no parts list: Canon treats B200 as a terminal hardware report, not a troubleshooting invitation. What Canon does add, in its other channels, is the direction of the fault. Canon USA's support article for B203 states for the whole range that if the error code B200-B207 reappears after a power reset, 'the print head hardware has likely failed, and your printer needs service' — and Canon support staff answering B200 questions on Canon's own community describe it the same way, as a print head error and a general internal hardware failure. Two popular claims need separating from that record. The first is the widespread description of B200 as a 'print head voltage error': that phrase does not appear in Canon's documentation checked for this page, and Canon publishes no voltage value, test or threshold for it — it is technician shorthand that hardened into folklore, and this site does not present it as Canon's definition. The second is the collection of button-press 'B200 bypass' rituals: Canon documents exactly one owner action for this family, the manual power reset in the B203 article, and anything beyond it is not a Canon procedure. On LED-display models, B200 never appears as text at all — Canon's LED page renders it as P10, with the same instruction: off, unplug, service centre.
What causes the B200 code on a Canon printer?
Print head hardware failure
The cause Canon's own channels name. Canon USA's B203 article states it for the entire B200-B207 range: if the code reappears after the documented power reset, the print head hardware has likely failed. The print head is the hardest-worked component in the printer — thousands of heater elements firing millions of times, in a hot, ink-wet environment — and B200 is characteristically an end-of-life report on a printer that has printed for years, often arriving after a period of degrading output (missing colours, streaks the cleanings stopped fixing) that was the head announcing its decline. On models with a user-replaceable head, Canon's service path replaces the head; on sealed models the same failure is a whole-printer service decision.
Another internal hardware failure
Canon staff describe B200 as a general hardware/internal error as well as a print head error, and the manual's wording — 'a printer error has occurred', full stop — is written to cover the whole class: a logic board fault, a failed internal sensor or a power fault inside the machine can present with the same code, because the printer reports the class of failure, not the component. This matters practically in one place: on a model with a replaceable head, a B200 that survives a known-good replacement head has told you the fault was in this wider class all along, and further parts swapping by guesswork is money spent against Canon's own routing, which is service diagnosis.
A transient internal error state
The one non-terminal cause, and the reason Canon documents a power reset for the family at all: the B203 article's procedure — turn off, unplug, wait at least two minutes, plug back in, turn on — exists because a B200-range code can occasionally be a corrupted internal state rather than a dead part, and a full power drain clears it. Canon's framing is precise about the odds and the order: try the reset once, and if the code reappears, the print head hardware has likely failed. A B200 cleared by the reset and never seen again was this cause; a B200 that returns at the next power-on was never this cause, however many times the reset is repeated.
Failure arriving immediately after head or cartridge work
A B200 appearing at the first power-up after a head replacement, reseating or deep manual cleaning deserves one specific reading before the parts verdict: something in that work left the head assembly in a state the printer reads as a hardware fault — a head not fully latched, a contact not met, a wrong head for the model. Canon does not publish a B200 reseat procedure (its manual routing is straight to service), but its U051/U052 documentation for the same head assemblies shows how strictly these printers judge head installation. The honest owner step is verifying the correct head is fitted and latched, plus one power reset; beyond that, Canon's routing governs.
Checks to run before you replace anything
- Read the exact code before acting: B200 itself, or a sibling (B201-B205 have their own page here; Canon's range guidance covers B200-B207 as one family). On an LED-display model the same fault shows as P10.
- Before unplugging a fax model (MX series), print or forward any faxes stored in memory — Canon's manuals warn that unplugging deletes stored faxes, and B200's own procedure starts with unplugging.
- Perform Canon's documented manual power reset exactly once, as the B203 article specifies: printer off, power cord unplugged, wait at least two minutes, plug back in, turn on. Note the result precisely — cleared, cleared-then-returned during start-up, or never cleared.
- If the printer has just had head or cartridge work, verify the basics the printer itself judges: the correct print head for the model is fitted (a wrong head is its own documented error family, U052) and it is latched as the manual's installation procedure describes. Do not improvise beyond verification.
- Look for the context that separates the causes: age and recent print quality (a head in decline usually announced itself in output first), whether the code followed a power cut or a move, and whether it is the printer's first B200 or a return. Write it down — it is what Canon service will ask.
- Do not run the internet's bypass rituals: no documented Canon procedure exists beyond the one power reset, and repeatedly power-cycling a printer with a failed head only re-stresses the hardware the code is protecting.
How do i fix a canon printer error code b200?
- Canon’s documented fix list for B200 is short because Canon intends it to be: (1) the manual power reset from the B203 article, once; (2) if the code reappears — service. Everything below is the honest unfolding of those two steps, not additional Canon remedies.
- If the power reset clears B200 and the printer completes start-up and prints, the fault was the transient state: use the printer, but treat a second B200 in the following days as the verdict changing — Canon's condition for 'print head hardware has likely failed' is precisely that the code reappears.
- If B200 reappears, stop resetting and contact Canon or an authorised service centre, quoting the code, the model, and the reset result. Canon's manual routing for B200 is the service centre, and its family guidance names the likely part: the print head hardware.
- On models with a user-replaceable print head, a service-guided head replacement is the family's one parts fix — use the exact head for the model, fitted by the manual's procedure. A B200 that survives a correct, known-good head is a main-unit fault, and Canon's routing (service diagnosis, or replacement economics on an older machine) takes over.
- Make the service-versus-replace decision with real numbers: get the service quote for your model first. On an elderly consumer PIXMA, a print-head-level repair can approach the price of a current replacement printer — the same calculation Canon itself teaches for the absorber in its 5B00 guidance — and a written quote is the only honest way to run it.
- Document the outcome either way: if the reset cleared B200, record the date; if it did not, that record plus the model's age and print-quality history is the service brief. Canon's verdict makes the reappearance itself the diagnostic fact, so the timeline is evidence, not bookkeeping.
The part that usually fails: The print head
Canon's family guidance names the part plainly: for a B200-range code that survives the documented power reset, 'the print head hardware has likely failed'. The print head is model-specific — on removable-head PIXMA models it is the assembly the ink tanks snap into; on FINE-cartridge models the head is part of each cartridge, which is why a cartridge swap occasionally changes a B200 story on those machines even though Canon does not publish it as the fix. Outside the head, the other internal hardware in Canon's 'general hardware failure' description (logic board and internal power components) is service-diagnosed, never owner-specified — do not buy boards on a guess against a code Canon routes to diagnosis.
How to reset / clear the B200 code
B200's only Canon-documented 'reset' is the manual power reset in Canon USA's B203 article, written for the B200-B207 range: turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, wait at least two minutes, plug it back in and turn it on. Its documented meaning is a test, not a cure: if the code reappears, Canon's conclusion is already written — the print head hardware has likely failed and the printer needs service. There is no Canon button sequence, service-mode entry or cartridge ritual that resets B200, and the many that circulate online are not Canon procedures; on an LED model the same fault (P10) gets Canon's plainest instruction of all — off, unplug, contact the service centre.
Canon documents one general power reset for its printers, in the form given in Canon USA's B203 article and repeated across its support-code procedures: turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, wait at least two minutes, plug the cord back in, and turn the printer on. The LED-display manuals give the same motion in shorter form for undocumented errors (turn off, unplug, plug back in, turn on; if the error remains, contact the service centre). This reset clears transient internal states only — Canon's guidance is explicit for code families like B200-B207 that a code which reappears after the reset has given its verdict (there, likely print head hardware failure and service). Two standing cautions attach to the unplug step on Canon machines: on fax models (the MX line), unplugging deletes faxes stored in the printer's memory, so retrieve them first; and for imageRUNNER copiers, user power cycling is not an error clear at all — iR errors are cleared in service mode (COPIER > FUNCTION > CLEAR > ERR) by a technician after the fault is repaired, and repeated clearing of protection codes like E001 without repair defeats a safety function.
Why does the B200 code keep coming back?
A B200 that clears on the power reset and returns within days is following Canon's own decision rule to its conclusion: the reset distinguishes a transient state from a failing head, and a return is the failing head declaring itself — typically failing progressively, so the intervals shorten (clears for a week, then a day, then not at all) as the head's remaining life runs out. Heat and workload accelerate it: long photo runs on a marginal head are the classic trigger for the next return. Once the return pattern is established, further resets are not a management strategy; Canon's guidance has already given the verdict the returns confirm.
How to stop B200 coming back
- Print head hardware failure: The cause Canon's own channels name. Canon USA's B203 article states it for the entire B200-B207 range: if the code reappears after the documented power reset, the print head hardware has likely failed. The print head is the hardest-worked component in the printer — thousands of heater elements firing millions of times, in a hot, ink-wet environment — and B200 is characteristically an end-of-life report on a printer that has printed for years, often arriving after a period of degrading output (missing colours, streaks the cleanings stopped fixing) that was the head announcing its decline. On models with a user-replaceable head, Canon's service path replaces the head; on sealed models the same failure is a whole-printer service decision.
- Another internal hardware failure: Canon staff describe B200 as a general hardware/internal error as well as a print head error, and the manual's wording — 'a printer error has occurred', full stop — is written to cover the whole class: a logic board fault, a failed internal sensor or a power fault inside the machine can present with the same code, because the printer reports the class of failure, not the component. This matters practically in one place: on a model with a replaceable head, a B200 that survives a known-good replacement head has told you the fault was in this wider class all along, and further parts swapping by guesswork is money spent against Canon's own routing, which is service diagnosis.
- A transient internal error state: The one non-terminal cause, and the reason Canon documents a power reset for the family at all: the B203 article's procedure — turn off, unplug, wait at least two minutes, plug back in, turn on — exists because a B200-range code can occasionally be a corrupted internal state rather than a dead part, and a full power drain clears it. Canon's framing is precise about the odds and the order: try the reset once, and if the code reappears, the print head hardware has likely failed. A B200 cleared by the reset and never seen again was this cause; a B200 that returns at the next power-on was never this cause, however many times the reset is repeated.
Retrieving stored fault codes on Canon printers
How a Canon code reaches you depends on the platform's display, and the display tells you which code language you are in. LCD PIXMA and MAXIFY models show the full support code (four digits, or alphanumeric like 5B00, B200, C000) on the printer's screen and in the computer's status monitor, together with a plain-language message on many models. LED-display PIXMA models cannot show four characters, so they render the same faults as alternating E or P letters with digits (E, 0, 4) and flash the Alarm lamp in counted patterns — Canon's manuals publish the translation tables (support code 1688 is E16 and 16 flashes on the families that use flash counts; P02 is support code 5100). imageRUNNER copiers show E codes with a subcode (for example E805-0001) on the control panel, with full detail held in service mode and error logs; the send function on imageRUNNER and imageCLASS machines reports its own #-prefixed codes (#751, #802...) on the Status Monitor/Cancel screen's job details and printed in the Results column of the Communication Management Report. First diagnostic act on any Canon: read the code in the language the machine is speaking, then use that language's table — never another platform's.
Other Canon printer error codes
| Code | Meaning | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| 5B00 | The waste ink absorber is full. The printer's internal waste-ink counter has reached its limit and Canon stops the printer until the absorber is serviced — 5B00 (with its siblings 5B01 and 5B12-5B15) is the full state that the 1700/1701 'almost full' warnings precede. | There is no owner fix in Canon's documentation, and that is the fix section's honest headline: 5B00 is resolved by absorber service — a service centre replaces the waste ink absorber pads and resets the waste-ink counter as one job. |
| 5C02 | PIXMA support code: Canon's consumer documentation says only 'a printer error has occurred' for 5C02 — Canon publishes no more specific consumer meaning for this code | Turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, plug it back in and turn it on, exactly as Canon's manual page directs; if 5C02 is still displayed, contact the Canon service centre |
| 1000 | PIXMA support code: there is no paper in the rear tray | Load paper in the rear tray and press the Black/Color button (or OK/Resume) to continue printing |
| 1300 | PIXMA support code: paper is jammed in the paper output slot | Pull the jammed paper out slowly with both hands, check inside the machine for torn pieces, then press the resume button; if the paper tears and stays inside, Canon directs you to the service centre |
| 1401 | PIXMA support code: the print head is not installed (on FINE-cartridge models: the FINE cartridge is not installed). Canon USA's MX922 article words the 1401/1403/1405 group as the print head not being installed or possibly being damaged | Install the correct print head or FINE cartridge properly; if the code stays with a correctly installed head, Canon routes you to the service centre |
| 1403 | PIXMA support code: the FINE cartridge cannot be recognized — the appropriate FINE cartridge is not installed. Canon groups 1403 with 1401 and 1405 on MX922-class machines (print head not installed or may be damaged) | Install the appropriate FINE cartridge for the model; if a correct, known-good cartridge still gives 1403, Canon directs you to the service centre |
| 1472 | PIXMA G-series (MegaTank) support code: the print head cannot be recognized — it may not be installed properly or may not be compatible with the machine | Remove and reinstall the print heads in their correct left/right positions following Canon's procedure for your G model; if 1472 persists, replace the print head — and if it still persists, contact Canon service |
| 1660 | PIXMA support code (models with separate ink tanks): the ink tank is not installed | Install the ink tank for the colour the printer indicates, push it until it seats, and close the cover |
| 1682 | PIXMA support code (LED models show E15): the FINE cartridge cannot be recognized — Canon's manual table equates it with U150, an ink cartridge hardware error; the cartridge may be damaged | Reinstall the FINE cartridge; if 1682 returns, replace the cartridge — Canon's documented remedy for this code is replacement, not cleaning |
| 1684 | PIXMA support code (LED models show E14): the ink cartridge (ink tank) cannot be recognized | Install the appropriate ink tank for the model, seated fully; press Stop to cancel a job you do not need, per Canon's page |
| 1686 | PIXMA support code (LED models show E13): the ink may have run out — the remaining ink level cannot be correctly detected | Replace the cartridge, or hold the Stop button for at least 5 seconds to continue printing with the remaining-ink detection function disabled — Canon notes the level will then show as unknown |
| 1687 | PIXMA support code (LED models show E04): the FINE cartridge is not installed properly | Open the cover, take the FINE cartridge out and reinstall it until it locks in place, then close the cover and resume |
| 1688 | PIXMA support code (LED models show E16): the ink has run out | Replace the ink tank or cartridge and close the panel. To keep printing temporarily, hold Stop for at least 5 seconds to release the remaining-ink detection — Canon warns that printing under ink-out conditions may damage the machine and that it accepts no liability for damage caused that way |
| 1700 | PIXMA support code: the waste ink absorber is almost full (the warning stage before 5B00) | Press OK (or the Black/Color button) to continue printing for now, and arrange service — once the absorber is completely full the printer stops with 5B00 and only service or replacement resolves it |
See the full list on the Canon Printer error codes hub.
Codes B200 gets confused with
C000 — Printer error (MX922-class): Canon USA's dedicated MX922 article documents exactly three causes — packing material (the orange tape) not fully removed, an ink tank not seated properly, or an obstruction in the paper feed path. On some other models Canon groups C000 as a generic printer error handled by power cycle, then service. C000 needs to be rescued from its own internet reputation before it can be fixed, because the popular account of it is not Canon's.
5200 — Print head temperature rise error — Canon's service-manual name for 5200. The print head has overheated; Canon's consumer guidance ties the code to low remaining ink or a defective cartridge, and on G-series/MAXIFY models to ink not reaching the head. Support code 5200 is the PIXMA print head's thermal protection trip, and Canon documents it at two depths that agree with each other.
5B00 — The waste ink absorber is full. The printer's internal waste-ink counter has reached its limit and Canon stops the printer until the absorber is serviced — 5B00 (with its siblings 5B01 and 5B12-5B15) is the full state that the 1700/1701 'almost full' warnings precede. Every PIXMA inkjet throws away ink on purpose.
6000 — Canon's service-manual name is 'Line feed error [6000]' — the paper feed mechanism has faulted. Canon's consumer articles describe the same event as a printer error usually caused by jammed paper or a foreign object stuck in the paper feed path. Support code 6000 sits at the seam between Canon's two documentation depths, and reading both is what makes it make sense.
Frequently asked questions
What does Canon error code B200 mean?
Canon's manuals define it only as 'a printer error has occurred' and route it straight to the service centre. Canon's own guidance for the family adds the substance: Canon USA's B203 article states that if a B200-B207 code reappears after a power reset, the print head hardware has likely failed — and Canon support staff describe B200 the same way, as a print head / general internal hardware failure. It is a terminal hardware report, not a jam or a settings error.
How do I fix Canon error code B200?
Do the one thing Canon documents, then accept its verdict: the manual power reset from Canon USA's B203 article (off, unplug, wait at least two minutes, replug, on). If B200 clears and stays cleared, it was a transient state. If it reappears, Canon's fix is service — with the print head the named likely part, replaceable by the owner only on models whose manual makes the head a user part, and always with the exact head for the model. There is no other Canon-documented fix.
How do I reset Canon error code B200?
With the manual power reset only: turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, wait at least two minutes, plug it back in, turn it on (Canon USA's B203 article, written for the whole B200-B207 range). Understand what it is: a test Canon prescribes once. A B200 that reappears after it has, by Canon's own wording, identified the print head hardware as the likely failure — repeating the reset does not change the diagnosis, and no other reset procedure for B200 exists in Canon's documentation.
Is B200 a print head voltage error?
That description is everywhere online, but it is not Canon's. No Canon document checked for this page defines B200 by voltage or publishes any voltage value or test for it. Canon's documented position is narrower and more useful: a printer error whose family's likely failed part is the print head hardware (Canon USA, B200-B207 guidance), described by Canon staff as a print head / general hardware failure. Diagnose by Canon's procedure — one power reset, then service — not by chasing a voltage figure Canon never gave.
My PIXMA MX922 shows B200 — what should I do?
Work Canon's family procedure on the MX922: first protect your data — the MX922 stores received faxes in memory, and Canon warns unplugging deletes them, so print or forward them if the printer lets you. Then the one documented power reset (off, unplug at least two minutes, on). If B200 reappears — the common outcome — Canon's routing is service with the print head the likely failed part; the MX922's head is a service-level decision on a machine of its age, so get the quote before authorising parts.
B200 on a PIXMA MG5320 — is it worth repairing?
Canon's framework, applied honestly: try the documented power reset once; if B200 reappears, the print head hardware has likely failed, and the question becomes economic. The MG5320 is an older consumer model, so price the two real options against each other — a service quote for diagnosis/head replacement, and a current equivalent printer — exactly the comparison Canon itself teaches for its other terminal code, 5B00. What is not an option in Canon's documentation is a home bypass: no sequence of buttons makes a failed head print again.
How do i fix a canon printer error code b200?
Start here: Canon’s documented fix list for B200 is short because Canon intends it to be: (1) the manual power reset from the B203 article, once; (2) if the code reappears — service. Everything below is the honest unfolding of those two steps, not additional Canon remedies. If the power reset clears B200 and the printer completes start-up and prints, the fault was the transient state: use the printer, but treat a second B200 in the following days as the verdict changing — Canon's condition for 'print head hardware has likely failed' is precisely that the code reappears.
Related guides
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