topic Re: Inconsistent printing spacing MegaTank PIXMA G3290 in Desktop Inkjet Printers

Inconsistent printing spacing MegaTank PIXMA G3290

Rove_Scholar — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:09:09 GMT

Hello,
I just purchased a MegaTank PIXMA G3290 and have been borderless printing on card stock cards. Most of the time it works great but about 25% of the time it messes up the print in the same way by offsetting the print by a half an inch.

I've tried messing with every software setting to no avail. Wonder if it's a software fix or a physical defect.

Re: Inconsistent printing spacing MegaTank PIXMA G3290

DerrickL — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:59:00 GMT

Inconsistent print spacing or shifting margins on a new Canon PIXMA G3290—especially when printing precise templates like trading cards—is typically caused by loose physical paper guides, incorrect software scaling settings, or heavy cardstock slipping against the feed rollers.

Physical Feed Troubleshooting

Loose Paper Guides: Ensure the plastic edge guides in the paper tray are pushed completely snug against the paper stack to prevent twisting.
Cardstock Roller Slippage: Heavy or thick specialty cardstocks can cause friction rollers to slip momentarily, creating variable top and bottom margins.
Paper Curl: Flatten thick cardstock completely before printing to keep the leading edge from hitting internal components at an angle.

Software and Driver Setup

Disable Scaling Options: Set your print dialog settings to Actual Size or 100% rather than "Fit to Page" or "Shrink to Fit".
Match Media Profiles: Check that the paper size and media type in your software match the exact size and type registered on the printer's LCD screen.
Turn Off Borderless Expansion: Borderless printing stretches and crops your image slightly; use standard bordered settings with custom manual cutting marks instead.

Printer Maintenance

Align the Print Head: Run a Manual Print Head Alignment from the printer's utility or maintenance menu to correct factory carriage drift.
Clean the Feed Rollers: Use the built-in roller cleaning maintenance routine to remove manufacturing dust or paper debris from the friction mechanism.

If you would like to pinpoint the issue further, let me know:

What software application are you using to send the print job?
What weight or type of paper (e.g., 110lb cardstock, glossy photo paper) are you currently using?
Is the spacing drifting vertically (top-to-bottom) or horizontally (left-to-right) across pages?

Re: Inconsistent printing spacing MegaTank PIXMA G3290

Rove_Scholar — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:13:11 GMT

It's drifting vertically. I am using this product:

Cleaning the rollers seemed to fix the problem for ten prints then it started again. I am using photoshop to send the print job. I think it is a roller problem.

[Commercial link removed per forum guidelines and replaced with screenshot to serve as visual aid.]

Re: Inconsistent printing spacing MegaTank PIXMA G3290

Rove_Scholar — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:48:37 GMT

Found a fix! Increasing the ink dry time and setting the paper to higher gloss than the paper itself must help the roller grab the paper better. Thank you for all the help!