topic Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer in Professional Photo Printers

Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

mavila — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 03:01:30 GMT

Hello,

Hoping I can get some help on this. I recently bought a used Canon Pro-300 printer. When I went to set it up, these two parts were laying on the bottom of the printer floor. Needless to say, I received a error message upon setup. The parts don't look broken. Looks like something that came loose during transit. Would anyone know where they belong and how I might be able to put them back in place?

Thanks in advance

-Manny

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

Jprebla — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 22:19:15 GMT

Hi Manny,

I can't believe it, but I had the exact same issue when I opened my Prograf-300 a couple of weeks ago (July 19, 2023). Same loose plastic pieces. I bought mine new, and luckily it was still under warranty. Very easy replacement with Canon customer service.

Jason

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

mavila — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 04:20:00 GMT

That’s bizarre. Was it shipped to you like that? I was told these parts were off a roller mechanism. Thank God the guy I bought it from on eBay refunded me the money back. From Canon, there was nowhere to send it for repair. Bought a brand new one with extended warranty. The prints we get out of the pro-300 are incredible.

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

Jprebla — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 10:59:47 GMT

Yes, it was shipped to me like that. Glad you got refunded, and got a new printer w warranty. Happy printing!

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

remy73000 — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 08:41:34 GMT

Hello,
I just purchased a second hand Canon Pro 200 and have the same plastic piece detached, do you have any solution ?
Thanks !
Remy

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

mavila — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:09:05 GMT

I was told from Canon there was no solution. Only solution they had was if it was under warranty, they would send a new replacement printer. Nobody works on these printers in the USA. I was fortunate in that the seller refunded me the money on the damaged printer. I went out a bought a new printer with a Canon 4 year warranty.

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

Jprebla — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 20:58:22 GMT

Oh no! I hope that it's still under warranty. Canon did a very speedy exchange. I needed to provide them with a proof of purchase, as follows:

GUIDELINES:

A valid product Proof-of-Purchase* must include all five (5) of the following details:

Retailer name
Retailer address or store #
Date purchased
Specific product purchased
Purchase price

*We will not accept typed receipts, handwritten receipts, receipts with missing, removed or lined out information (Credit Card Information may be lined out.), or UPC Bar Codes from the exterior of Canon product packaging.

The following items are NOT acceptable as valid Proof-of-Purchase unless they include numbers 1 - 5 listed above.

Credit Card statements, bank statements, copies of checks
Order confirmations, payment confirmations
Quote requisitions, or packing slips

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

dglenh12 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:07:41 GMT

Hello,

I am at the next level of this fault. My printer has the exact same issue, unfortunately, I purchased mine from a person on eBay who will not reimburse me and I cannot find a service supplier near me. My pieces are also broken. I am wondering if you still have those pieces laying around and would be willing to send them to me because mine are actually broken, or do you know what they are called so I can try and scour the Internet to purchase some. Thank you so much.

Dan

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

dglenh12 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:09:44 GMT

Hello,

do you still have those pieces laying around? I am trying to figure out what the name of them are or if someone will send them to me so I can fix my printer that is not covered by Canon.

Dan

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

mavila — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 17:34:48 GMT

The loose parts got shipped back with the printer to the person I bought the printer from.

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

martinlouis — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:00:36 GMT

I I have a near problem wih my new PRO-300.
A part is broken on it without a transport problem.

It doesn't work at all.

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

cybn — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:35:15 GMT

Hi, I have the exact same issue with my Pro 300. The parts were loose on the 'back shelf' top left corner when looking at the printer innards from the front. The parts work together somehow. I got error C000 initially, then error 5100. I did not even notice these parts for a few hours troubleshooting. I carefully removed the two parts with a tweezer afterwards. They look like some kind of carriage control / offset markers possibly. This will be a mystery to the previous owner too I imagine. It WAS working for them.

After removing the pieces I got error C600.

Canon UK say that the printer needs repairing.
Maybe so, but why are these parts loose? Where do they fit, if anywhere?
What are they for?

Could Canon tell us what is happening in this case?

UPDATE:

These white plastic pieces are the printhead carriage guide sliders (or part of the internal printhead timing/roller carriage assembly).

This is a well-documented hardware failure among Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 and PRO-200 owners.

Why the Parts Have Fallen Out

Transit/Jolting: These clips are snap-fitted onto the internal metal rail structure of the carriage tracking system. If the printer is tilted heavily, dropped, or violently jolted during shipping or moving, the heavy printhead carriage slams to the side, forcefully dislodging these track guides.
Error C000 / 5100 Connection: Error 5100 explicitly signals a carriage line error (the printhead is physically blocked or can't slide properly). Error C000 indicates a generic hardware purge/feed cycle fault. Without these sliders in place, the carriage clunks around, tilts on its track, triggers the sensor fault, and locks up the printer.

Can You Reattach Them?
Unfortunately, no—this is not a user-serviceable repair.
While the parts themselves rarely look cracked or broken, they must clip behind the main carriage track deep inside the printer assembly. Reinstalling them requires a complete teardown of the internal metal chassis, which is incredibly difficult to re-align properly without proprietary factory jigs.

Recommended Next Steps
1. Warranty Replacement: If your printer is still within its warranty window, contact Canon Support immediately. Because this issue is a known structural response to transit shocks, Canon typically swaps the machine out for a replacement unit without hassle.
2. Transit Claims: If this occurred right after buying it from a retailer or an online seller (like eBay or Facebook Marketplace), file a claim for shipping damage immediately to secure a refund.

Re: Canon Pro-300 Loose Parts in Printer

Stephen — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:23:01 GMT

Those two white plastic pieces are components that sit directly underneath the printhead carriage assembly or are part of the internal roller/paper-feed mechanism.

When these printers are shipped or relocated without their original factory transit locks or heavy-duty tape, severe vibrations cause these specific tracking/alignment parts to shake loose and drop onto the back shelf or the bottom floor of the printer. Once they dislodge, the printer will throw Error 5100 (carriage blocked) or Error C000 (internal mechanism error) because the mechanical timing is completely thrown off.

Is there a fix?

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to snap them back in yourself. There is no official DIY repair guide for this because these pieces sit deep within the chassis under the carriage rail. When this happens under warranty, Canon Customer Support typically treats it as catastrophic transit damage and replaces the entire printer rather than repairing it at the component level. If you just bought this unit used and it arrived this way, your best bet is to contact the seller or look into purchase protection options for transit damage.

How to prevent this in the future

For anyone moving a PRO-300, you have to strictly follow Canon's guidelines to prevent this:

Use Transport Mode: Never just unplug the printer. Use the printer's menu to initiate its official "Transport Mode" (which caps the printhead and locks internal gears). Wait for the power light to go completely dark before pulling the plug.
Immobilize the Carriage: Manually slide the carriage to its home position and secure it tightly with residue-free tape (like painter's tape) so it cannot slide during transit.
Keep it Perfectly Flat: According to the official Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 Manual, you must never tilt the box, turn it on its side, or flip it upside down. Standard shipping couriers (UPS/FedEx) rough-handle boxes, which is why this failure is so common on secondary market sales. It should ideally be transported flat in a personal vehicle.

Hope this helps clear up the mystery, even if it isn't the best news!