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PIXMA MX432 blurred printing after paper jam

tvisingardi
Apprentice

I had a paper jam on my MX432 and since then my print is blurred, shadowing, double printing.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Typically after a paper jam the encoder strip gets dirty. Cleaning it usually resolves this issue. Heres how to check it. If you open up the front where the paper prints, theres a clear strip that goes from left to right (its right above the greasy metal strip). If the strip is dirty (typically with ink smudges), clean with a little bit of water and q-tips. BE GENTLE! And, be sure to UNPLUG the machine before proceeding. After cleaning do a test print to confirm.

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40 REPLIES 40

toniguest
Apprentice
Worked normal straight away thank God!

mkla78
Apprentice

I was worried that I was mistaken, because the strip is clear (finding the greasy metal strip was easy enough), and my q-tips came up clean, and I felt like I'd done nothing.  But sure enough, it worked!! Thank you so much! There are few things more frustrating than a non-functioning printer and I'm so relived the solution was so simple.  I too had a jam on my MG3220, and afterwards my pages were blurry.  I too tried cleaning and deep cleaning to no avail.  Thank you!!

Kikamnoor
Apprentice
I'm using Cannon E510 and have problem with double letter. I've done with what you told above but it didn't solve my problem. Help me

Hi, Kikamnoor!

Welcome to The Canon Forums, and thanks for posting!

We appreciate your participation, though we need to let you know that your product appears to be a model that is not supported by our team here at Canon USA.  The Canon Community Forum is hosted and moderated within the United States by Canon USA. We are only able to provide support for Canon products manufactured for and used within the US market.

If you live outside the United States, please click HERE and select your country to find support in your part of the world.

Feel free to discuss Canon products sold outside of the United States, but please be aware that you will not receive support directly from Canon USA.

Thanks for choosing Canon!

sarah-doan
Apprentice
Omg you are brilliant. My boyfriend was ready to “smash it into itty bitty pieces” last night and tonight i researched myself and fixed it in 30 seconds. Thanks SO mhch

Jeffenwolf
Apprentice
Thanks for the great solution!

Donnahorse
Apprentice
I am so glad I found this post. It worked a miracle on my printer and saved me having to buy a new one. Thank you, thank you!

Stevens579
Apprentice

June 2020, and this advice is as pertinent today as it was when this was first posted in 2014.  Thank you for this community and all those that post.

RustyJ
Apprentice
April 2021. Paper jam on my MG3650, followed by blurred print. Yet another one fixed! Many thanks for this solution which has helped so many people.

twayneking
Apprentice

SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE SOLUTION:

 

I have a Pixma MG3620. I had a nasty paper jam where the paper was sucked up inside. the machine. Once I figured out how to open the transport cover in the back (push down toward the arrow), I was able to extricate the paper. When I tried to print again, My printer started eating paper and no matter how many times I cleared it, it wouldn't stop eating the paper.  On a hunch I shined my flashlight down into the mechanism and spied something shiny. I made a hook out of a paper clip, reached in, snagged the plastic thing and pulled out a small plastic bag of extra earbud covers that had apparently taken a ride up inside the printer on one of my print jobs. I had been looking for a new printer last night. So glad I don't have to buy one, Inflation has doubled the cost of the same 3 year old printer. How's that for a green new deal.

Once it got to where it would print, it started printing double and random lines of characters. Here's how I fixed it.

  1. Unplug the printer.
  2. Open the front of the printer. Shine your flashlight inside.
  3. There is a clear plastic strip above the metal bar the printer carriage rides on.
  4. Use a long wet Q-tip (I didn't have one so I put a soft wet linen cloth over the end of a ruler). GENTLY rub the smudges off the plastic strip. It's these smudges, likely from your earlier efforts to dislodge the paper jam, that are distorting your image.
  5. When the strip is clear, you're done. 
  6. You might while you are in there, plug the unit back in and turn it on. Have your trusty Q-tip at the ready. When the rollers spin up, use your Q-tip to clean off the dirt and ink so the rollers grab the paper better. You can also go down to the paper tray and clean the rollers in the center that grab the paper by the sheets.
  7. Print a test page. Everything should look good after that.
  8. If it's still a little dodgy follow the instructions for aligning the print heads. It's pretty easy. Cleaning that plastic strip should get you fixed though.
  9. My wife always makes me dust things whenever I'm back there fixing connections and replacing parts. I go ahead and do it because when she can't stand it anymore, she dusts back there and then I have to spend the next couple of hours reconnecting all the wires that fell out while she was cleaning.

I had no idea a few finger smudges could mess up the printing like that. Just be VERY, VERY gentle when you're wiping them off. Breaking that delicate strip of plastic tape turns your nice printer into a brick.  FYI.

Have a lovely day and hopefully a better one than this one started out to be. Ah, but there's nothing quite as satisfying as kicking a problem in its fuzzy buttocks.

Tom King

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