PIXMA MX490 prints lower half of first page blurry, other pages OK

[Keliwili]

Need printer support but website won't let me register--it is rejecting my Serial Number as invalid

I have a PIxma Mx490 with lots of problems. Today I printed a document and it printed the bottom half of the first page blurry, although other pages look fine. I thought maybe this was a driver problem, so tried to update the driver, but got an installation error. I went to Canon website looking for support, but had to register my printer. When I tried to register, it told me the Serial Number--which is printed on a sticker on the back of the printer--was invalid. So it won't let me register. So I can't get support. So I can't print my document which I need for my business. 

Anyone else run into this? 

(And I haven't even gotten to the part where the scanner won't connect to my computer any more. And this printer is only about 2 years old!)

[JayC1]

Hi Keliwili! Thanks for posting in the Canon Community Forum. I see that the bottom half of your first printed page is blurry, and this issue is not affecting the rest of the pages.

You also mention that reinstalling the printer driver did not help and triggered an installation error. So I can help you with reinstalling the driver, please reply to this post and provide answers to the following questions:

• What operating system and version is your computer running? For example, is it running Windows 7, Windows 10, or MacOS Sonoma V.14?
• How are you connecting the printer to your computer? USB or Wi-Fi?

As far as the blurry printing is concerned, I recommend that you follow the instructions in the following web article:

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/s/article/ART164873

I do recommend using a flashlight to look at the encoder film (timing strip) mentioned in the article. If you do find a smudge and need to clean it, please be careful not to apply pressure to the ribbon. You only need to gently wipe it with a cotton swab. Applying pressure to that ribbon can cause it to bust.

For help finding the serial number for your printer, please visit the following web article:

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/s/article/ART161731

I hope this information helps. Thanks for choosing Canon.