PIXMA MX850 Error Code B200

[grampatex]

Suddenly error code B200 no explanation in manual have canon pixma mx850

[MikeAdams]

I have a Pixma Pro9500 Mark II and have have received the B200 error plus the 10-flash orange light. Looking on-line it seems it is likely a printer head problem.  Looking at this site, it appears this is a common problem, but I have yet to see a solution.

The Contact for help site is worthless. After two weeks of calling, I have never made contact with a single person. Either I get a 'We are closed' message (regardless of the time of day), or put on hold for 20+ inutes with no answer. Emails over the same period have all gone unanswered.

[Danny]

Hi, MikeAdams!

Thanks for trying to contact us.  Our over-the-phone printer support team is available Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 10 PM Eastern Time (7 AM to 7 PM PT). While Monday mornings and early afternoons are our busiest times of the week, you can usually get through at all other hours with little to no wait time.  We invite you to give us a call at 1-800-OK-CANON (1-800-652-2666).  There is no charge at all for our support.

As for email support, our technicians usually answer quite promptly.  Please make sure that our correspondence hasn't accidentally wound up in your email's spam folder.

We look forward to working with you!

[MikeAdams]

First, your site says phone hours are 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.
As I explained in my message, I have called that number multiple times and gotten nowhere. Most companies at least offer a chance to leave your number for a callback.
Of course I checked for email replies: there are none: not in the inbox, the spam box or the junk box.

[Crista]

Hi MikeAdams!

We recommend giving our technical support team a second chance. You can reach them by calling 1-800-652-2666, Monday to Friday from 8AM to 10PM ET. Mondays tend to be busier than the rest of the week. If you'd rather email our support team you can do so HERE. 

We hope this helps! 

[rejww]

Hello all,

I, too, had a B200 error on my workhorse Canon MX850. 

I tried all the "fixes" listed in the message board - no dice!

I looked into buying a new print head - too expensive

I looked into buying a new printer, well there are some good ones out there for around $250, but, I'd have to deep-six all my nice, new, full ink cartridges (about $150 worth, since I had back-ups), which makes the new printer cost about $400.

So - here's my last-ditch try.  It actually worked.

1. the print head wouldn't move to the center on its own.  I had to manually drag it to the center.

2. unplug the printer

3. remove all the print cartridges

4. remove the print head & clean it.  Here's a YouTube instruction that's clear:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEkKGBUSwNg

5. I used compressed air to additionally dry the print head after cleaning

6. I reinstalled the print head and cartridges, plugged in the printer, and ... oops ... still had the B200 error.  But wait ... Then I tried one further fix:

7.  Turn off the printer; turn it back on while simultaneously holding down the on/off button and the Stop/Reset button (I think some models may call it a "home button", since it was that post that gave me the idea).

8.  The B200 error disappeared.

9. From my computer's Devices/Printers control panel, I performed a regular cleaning. 

10. Everything seems to be fine.

[MikeAdams]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately my print was totally immovable and after an hour on line Canon gave up. With no repair center within 90 minutes drive and a pitiful 'trade-in' offer, I bought an Epson instead.

[rejww]

Yeah, actually that happened to me too, during my first (unsuccessful) attempts at fixing.  First I was able to manually move the print head to the center and back.  Then all of a sudden it locked up in the right-hand position and I no longer could move it. 

I unplugged the printer and left it over night, intending to take the printer apart piece by piece just to see how everything worked. However, next day, when I plugged the printer back in (stubborn is my middle name), the print head had freed itself.  The B200 error was still there, but at least I could proceed to the fix that eventually worked.

[rejww]

Just reporting out:  After my last post, in which I reported that I managed to remove the B200 error code, sadly, I have to report that my fix only worked for about a week.  Now the error code has returned, and none of the fixes I tried before will remove it.

Bought a new (HP) printer.  So sad!

-REJWW

[wlittlejohn2]

Code B200 solved I found a new (QY6-0083 Printhead) on eBay for $15.00 and installed it, Walah!! No more Code B200 and that’s the name of that toon it prints perfectly, Print Head For Canon MG7120

[andreafc]

My fix also lasted about one year. It's not bad, but I also ended up then buying a new printer of another brand. However I found a (purportedly new) printhead on Aliexpress. It's not cheap, but the cheapest you can get, at about 60$ including shipping. I didn't order it yet because I'm very happy with my new printer, but I plan on doing so if and when the new one gives up its soul.

Just to let you know of another possibility for printheads, if eBay is too expensive, like it was for mine (MX850, 15$ for the printhead and 90$ for shipping from Hong Kong).