Error message on my MX700 Printer: U052 This type of print head is incorrect.

[jdegann]

I got this after installing new ink - it worked just a bit and then when I turned printer off and on, got this msg.  I took out cartridges and head, put them back in, and no change.

[jpdemers]

Jason used ethanol (you can get "denatured" alcohol from a hardware store); I used isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). Both should work about the same. Set the print head, jets down, on several thicknesses of paper towel. With an eyedropper or with a Q-tip, appy drops of alcohol to the porous metal disks where the ink carts sit. It will pass out thrrough the jets and into the paper towels. Keep at it until no more color is seen. Jason let it air-dry for 24 hour, whereas I rinsed through some water and re-installed directly.



This will get the passages and jets clean, but the error messages are more likely to be electronic in nature. Try using a pencil eraser to polish up the golden metal contacts on the back side of the print head, and the metal nubbins that they contact in the printer. If that fails, the print head is probably dead and needs to be replaced. (The jets get very hot, and they can burn out if they run dry for even a few seconds.) I learned to keep a spare on hand after about the fourth replacement - they simply don't last forever. ($40 or so on eBay, which is where you can get good generic ink carts as well - G&G is a reliable brand.)



The print head is the weak link in the Canon design - burn out one jet, and you have to buy the whole array - but HP is worse: they make you buy a new print head with every ink cart. If you print a lot of color documents, Canon is much more economical, especially if you use G&G inks.

[jasonventure]

see my previous posts for those asking how to. Simply remove inks...get 91% alchohol for Walmart. I like it because it evaporates at a moderate rate...not too fast..  Soak the ink head in GLASS (not plastic) with it. The alcohol will not damage the head as other stronger petroleums can.   Use as little as possible each soaking because will need to repeat again and again. Likely use total about 1/2 a 16oz. bottle.... let dry a few hours after final. You can use Clean compressed air to speed things up to blow things out.. Quality  contacts  are gold plated. Not sure if these are that quality...   Gold does not tarnish or oxidize, but still inspect them....can't hurt.  The previous post for G&G is also helpful info.

[dgwarrick4]

I have this problem involving two Canon printers.

[ITgreybeard]

In my case the replacement printhead did not work, directly out of the package. I tried it on 2 Pixma MX860 printers, on each of which an old printhead worked fine. I was tempted to return it - especially because the printhead as delivered was wet with ink and some other fluid, but found that a printhead cleaning procedure enabled it to function well (for me, this time).

For the procedure you will need: 1. Water; 2. Glass cleaner such as Windex; 3. Rubbing Alcohol; 4. A dish or bowl (plastic or glass or ceramic (or metal?) whose diameter is large enough to accommodate the printhead; 5. A heat source to dry the printhead after cleaning.

Procedure: 1. Spray the printhead liberally with glass cleaner. You may want to direct the spray into the incoming and outgoing ink orifices; 2. Soak the printhead in a water+glass cleaner solution dish for an indeterminate time; 3. Swish the printhead around in the solution to extract from the printhead ink that was presumably used in manufacturer testing; 4. Rinse the printhead off with clean water. Pat its orifices with a towel or paper towel; 5. Dispose of the solution; 6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until no ink seems to be leaching from the printhead either into solution or onto the towel; 7. Pat the printhead dry with a soft towel or paper towel; Do NOT let the printhead dry any further yet!; 8. Soak the printhead in rubbing alcohol in the dish. Swish it around with the goal of displacing water left in the printhead with the rubbing alcohol. Let it sit in the solution for an hour or more; 9. Repeat step 8 with new rubbing alcohol another time or two; 10. Dry the printhead with non-destructive heat. I used a combination of soft toweling, sunshine and forced air house heat; 11. Try it out again in the printer. I hope that it works for you.

[BadCanon]

I am pretty pissed off about my Canon MX712 and Canon's customer service.

1. printer has been working fine for years

2. i printer very little

3. printer worked fine up to last week

4. got ths U052 errors, followed instructions, nothing, all inks are OEM canon and full

5. Canon says sorry you need a new printer, but we will sell you a new one at $30 over the retail price

6. if the print head has issues, why can't i use the rest of the printer? the scanner? you don't need to brick the entire thing simply because the print head as some mystery issue.

7. anyone need a really big paper weight?

8. i have another one of these...now just a ticking time bomb waiting......

9. i am sure nothing is wrong with my printer

[jpdemers]

Have you uplugged the printer (not just turned it off)?  Run the printhead under hot water until no more ink comes out, dry it, and re-install it while the plug is out. With the lid up, plug the printer back in, and press the power button five times in rapid succession.  That should get it running through a re-boot routine.

That's cleared up some errors for me that didn't go away with a simple re-start.

Lots of fixes and information here: http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/posts/71079

Failing that, the cheapest fix is to buy a new printhead ($30-$40 on eBay); if that doesn't do it, next-cheapest fix is a used printer (also bought on eBay; check Craigslist while you're at it.)  Canon can't repair a printer without charging more than the price of a new one, even without factoring in the cost of round-trip shipping.

[deekinb]

I understand there was a class action suit regarding this error.  My printer is giving me this same error.  I have followed the suggested self-repair and cleaning steps with no luck.

Please advise.

[dreamchanter]

Didn't work for me. I don't understand why would printed out one page just fine and then malfunction this way.

[jasonventure]

the class action thing...I think I got a mailer. But W/O your receipt of purchase ...your stuck. AS was I. But mine is still working after my cleaning using 91% rated walmart rubbing alcohol... guess it's been way past a year maybe 2. Because of this I told my daughter not to buy anything Canon. Her high tech DSLR camera is now Nikon. I also don't buy HP due to my father's top of line laptop video driver failure just past wrrty ...which was common issue on his model. No corp. gets a second chance with me. 

[focuseval]

OMG - this worked. I thought we were going to have to run around the block backwards too, but amazing.

Thank you so much.