Canon i550 printer. won't print at all. Lights flash 7 yellow, 1 green- which according to manual indicates a defective print head. I removed the ink tanks and used a soft-bristled brush to gently clean the print head (I think), re-installed the ink tanks and closed the top, and it is still flashing 7 yellow, 1 green.

Canon Bubble Jet orange light flashes

Hello you can try
Problem for Canon BubbleJet i560 InkJet
The waste ink is in the inside of your printer you need to get at it to clean out,
It may be all screwed down so you need to open all up or get a shop to do it for you.
It not an easy job but maybe you are handy with a screwdriver, it can be messy job.
But after this, you will have to reset the waist ink counter or it will still not work,

But but but but you can always try this to reset it first and clean it out again some time.

Canon Reset waste ink counter
1. Turn off printer
2. Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
3. Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
4. Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
5. Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
6. When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
7. Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
8. Your printer should respond as normal.


Please come back and just gave a vote, it will gave me some satisfaction to know am helping some one so I will keep on helping.
All The Best: Pineworks

Hi
Problem for Canon BubbleJet i560 InkJet
The waste ink is in the inside of your printer you need to get at it to clean out,
It may be all screwed down so you need to open all up or get a shop to do it for you.
It not an easy job but maybe you are handy with a screwdriver, it can be messy job.
But after this, you will have to reset the waist ink counter or it will still not work,

But but but but you can always try this to reset it first and clean it out again some time.

Canon Reset waste ink counter
1. Turn off printer
2. Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
3. Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
4. Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
5. Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
6. When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
7. Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
8. Your printer should respond as normal.


Please come back and just gave a vote, it will gave me some satisfaction to know am helping some one so I will keep on helping.
All The Best: Pineworks

According to Canon 7 orange flashes indicates a print head fault. Solution they recommend is to take it to one of their service agents. Problem is that replacement print heads are not cheap and it is usually more economical to replace the printer. You could try taking the print head to a cartridge refiller and have it professionally cleaned (cost you nothing or next to nothing) and see if that solves the problem.

5 flashes indicates a faulty printhead or possibly a problem with the p/head contacts. Try removing the head which is easier if you take the cartridges out first(no tools required) and re-seat it having checked the contacts for dirt.

If that doesn't work it may be that the waste ink tank is full. Try this ...

Canon S9000, S300, S400, i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i9100, i9950, PIXMA iP3000 above,
1. Turn off printer
2. Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
3. Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
4. Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
5. Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
6. When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
7. Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
8. Your printer should respond as normal.

Jennifer, According to an answer by kev1952 on 19 Sept, to my similar error condition ( "repeating sequence of 7 orange and 1 longer green flash of power LED" ) in a Canon i550 printer, and assuming that what you called yellow I called orange, then you too may have a printhead fault. kev1952 recommended to try to get it cleaned and checked at an ink refilling specialist service.
gp26, on 21 Sept 2009

An error has occurred in the printer. The number of flashes indicates the type of error, as outlined below. Check the cause and take the appropriate action.
Two flashes: Out of paper or paper feed error
Replace the paper correctly and press the RESUME/CANCEL button.
Three flashes: Paper jam
If paper has jammed in the printer, clear the jam, replace the paper in the printer correctly and press the RESUME/CANCEL button.
See Paper Jams
Four flashes: Empty ink tank
If you press the RESUME/CANCEL button, it will continue printing with an empty ink tank. However, when printing is finished, replace the ink tank immediately. If you continue printing with an empty ink tank, it will be a cause of trouble.
See Replacing an Ink Tank
Six flashes: No print head installed
Install a print head.
Seven flashes: Defective print head
Contact a Canon service representative.
Eight flashes: Waste ink tank almost full
The printer has a built-in waste ink tank for the ink used during print head cleaning. Eight flashes indicates that the waste ink tank is nearly full. Press the RESUME/CANCEL button to cancel the error so you can continue printing. Before the waste ink tank becomes completely full, contact a Canon service representative.
Note
Canon recommends to call for service as soon as this error occurs. Once the waste ink tank becomes completely full, printing will no longer be possible.
POWER lamp flashes alternate green and orange:
An error that requires contacting a Canon service representative may have occurred.
Turn the printer off and unplug the printer from the power supply. Plug the printer back in and turn the printer back on.
If the problem remains, contact a Canon service representative.

My cannon printer no longer responds to any commands. I get 4 yellow blinking lights and then 1 green blinker.

I have similar problem. I found this solution that may help you. My problem insists tho.

>>> 5 flashes indicates a faulty printhead or possibly a problem with the p/head contacts. Try removing the head which is easier if you take the cartridges out first(no tools required) and re-seat it having checked the contacts for dirt.

If that doesn't work it may be that the waste ink tank is full. Try this ...
Canon S9000, S300, S400, i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i9100, i9950, PIXMA iP3000 above,
1. Turn off printer
2. Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
3. Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
4. Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
5. Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
6. When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
7. Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
8. Your printer should respond as normal.

Alarm / Power light flashes orange 7 times consecutively is a Print head error so it sounds like you did the right thing.

I would reseat the printhead along with each one of the ink cartridges. Make sure that you removed the tape from the bottom of each of the ink cartridges and try it again. After installing the new printhead, you should have run a printhead cleaning cycle immediately after installing.

Issue: Certain colors are missing or no ink prints on the paper
Solution: Install / replace the recommended ink tanks correctly i550 / i850

Untitled Document How to install / replace the ink tanks
The ink tanks suitable for the printer are as follows;


Black Ink Tank BCI-3eBK
Cyan Ink Tank BCI-3eC
Magenta Ink Tank BCI-3eM
Yellow Ink Tank BCI-3eY


Note: There are two ink tank label designs.
Operation procedures are shown with label design A.
Replacement Procedure


1. Check that the printer is powered on, and open the front cover. Wait until the print head moves to the center.

2. Remove the empty ink tank by pushing the tab on the ink tank.

Note: When doing this, do not remove the print head. When replacing multiple ink tanks, it is recommended to replace one at a time to avoid inserting them into the wrong slots.
(The image is an example using i850.)


3. Remove the new ink tank from its package. Pull the orange tape in the direction of the arrow to remove it completely, and remove the shrink-wrap film.

Note: Remove the orange tape completely. If the tape remains, printing may not be performed properly.


Confirm that the orange tape is completely removed from the ink tank, as shown in image 1. If the tape is similar to the sample in image 2, remove the remaining portion of the tape so that it looks like the sample shown in image 1.


(1): Correct

(2): Incorrect (where the arrow indicates)
4. Slowly twist the orange protective cap in the direction that the arrow indicates, and remove it. To avoid ink adhering to your fingers, brace the orange protective cap while removing it.




5. Insert the new ink tank to the print head by holding it at a slight angle.

Note: Confirm that the ink tanks are installed in the right order according to the labels on the print head.

6. Press down on the top of the ink tank until a click sound is made.

7. Close the front cover. The next time the printer performs printing, it will automatically start print head cleaning. The power lamp will flash while cleaning is performed. Until cleaning completes, do not perform other operations.