What does the error message Waste ink is almost empty mean? I have change my catridges 3 times in the last 90 days but my print quality is poor?

A B LED light denotes that the black ink cartridge is running low.
A C LED light denotes that the colour ink cartridge is running low.
If the alarm light is on (lightning bolt in a triangle) it should be accompanied by an error code.
Canon MP495 - Error Codes If the printer displays an error message, the following information should help to diagnose the problem.
The led screen on the printer will flash a letter E and will then be followed by two numbers:
Error Description More Info Error E02 The machine is out of paper or will not feed. Error E03 Paper jam or output tray is closed. More Info Error E04 The Cartridge cannot be recognised. More Info Error E05 The Cartridge cannot be recognised. More Info Error E07 Cartridge is not installed in the correct position. More Info Error E08 Ink absorber is almost full. More Info Error E13 The remaining ink level cannot be detected. More Info Error E14 The Cartridge cannot be recognised. More Info Error E15 The Cartridge cannot be recognised. More Info Error E16 The ink has run out. More Info Error P02 Carriage encoder error. More Info Error P03 Line feed error. More Info Error P07 The waste ink absorber is full. More Info Error P08 Print head fault. More Info Error P10 Print head fault. More Info Error 5100 Carriage Encoder error. More Info Error 5200 Print head fault. More Info Error 6000 Line feed error. More Info Error B200 Print head fault. More Info Error 5B00 The waste ink absorber is full.

Under the cartridge at rest position. Check with Canon.
Messy job - PIA

Hi,
when you sprint something, there is some time delay in printer, wich is used by printer to replenish color on print head.That means that purge unit, purges the ink from print head, to optimize printing or just clean the print head. Then the waste ink, ink wich is purged goes into absorber, its some kind of absorbing cloth under purge unit.
After certain number of purging, printer will automatically report absorber full.
You can clear the error in printers service mode:

<Service mode operation procedures>
1) With the printer power turned off, while pressing the Resume/Cancel button, press and hold the
Power button. (DO NOT release the buttons. The LED lights in green to indicate that a function
is selectable.)
2) While holding the Power button, release the Resume/Cancel button. (DO NOT release the
Power button.)
3) While holding the Power button, press the Resume/Cancel button 2 times, and then release
both the Power and Resume/Cancel buttons. (Each time the Resume/Cancel button is pressed,
the LED lights alternately in orange and green, starting with orange.)
4) When the LED lights in green, press the Resume/Cancel button the specified number of time(s)
according to the function listed in the table below. (Each time the Resume/Cancel button is
pressed, the LED lights alternately in orange and green, starting with orange.)

4 times Green Waste ink counter resetting

Green means LED .

But 100% soulution would be to replace waste ink absorber.

Hope that helped!
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clean the print head 3 times,then realign the head .these are done by printer utility software given with the printer.
Even not ok.
Then Replace the New Catridge.(manufactured from within 3 of 4 months).because the ink will be dried with in 6 month.So Buy Carefully with Mfd Date.

Thank you

It's time to replace 3's WASTE INK ABSORBER KIT & reset waste ink counter.
The WASTE INK ABSORBER KIT is approx. USD10/pcs

So as MUKHTAR states, do not refill cartiges when they are TOO EMPTY as most of the new printers have a sensor in the cartige that tells when it is empty. and when that sensor fills that the cartige is empty, it stays that way, no matter how much you refill it.

on the laser printers, when you refill your toner cartige there also is a chip that is changed (the sensor) because once that sensor feels that the cartige is empty you will not be able to use that cartige anymore.

Waste absorber is full. Where is the waste ink absorber and how do I empty it?

hi! there, well in connection to your poor printed color there posibility that ink was insufficient to distribute to you photo to print try to visit your ink status, black color is sepated to 3 color catridge.if there's a insufficient ink in catridge,replace or refill any thing as long there is much ink in your catridge,if ok and print still not good,try to clean your printer headdont use any thing to clean your printer herad,the printer will clean your printer head,on maitenance menu,click clean,try several time,also try to align your printer head,click aligned,t check the pattern of your printer,click pattern test.if ok try toprint if the color print is balance,try to print.check the preview before you print adjust the quality color as in yout tate before printing.regards and have a nice day.

Something that has worked for some Brother owners to get cartridges recognised.

1. With your MFC powered up, open it up and remove the cartridge you are having a problem with, then close the MFC, leaving it powered up. It should report that there is no cartridge in the machine.

Still with the MFC powered up, open it up and reinsert the ink cartridge, then close the MFC. It should either ask if you have replaced a cartridge or go into its cleaning mode.

Answer "yes" to "have you replaced cartridge?" and it should either "print" or "clean" and then "print".

jay,

 

close to the facts:

 

never(!!!!) clean a brother printhead by soaking it into a solution what so ever it contains!

The printhead is a piezo one and totally diffrent from hp or canon bubblejet which heats the ink to print while the brother (and epson) ones have a bi-metal insides which "fires" ink onto paper when needed. The outward cleaning solution will destroy the bimetal and the electric inside the built-in-one printhead.

 

Do use only dye ink for brother printers. In fact there is a filter inside the printhead in front of the nozzels. pigmented ink has particles (which give the color to the "water" where dye ink is already "colored water" without partikles!) which definitley cloggs the filter and therefor the nozzels! The filter cant be cleaned because its part of the printhead.

 

The machine has a counter built in which counts the cleaning cycles of the machine. There are small clying cycles which the machine does by start printing (some 0.5 ml will be waisted) and the manual cleaning cycle started by user which needs a 3ml amount of ink.

The machine has a built in waistinktank like all inkjet printers have. The engineers of brother have set the counter to an amount of taking up cleaning ink that will last for 2.5 - 3 years in normal use (and using original ink!). When the waistinktank has taken up the max of ink the machine will display error:cleaning and refuses to print anymore. The tank has to be replaced and the error (error 46/error:cleaning) has to be deleted within the eeprom.

 

Some solutions:

 

Run the cleaning cycle twice with original brother ink carts placed in the printer. 

 

If you are lucky the nozzels (or filter) will be trouble free again.

 

If you dont see any success the printhead (or partially the filter) is clogged and has to be replaced by a new one. 

 

Do use only (empty) original ink carts with a refill dye ink. Mix it up (:-)) with a trace of printhead cleaning solution by 1:10 for the C/Y/M colors only. You can refill an amount of 11 ml (1 ml cleaning solution + 10 ml ink) into the C/Y/M ones and an ink-only of 20 ml into the bk one.

 

In case the waistinktank is filled up and error sign appears search the forum here for error 46 and buy a new waistinktank as a spare part from a service dealer.