Guide to Common Printer Error Codes

Durability is key when choosing a multi-function printer (MFP) for your office staff. Too many times we’ve visited local businesses and listened to prospective clients talk about printer error codes popping up when they are least expected.

This is why Gordon Flesch Company (GFC) works with leading brands to provide our customers with durable, innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions. We help businesses find office technology solutions that will reduce their downtime and increase productivity. 

PRODUCTION PRINT CASE STUDY: How Acme Graphics Increased Print Room Productivity 

Common Printer Errors

At GFC, our Technology Support Center (TSC) fields office technology calls from our customers. GFC’s TSC is staffed with trained Systems Engineers with expertise in networking, SMB and SMTP scanning and all technologies associated with your MFP. Our engineers ask the right questions to help diagnose the problem and can walk customers through fixes or remote in to assist.

Here’s some common issues that customers call about and some general advice: 

Connectivity Issues

• Try printing a Windows or CUPS Test Page. This will help determine if your problem is limited to a particular document, type of document or application
• Check connectivity by trying to ping your printer and verifying the IP address
• If possible, check to see if anyone else can print

Print Output Issues

• If your printer is spouting pages of gibberish, check the print driver language, verify that it is using a PCL or UFR (Canon printers only) driver. If printing from a PDF, check the box for "Print as Image" in Adobe Acrobat under File > Print > Advanced 
• If you see a "load paper" message on the printer even though there is paper in the machine, read the message very carefully and verify that the printer is loaded and configured for the correct paper size, orientation and type. The message will often indicate exactly what paper type, orientation and size the printer is expecting

Unable to Scan

If you are unable to scan to a shared folder:

• Verify user’s permission is configured correctly, password is valid and the specified folder path is correct
• Verify that you can access the folder from a different PC. Be sure you can save a file to this folder
• Check the “Scan Log” to see if an error code is listed

If you are unable to scan to email:

• Check for an error code on your MFP
• Verify that SMTP settings are configured correctly
• Verify the proper gateway, domain and DNS server(s) are specified under the MFP’s network settings
• Verify which SMTP port is required by your email server
• Verify that the password for the account configured in SMTP has not had a password change

Copy/Print Quality Issues

• If the issue occurs with both prints and copies, the issue is probably physical and not a configuration issue. Contact our GFC customer care team to set up a service call
• If the issue occurs only when copying, verify that the glass and any plastic parts of the document feeder are clean. If the issue persists, call our GFC Customer Care Team to set up a service call
• If the issue occurs only with prints, verify the artifact is not in the file itself, then call our GFC Technology Support Center at 888-432-5556. Be sure to have your GFC equipment ID number handy when you call

Each MFP model is different, therefore the above instructions are intended only as a guideline. 

Canon Multi-Function Printer Reliability

Gordon Flesch Company is the #1 largest independent Canon office technology dealer in the United States. We’ve found that Canon printers are solid, well-manufactured devices with low error rates.

In fact, a test by Keypoint Intelligence of Canon’s imageRUNNER Advance A3-sized MFPs resulted in only six paper jams out of nearly 4.5 million printed pages. The 23 devices used during this study needed only two service calls within a five year period. This is why Canon’s imageRUNNER Advance line of MFPs earned Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2022-2024 Most Reliable A3 Brand award.

Even Canon’s A4-sized MFPs (imageRUNNER Advance DX, imageCLASS X and MAXIFY) won the BLI 2023 A4 Line of the Year award. Keypoint Intelligence’s study on this line produced zero paper jams out of nearly 345,000 printed pages. These astounding statistics are due to Canon’s excellent reliability, ease of use, outstanding productivity and support for hybrid work environments.

How to Find the Right Technology Tools for the Job

Find the right technology tools to correctly fit your business environment. Contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation business technology needs assessment. We’ll conduct an expert review of your business technology and identify any gaps and opportunities for improvement.

You can be assured that, as an independent provider, Gordon Flesch Company is here for you with the hardware, software and services you’ll need to help your business run better.

Searching for a way to relieve the pains of inefficient and unreliable printers? Start by downloading our complimentary Beginners Guide to Managed Print Services. This comprehensive resource will show you the signs of when it’s time to consider switching to Managed Print.