Support & FAQ

The most likely cause of horizontal lines/banding in prints is blocked nozzles in the print head. The first thing you should always do is a nozzle check, this will show if any nozzles are blocked. The ImagePROGRAF printer range has a “head clean” feature to help clear any blockages. Simply perform a head clean once or twice to clear the problem. The printer manual will explain where in your printer menu the head clean option is.
If the nozzle check shows no blockages, you may need to perform a band adjust. This will adjust the printer feed and set it specifically to the media you are using. Again, the printer manual will explain how to perform a band adjust.

TIP: There are two types of head cleans, A and B, this does not refer to head A and B. A is for a moderate clean while B is for a more powerful clean. We recommend using the A clean if your printer is banding. Always perform a clean, then print a nozzle check to see if the clean has helped. If you have used the head clean option 3 times with no effect, the print head is most likely damaged and will not recover.
Banding is also commonly caused by low quality selected within the driver (too fast, try reducing the speed and increasing the quality).

Most of the Canon ImagePROGRAF printer range uses two types of black ink, BK and MBK. The BK cartridge is a universal black that can be used on all types of media’s but the MBK cartridge is specifically designed to work on uncoated and matt-coated medias.
When loading media on the printer, you select the media type, which will then tell the printer what black cartridge to use. If an uncoated or matt-coated paper is selected, the matt black is used and will not dry if a satin or glossy paper is being used. Check the loaded media matches the media selected on the printer and printer driver.

TIP: To help you always select the correct media type on the printer, use the media configuration tool to rename the specific media’s that you use.

No, you should never put oil on the carriage rail! We would recommend you give the bar a clean with a lint free wipe but never add oil. The carriage contains self-lubricating bearings and oil would cause a real problem and could severely damage the printer.

TIP: If your printer is 44” or bigger, you can change the rail cleaners on the carriage to help keep the rail clean. The rail cleaners come free with each maintenance cartridge (a small white box inside the main box), they are quick and easy to change. Refer to the printer manual on how to do this.

There is a shut down timer in the printer which is set to 8 hours as default. When the printer is idle for those 8 hours, the printer will automatically switch off. The shut down timer can be changed or switched off. Please see the printer manual on how to do this.

TIP: The sleep timer can also be changed as it is set to only 5 minutes as default. When the printer is in sleep mode, it uses very little power. We recommend leaving the printers on during the week as they will use less ink when left on and can agitate the ink when required.

There are a few reasons to avoid putting third party ink in your machine.
Firstly, if your printer is under a MYLFP service contract, putting third party inks will invalidate your contract.
Secondly, unknown inks from the internet are extremely unlikely to be the same shade of colour as Canon genuine inks. This will have an affect on all the colour settings for the printer and ruin any ICC profiles that you use as the colour gamut is completely different.
Finally, cheaper third party inks are very unlikely to be as pure as the Canon genuine ink. Impure ink can block filters, sub tanks and damage print heads and has been known to write off printers.
The Canon printer does not have the ability to flush out ink. Once you use third party ink you will not be able to wash it out. If the ink causes problems then all components in contact with the ink will need to be replaced which can be very expensive.

TIP: Always check that your supplier is a Canon accredited reseller to make sure you are buying genuine Canon ink.

Yes, there is a procedure to perform on the printer before transporting it and especially for lifting up/down stairs. There are 3 options to choose from when moving the printer, level 1, 2 and 3. Level 1 is sufficient when just wheeling the printer into another position without needing to lift it. Level 2 is sufficient when the printer is being moved and maybe in storage for a while. I would recommend level 3 when the printer is being lifted up stairs and transported in a van. Be aware this will drain the ink from the printer and depending what printer model you have, maintenance cartridges may be required. Please refer to the printer manual for more information. Often an engineer is required onsite for a level 3 move as this usually requires the waste ink units to be changed first.

TIP: Always keep the printer as level as possible when lifting to avoid ink leakage. The printer comes with an orange carriage lock, fit this when moving the printer. Always check the manual or call for support before moving the printer as inks and maintenance cartridges may be required.

Yes, we highly recommend running your printer from a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) unit. This would protect the printer from any power spikes and prevent the printer from powering down during a power cut.

TIP: We recommend all expensive electrical equipment be run from a UPS. Unstable power supply can give poor print quality, damage components in the printer and blow print heads. Most UPS units are able to support between 2-6 devices so PC’s, Macs, desktop printers can all be run from the one unit.

No, changing the print head is quick and easy and something the user can do. Check your printer manual before changing the print head. Once you have changed the print head, you should update the printer firmware. Follow the link below and select printer model to download the latest firmware. Download centre

TIP: Whenever you have print quality issues, print a nozzle check to see the state of the print heads. This is also a good indication if the problem is a fault with the printer or a data corruption issue. Please see printer manual on how to perform a nozzle check.

The media types that you select on the printer panel when loading paper hold quite a few specific settings. Depending on what media types you select, the vacuum strength and head height vary. These media types are based on the Canon range of materials, other medias may differ in thickness and how rigid they are. If it appears the heads are making contact with the media, you can raise them to combat this and also increase the vacuum strength to help hold the paper down. Make sure you also select the media type in the printer driver on your PC/Mac to match. This should clear this issue. It is under the heading “paper detail settings”, please use the printer manual to help find these settings.

TIP: When you use the thicker coated papers and art papers around 280-340gsm, the roll can be quite rigid and hold the curve of the roll when printing. Always check the paper details on the printer and raise the head height to a level to accommodate for this. You do want the heads as close as possible to the media to avoid ‘over spray’ so don’t select the high or highest head heights unless needed.

When the printer says, “size undetected”, the printer is unable to recognize the size of the media you are loading. We often see this error when the machine is expecting a sheet to be loaded but a roll is loaded instead. Check you have selected “roll” if you are loading a roll and “sheet” for an individual sheet of media. Depending on the printer you have, most ImagePROGRAF printers are unable to load any sheet size smaller then A4.
If you have the correct media type set (roll or sheet) & you are still getting the error then measure the media width. Some suppliers do not cut their media accurately and we have seen 610mm rolls measure 607mm.

The only way to get the colour’s on the display to match your print is to perform a screen calibration. Most displays are very bright and don’t show true colour’s, they are backlit and make all colour’s appear lighter and brighter. There is a process called screen calibration where you can reduce the backlight and get the colour’s to be accurate rather then overly vibrant.
This will give a true representation of the job before printing and if you are using the correct ICC profiles and setup on your printer, they will match. We recommend the X-rite tools, please see online for more information. www.xrite.com

TIP: If you do not have a calibrated display, there is not much point attempting professional colour correction, as you are not seeing the true colours. You will also have to be aware of the environment where the job is being viewed. Coloured lights will affect the appearance of colours on the print so just be aware, a viewing booth is ideal see the prints true colours.

Yes, as long as the material has the correct Inkjet coating (pigmented or dye coating depending on machine), the ImagePROGRAF printer will be able to print on it. The printer uses ICC profiles. ICC profiles are basically information of how much ink can go on the material/media and be the correct colour. Each different media should have its own specific ICC profile, as the media coatings and thicknesses vary so the ink amount will also vary. The printer is supplied with the Canon range ICC profiles but custom ones can be added. Most of the well-known media brands will supply ICC profiles that can be downloaded from the internet and imported into the Canon driver. You are also able to create your own ICC profiles and import them; you would need additional software and hardware to be able to do this. Please see the X-rite website to help explain what is required and how to do this. www.xrite.com

TIP: The iPF6450 with spectrophotometer is fully controllable by third-party RIP software for automated colour measurement of colour patches, allowing a hands-off automatic profiling process.
Using the spectrophotometer, you are able to standardize iPFX400 printers at any location automatically using an inbuilt multi-sensor. This allows you to linearize the printer to a factory standard at any time, compensating for environmental conditions and nozzle wear.
For more information, click here for the iPF6450 brochure.

The driver is perfect for printing individual jobs or duplicates, but if you wish to print multiple jobs and arrange them on your roll, RIP software is required. RIP software is a more advanced and professional version of the print driver and can be used to print to multiple printers and lay out jobs. You can also use RIP software to add crop marks to jobs, colour correct, crop, tile, and many more features for professional printing. We would recommend EFI express or EFI XF. Please see the EFI website for more information about RIP software and how it could benefit your print process. www.efi.com

TIP: RIP software is essential for high production environments on the larger ImagePROGRAF machines (36-Inches and bigger). Not only do they give you more features when setting up the jobs, they can also increase speed and quality.

No, the MT cart is a consumable just like the inks and media. It stands for Maintenance Tray and is basically a box of pads that soak up waste ink. Just like the inks and media, you can change this yourself so no engineer is required. Please see the printer manual to show you where the MT cart is on the machine.

TIP: The MT cart levels are available on the printer just like the inks. The MT cart usage time varies on how much the machine is used and when it is full, you are unable to print until it is replaced. All ImagePROGRAF printers will display a warning when the capacity is down to 20%.

The simple answer is yes.

They also invalidate your print head warranty. Get in touch with your supplier to purchase official consumables for a more reliable print experience.

Although you cannot contact the My LFP desk directly, now that your registered you can ask a question on the open forum, alternatively please contact you reseller to talk about service contracts.

TIP: When you post on the forum, please include the full description of the printer (model, serial number) and all details of the issue (list error codes if applicable or describe the problem).

When you update your operating system, sometimes you will also have to update the printer drivers. Please use the MYLFP.com driver page for the Canon ImagePROGRAF download section and follow the onscreen instructions to select the correct drivers. Find your driver

TIP: Always check the download section before updating your operating system. Sometimes drivers are not available for a few weeks/months after the latest updates have come out.