How to Fix Error U053 and 1405 in Canon MX Series Printers

1405/ U053 - Orange light blinking 5 times

Description:

Faulty data of the print head.

Resolution:

Fixing the Canon ‘Check ink U051, U052, U053 or U059′ Error Message

Your Canon printer will the ‘Check ink U051, U052, U053 or U059′ code when it is having trouble recognising either one of the ink cartridges installed. The official Canon description for these errors is either “The FINE cartridge is not installed”, ”The FINE cartridge is not installed properly” or  “Appropriate FINE cartridge is not installed”. A FINE cartridge is any modern Canon cartridge produced that has a printhead built into the bottom of the cartridge. Whilst only Canon originals carry the ‘FINE’ branding any functioning compatible, remanufactured or refilled cartridge can be used to resolve these errors.

How do I clear the U051, U052, U053 or U059 error message?

As described above these codes can appear for a couple of reasons. “The FINE cartridge is not installed” indicates that your printer cannot recognise one or more of the installed cartridges at all and “Appropriate FINE cartridge is not installed”, would indicate that an incorrect cartridge is installed. To resolve any of these Canon error messages please follow the steps below until the message disappears:

·        Open up your printer and ensure that both the black and the colour ink cartridge are installed. Your Canon printer needs both of these cartridges installed to print, even if you are only planing on printing in black. For more information on why this is necessary click here.

·        Check to make sure your cartridges carry the correct codes. The label of the cartridge should carry codes matching or at least similar to PG-37, PG-40, PG-50, PG-510, PG-512, PG-540 or PG-540XL for the black and CL-38, CL-41, CL-51, CL-511, CL-513, CL-541 or CL-541XL for the colour. Which of these codes is correct for your printer will depend entirely upon the model of the machine. If there is no indication on the printer as to which cartridges are needed please check your user manual for confirmation.

Check the cartridges contacts are clean and un-obscured. Your Canon printer uses a series of metallic contacts on the front of the cartridge to communicate with it when installed. If these contacts are dirty or covered by protective strips etc. then your printer will not be able to use the cartridge. I recommend removing the cartridge from your printer and wiping down the contacts with a piece of kitchen tissue (or another non-fibrous tissue) to ensure no dirt, ink or natural oils are preventing your printer from reading the cartridge. When finished your cartridges contacts should appear as below.