Question 1

filled the ink tanks but now it's leaking blue ink inside the printer

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS Ink got into the air vent channels of the tank during filling, which causes a siphon effect and overflow. Or, the rubber seal on the tank's cap isn't seated perfectly. FIX Immediately power off the printer. Remove the leaking ink tank. Wipe the outside of the tank and the inside of the printer bay with paper towels. Check the small air vent hole on the top of the tank—make sure it's clear and no ink is pooled in the channel around it. Re-insert the tank until it clicks firmly. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK The tank itself might be cracked or the cap seal might be damaged. Inspect the tank for hairline cracks, especially near the handle. The caps are supposed to be replaced occasionally; if yours is old or stiff, it might not be sealing. HEADS UP When filling, always use the bottle with the spout and fill slowly to the max line. Never fill above it. Overfilling is the number one cause of this. If ink has gotten deep into the printer mechanics, it can cause serious damage and may require professional cleaning.

Question 2

trying to scan from the flatbed and it just says 'check document cover' won't start

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS The scanner can't detect that the document cover (the lid) is fully closed. There's a small sensor, usually near the hinge, that gets blocked or misaligned. FIX Check for anything preventing the lid from closing completely—a paper clip, a curled corner of a book, or even the scanning cable tucked in the wrong place. Open and close the lid firmly a few times. Power cycle the printer. Also, make sure you're placing the original face-down correctly against the alignment mark. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK The sensor might be dirty. With the printer off, look along the inner edge of the scanner glass frame, near the back hinge, for a small plastic nub or window. Gently clean it with a dry cotton swab. Don't press hard. HEADS UP If you're using the Canon ScanGear software, try the simpler Canon My Image Garden app instead. Sometimes the driver software gets confused and throws this error even when the hardware is fine.

Question 3

my computer says the printer is offline even though it's on and connected to wifi

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS The printer's network connection is fine, but the spooler service on your computer (or the printer's sleep state) has lost the handshake. Windows is particularly bad about this. FIX First, on the printer itself, press the WiFi button to ensure the blue light is steady. Then, on your Windows PC, go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners. Click on your Canon G7020, select 'Open queue'. In the new window, click 'Printer' in the menu bar and make sure 'Use Printer Offline' is NOT checked. If it is, uncheck it. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK Delete the printer from your computer entirely. Then re-add it by selecting 'Add a printer' and letting Windows search for it. Often, the fresh driver install clears the stuck status. Use the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app for a more reliable connection from phones. HEADS UP The printer's eco-mode or deep sleep can cause this. You can adjust the sleep timer in the printer's device settings, but leaving it on all the time will use more power.

Question 4

the black text from my g7020 looks faded or has streaks even after cleaning

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS The pigment black ink (for documents) clogs more easily than the dye-based colors, especially if you don't print for a week or two. The "cleaning" cycle might not be enough. FIX Go into the printer's maintenance menu on the LCD screen: Settings > Device settings > Maintenance > Deep Cleaning. Select the Black ink tank and run it. This uses more ink but forces a stronger flush through the nozzles. After it's done, print a nozzle check pattern (also in the Maintenance menu) to see if the lines are solid. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK If deep cleaning doesn't fix it, the print head nozzles might be physically blocked. You can try a manual cleaning. Dampen a paper towel with distilled water, place it in the tray under the parked print head, and close the cover. Leave it for a few hours—the humidity can soften dried ink. HEADS UP Avoid using third-party "cleaning cartridges" or alcohol. The G7020 print head is permanent and expensive. If manual cleaning fails, a replacement head is the only option, and it costs almost as much as a new printer.

Question 5

printer says 'support code 6000' and the orange light is flashing, can't do anything

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS Support Code 6000 is a generic print head/carriage error. It means the printer can't properly initialize or move the print head when it powers on. FIX Turn the printer off and unplug it from the wall for two full minutes. While it's off, open the front cover and inspect the carriage area for any paper scraps or jams. Gently move the print head by hand to make sure it's not stuck. Plug it back in and power on. If the error clears, run a print head alignment from the maintenance menu. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK The issue might be a faulty connection. With the printer off and unplugged, locate the print head, lift the lever that locks it in, and carefully remove the print head. Check the copper contacts on the head and inside the carriage for ink or debris. Clean them with a dry cotton swab and re-seat the head firmly. HEADS UP Don't keep power cycling it without checking for obstructions. Repeated grinding can damage the carriage motor. If the error persists after cleaning and reseating, the print head or main logic board may be faulty.

Question 6

set up my pixma g7020 but it won't connect to wifi, just keeps failing

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS Yeah, this one's common. The setup wizard is finicky, especially with modern routers using combined 2.4/5GHz networks or certain security protocols like WPA3. FIX Skip the automatic push-button method. On the printer's control panel, go to Settings > Device settings > LAN settings > Wireless LAN setup > Other setup > Manual connect. Then select your 2.4GHz network SSID (it doesn't support 5GHz) and enter the password using the on-screen keyboard. This direct method almost always works. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK Temporarily change your router's security to WPA2-PSK (AES) only, if it's set to WPA3 or a mixed mode. Complete the setup, then you can usually switch back. Also, ensure you're not using any special characters in the WiFi password. HEADS UP The printer has to be on the same network as your computer/phone for discovery to work. If you have a mesh system or guest network, make sure everything's on the main 2.4GHz band.

Question 7

canon g7020 making a loud grinding noise when it tries to print, like it's stuck

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS That's the carriage assembly grinding against something, most commonly a piece of paper or a foreign object stuck in the track, or a dried ink spill that's gummed up the movement. FIX Power off the printer completely. Open the front cover and look at the black metal bar the print head moves on. Manually slide the print head carriage all the way from left to right, checking for obstructions. Use a flashlight. If you see crusty ink, dampen a lint-free cloth with distilled water (not alcohol) and gently wipe the bar clean. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK The noise could be from the carriage encoder strip—that thin, clear plastic strip behind the bar. If it's dirty, the printer loses its position. Gently wipe it with a dry cotton swab. Don't use liquid unless it's stubborn, and then only a tiny bit of water. HEADS UP Never force the carriage. If it won't budge, there's likely a mechanical failure. Forcing it can strip the gears. If cleaning doesn't stop the noise, it's a service call.

Question 8

my new g7020 says it's out of cyan ink but i just filled the tank and it's full, what gives?

Accepted Answer

DIAGNOSIS The printer's ink level detection is confused, usually because the ink absorber or waste tank counter is getting full. On these MegaTanks, the software tracks waste ink and will start blocking colors when it thinks it's near capacity, regardless of the actual tank levels. FIX You need to reset the waste ink counter. With the printer on, hold down the Stop button for about 10 seconds until the Alarm lamp flashes 15 times. Release it, then press the Stop button once more. The printer will restart and the ink levels should reappear correctly. IF THAT DIDN'T WORK The other trigger is the actual ink absorber pad inside being saturated. If the reset works but the error comes back quickly, the pad likely needs replacing. That's a more involved disassembly, but kits are available online. HEADS UP This reset trick is a temporary fix. The waste ink tank is internal, so if you do a ton of printing, especially cleaning cycles, it will eventually fill for real and require physical maintenance.

Canon PIXMA G7020 MegaTank All-in-One Printer

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