The short version
- 01Look for jammed paper and remove it according to where it is stuck.
- 02Check for torn fragments left from a previous jam, especially at the back.
- 03Turn the printer off and unplug it from the wall rather than only switching it off.
- 04Plug it back in and turn it on again, which is Canon's documented sequence.
- 05Repeat the paper check if the code returns immediately, since a scrap is easy to miss.
- 06Contact a Canon service centre if the error persists after clearing and restarting.
Raw message
Support Code 6000 — Printer error has occurred.
Likely causes
- Paper jammed somewhere in the paper path.
- A torn fragment left behind after an earlier jam was cleared.
- The paper feed mechanism failing to detect paper correctly.
- A transient fault that a full power cycle clears.
- A hardware fault, if the code survives clearing and restarting.
What Canon actually says
The cause line in Canon's manual for 6000 is the same generic sentence used for several codes: “Printer error has occurred.” The actions are what carry the information. Canon lists four: if the paper is jammed, remove it depending on the jammed location and cause; turn off the printer and unplug it; plug it in again and turn it back on; and if that does not solve the problem, contact your nearest Canon service centre to request a repair.
Paper coming first is the signal. Canon links that step to its own guidance on what to do when paper is jammed, which means the printer's own diagnosis points at the paper path before anything else.
It is worth noting how short the list is. There is no cleaning, no alignment, no cartridge step — clear the paper, cycle the power, then service. That brevity is useful, because it tells you when to stop trying things.
Looking properly for the paper
Check the whole path rather than the output tray. Paper can be caught at the rear feed, under the carriage, in the duplex unit on models that have one, or in the output area, and only one of those is visible without opening anything.
Torn fragments are the version of this that wastes an afternoon. A jam cleared in a hurry leaves a strip behind that is enough to keep triggering the error while looking like nothing at all. If the code returns immediately after a clear, assume something is still in there and look again with a torch.
Pull any paper you find slowly and in the direction it was travelling where you can. Tearing it makes the next attempt harder, and forcing it risks the parts around the carriage.
The power cycle, done properly
Canon's wording is specific: turn off the printer and unplug it, then plug it in again and turn it back on. Unplugging matters, because switching a printer off at its own button often leaves it in a standby state that preserves exactly the condition you are trying to clear.
Give it a moment before plugging it back in, and let the printer complete its start-up routine without sending it a job. It may run a cleaning cycle and move the carriage about; that is normal and it needs to finish.
If the code comes back with no paper in the machine and after a full power cycle, Canon's list is exhausted and its instruction is to request a repair. At that point further home remedies are guesses, and the useful next step is a service centre rather than another restart.
Sources and review notes
Checked on . Based on Canon's online manual error code page for 6000, taken from the TS3700 series manual. Canon's four actions are as published; the detail about where to look for paper, torn fragments and why unplugging matters is editorial. Codes are published per model and wording differs between ranges — check the manual for your own printer. Glitchary is independent of Canon.