The short version
- 01Work out which kind of printer you have: two cartridges, or several individual ink tanks.
- 02On a two-cartridge model, open the top cover and then power the printer on.
- 03Wait for the carriage to reach the replacement position, then fit new cartridges.
- 04If the carriage will not settle, restart, then unplug it mid-movement and slide it across.
- 05Close the cover, reconnect power and switch on, then check whether the error clears.
- 06On an individual-ink-tank model, stop here: Canon states this one requires service.
Raw message
B200 (also B201, B202, B203, B204, B205)
Likely causes
- On two-cartridge models, the print head built into one or both cartridges has overheated.
- On individual-ink-tank models, print head communication has failed.
- A worn or failing cartridge on a model where the head is part of the cartridge.
- A print head fault on a model where the head is a separate, non-user-serviceable part.
- Related codes B201 to B207, which Canon treats as the same error.
Two printers, two answers
Canon publishes two separate articles for this code, and which one applies to you decides whether this is a ten-minute fix or a service call. The split is not the model name but how the printer holds its ink.
If your printer takes two cartridges — one black, one colour — the print head is built into the cartridges themselves. Canon's article for those models says a B200 or related error means the print head built into one or both of the ink cartridges has overheated, and that you can attempt to replace the ink cartridges to resolve it.
If your printer takes several individual ink tanks, the print head is a separate component underneath them. Canon's article for those models is blunt: B200 and related errors generally mean print head communication has failed and the printer will require service or replacement. There is no user fix in that article at all.
Canon groups B201, B202, B203, B204 and B205 with B200 — and B206 and B207 on the individual-tank article. It also notes that printers with multi-segment LEDs may show this as a P, 1, 0 error rather than a B code.
The replacement procedure on two-cartridge models
Canon's order matters here and it is not the obvious one: open the top cover first, as if you were going to change the cartridges, and then power the printer on. Doing it that way lets the carriage move to the replacement position rather than parking.
The inks may travel back and forth across the printer for a while before settling. Let them. Once they reach the replacement position, swap the cartridges out.
Canon documents a fallback for when the carriage refuses to settle: turn the printer off and back on, and while the inks are moving, unplug the power cord and move the carriage to the replacement position by hand. Then replace the cartridges, close the cover, plug the printer back in and switch it on.
If the error survives all of that, Canon's position is the same as for the other model family — the printer requires servicing.
When Canon says service, it means service
For individual-ink-tank models, Canon's instructions are to press the power button to turn the printer off and unplug the power cord, and then to arrange service or replacement. It attaches one warning worth reading before you pull the plug: if your printer supports faxing, disconnecting the power erases all faxes stored in the machine's memory.
Canon then sets out two routes. Within the one-year manufacturer's warranty, with proof of purchase, you are entitled to service or replacement, and a CarePak extended warranty may add options. Outside the warranty period, Canon points at its Upgrade Program for a replacement instead.
That second route is worth taking seriously rather than resenting. A print head replacement on an out-of-warranty consumer inkjet frequently costs more than the printer did, which is why Canon offers an upgrade path rather than a repair quote.
Sources and review notes
Checked on . Based on Canon USA's two knowledge base articles for B200 and related errors — one for models with two cartridges, one for models with individual ink tanks. Which applies depends on your printer, so check Canon's article for your own model. The closing remark about repair economics is editorial. Canon's support pages render only in a browser and cannot be checked by automated fetching. Glitchary is independent of Canon.