I have the canon pixma 170 printer. It's telling me the ink waste is full, do you know how to clean or empty? Or is this the end of my printer? Thanks!

the waste ink absorber cannot be replaced mate. you have to buy new printer.the waste ink absorber is the sponge part where head cleans all its ink. its a common problem in cannon.

The waste ink absorber can sometimes be removed and cleaned out and put back into place. Although it is not always easy to get at. Usually once this happens it is time for a new printer. You can also contact Canon and see if they have a replacement part for this.

the waste ink is the pads in the printer where the printer cleans the carts (ink). When they fill up they need to be replaced i would suggest taking this printer to a printer shop for replacement. The reason is because the printer has a waste counter on it and it needs to be reset before the error will go away. I would call around your area and see if they can do it and how much. If you reset the counter and continue printing the ink will adventually over flow and can cause serious damage to the printer. I would also call up canon and see what they recommend.
Steven.
hope this helps :)

Canon MP170 (Ink Tank Full Error):

1 - power off.
2 - hold stop/reset ,hold ON/OFF
3 - release stop/reset, push stop/reset twice, quickly, then release ON/OFF
4 - wait untill LCD display shows "Canon Idle",then push stop/reset four times, quickly
5 - then push power twice, quickly
6 - power off and power on.
Please if you happy call back and gave a vote

It's time to replace 3's WASTE INK ABSORBER KIT & reset waste ink counter.
The WASTE INK ABSORBER KIT is approx. USD10/pcs

It is a shop repair since you have to use Canon diagnostics to reset the count and clear the error. The new part is around $10.00 only.

Inkjet printers have a fibrous pad inside them that collects the waste ink from cleaning the print head. Over time, this pad fills up with ink and can no longer hold any more. When this occurs, the printer indicates a "waste ink tank full" error.

The waste ink absorption pads are inside the printer, in the very bottom. They are usually soaked with ink when full and are very messy.

Replacing the waste ink absorption pads is something an authorized canon service facility can take care of for you.

Hey,

The waste ink pads should generally be around the cartridge carrier, or below, possibly at the bottom of the printer.

have a look at this page for instructions on how to reset the counter after the waste ink pads have been cleaned or replaced.
http://www.allthefaqs.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3770
Let me know if you need anything else.
Thanks,
Ekse

Try this solution to reset the ink tank , it should work for most pixmas and several other Canon printers.

http://www.fixya.com/support/t538192-waste_ink_almost_full

plz check the website http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/50418#1