Compaq I cant get my printer to do anything since i put in a new ink cartridge. Says "cummication fault current printer cable does not support bidirectional communication"

Please take out the new cartridges and re-position them correctly i.e. color cartridge on the left and black cartridge on the right seating. Check that you hear a click sound when the cartridge is placed in the seating. Print a test page. Then switch off the printer for some time. Re start the printer and now carry out the gray scale printing.

Try reseating the ink cartridge. Maybe, the cartridge is not seated properly.

Here are the simple steps:

1. Lift the control panel by holding the panel along the top edge.
2. Pull the control panel forward.
3. Lift the ink cartridge access door. for better access, stow the document input tray away. the carriage will move to the center.
4. Then, try reseating the cartridge. Hold the ink cartridge by the black
areas or colored top only.

Good luck,

Ryan

This is a common problem encountered by printer users and is in fact not a bug but considered a feature by manufacturers who build this function into printers to encourage consumers to buy their expensive ink cartridges. To fix this problem I would buy a 3rd party ink cartridge for use when your ink cartridge is empty. This way you can use your scanner when out of ink (be careful printing with 3rd party ink cartridges, many have mangled or destroyed their printers by using non OEM ink).

Try putting a bit of isopropyl alcohol in the bottom of the cartridge holder where the ink goes through and letting it sit for a couple hours then putting the cartridges back in and running the cleaning cycle a few times.

The alcohol should help dissolve the dried ink in the print head.

Hello,

Try unplugging the machine and removing all the ink cartridges.
Now plug the power back in. Wait a minute or two and then reinsert the ink cartridges.

If you get the same message, the machine's ink sensors are probably finished.

Thanks,

Pat

Try the following tricks:
Disconnect any USB cables attached to the printer and remove any memory cards from drive bay. Restart the computer. Unlock the ink cartridge locking clips. Remove all ink cartridges. Lock down the ink cartridge locking clips. Close the main printer door Turn the printer off with the Power button and wait for the printer to shut down. Unplug the printer AC adapter from the printer and the wall outlet or surge protector. Wait approximately fifteen to forty-five seconds to allow all current to dissipate from printer. Re-plug only the AC adapter into the wall outlet then into the printer, but do not plug in the USB cable. Wait for the appropriate missing ink cartridge error to verify that printer can recognize this error. Re-insert one ink cartridge only, to minimize confusion in case one of the cartridges is defective, and print an internal test page. If no errors are found, insert the other ink cartridge(s) and ensure that they are functioning by performing internal test pages or calibration pages. If an error occurs due to a defective cartridge, perform the appropriate steps for Resolving Ink Cartridge Rejections. After returning to the main Windows screen, reconnect the USB cable to the computer then to the printer. Good luck. Thanks for using FixYa.

go to control panel
printers and faxes than right click on the driver for the printer and click on properties ...
and you will find the option to print in gray scale

Is there a cable physically connecting the printer to the computer? If so, do you see the printer in Printers and Faxes?

I posted the original problem. Although the cartridge was genuine I had taken it out and reinserted it as I wasn't sure I had loaded it correctly the first time. Advice from my local retailer was that this was a mistake. Canon PIXMA printers no longer recognise a cartridge once it has been removed. Solution was another new cartridge which I shan't remove until it's empty. When this second cartidge is empty I shall try the first cartridge again as it is still full and unused. It has yet to print anything! Why Canon's helpdesk couldn't help is a mystery. I conclude that Canon's printer management systems are unfriendly to users. They are friendly only to Canon. I hope my experience will help others especially those considering buying a Canon printer. dudbob