CANON PIXMA PRINTER ip8720 Abruptly Stopped Working ERROR 6A81
On Monday February 8th my Canon Pixma ip8720 printer abruptly stopped working. I got this error 6A81. The ink cartridges don't light up and the Yellow light on the front of the printer flashes 13 times. I purchased the printer on Amazon exactly two years ago on February 8th, 2018.
If your Canon printer is over two years old, Canon's Tech Support will not help you unless you buy their CarePak PLUS service at $49.99 for every two years.
I followed all of the troubleshoot steps Canon's website advised.
• Cleaned out printer, unplugged and re-plugged cables as instructed by Canon's website for the 6A81 error.
• Connected my HP Inkjet 1020 to same PC to confirm I could still print files. HP printer worked fine.
• Replaced USB and power cable on Canon Pixma ip8720 and still got same 6A81 error.
• Removed and reloaded drivers from Canon website and re-tried at least 10 times throughout my day. Still getting the 6A81 error.
Connected my Pixma ip8720 printer to a different PC, installed software and drivers from Canon website and still got the 6A81 error.
In case I was over looking any steps, I phoned local Computer Tech Support to re-install the Canon Pixma ip8720 printer for me. He got the same 6A81 error.
Having no success with manufacturer recommended fixes, I surfed the web and many people suggested cleaning the area around the "Black Rubber Absorber Pad" and surfaces around it from any excess ink.
Try this before attempting to take apart your Canon Pixma ip8720 printer. Use 6" long Q-tip to reach and clean the "Black Rubber Ink Absorber Pad" with main cover open.
I decided to get into this further by taking off the entire cover for full access to cleaning the "Black Rubber Ink Absorber Pad" and area around it. I unplugged the printer and used Philips screw driver to remove the two screws in back cover. Then I used a BUTTER KNIFE to gently pry apart by the back cover. Pry upward on the bottom of the cover to release the tabs. Do the same for the both side covers and the top cover.
You'll need to unplug the Wifi Antenna before the top cover can be removed.
Canon Pixma ip8720 "Black Rubber Ink Absorber" circled in Red.
The rubber ink absorber pad was covered in Black ink. I used a cotton cloth with soapy water to soak up all of the Black ink.
After cleaning the ink absorber pad and area around it, I plugged in the printer. The Red lights under the ink cartridges returned and front Yellow light wasn't flashing. This is a good sign. I unplugged the power cord and re-attached all of the plastic covers and re-connected the WiFi antenna. I re-connected the Canon Pixma ip8720 printer to my PC and powered it on. I ran TEST print and the ink looked blotchy. I then did the Canon ip8700 software maintenance steps.
Goto
• Windows Start button (bottom left corner)
• Settings
• Devices
• Printers & Scanners
• Select Your Printer (Canon ip8700 series)
• Manage
• Printing Preferences
• Maintenance Tab
Go through all of the steps circled in Red above.
After doing the Canon Pixma ip8700 series maintenance steps, my print outs looked perfect! Hopefully this solves your issue, but
Remember, If your Canon printer is over two years old, Canon's Tech Support will not help you unless you buy their CarePak PLUS service at $49.99 two year agreement. It's very likely in my personal opinion that Canon Support will tell you that your Canon Pixma ip8720 printer is too old and there's nothing they can do.
Cookie Ridolfi
I have the ip8720. It’s about 2 years old, The printer has begun to act up on me too. Was on the phone with tech for hours today without success. They told me my only option is to buy a new printer at a greatly reduced price. Meanwhile, they could not tell me what the “error” message I am receiving means. It simply says “error” and they have no other information for me. My printer just stopped printing. I load the paper, the machine sounds like it is about to print, a few minutes later, the photo paper slides out all white, just as it was when I loaded it. Maddening. I welcome advice on where to go from here.