The dreaded B200 Error on your Canon Printer usually indicates that the print head has died! Before you go trashing the printer or buying a new one try some of the following suggestions.
1. Remove all ink cartridges and re install new ones.
2. Remove Print Head and thoroughly clean all of the gold contacts on the print head itself. When re installing the print head make sure that the ribbon cable connector is firmly plugged in to the print head itself (this usually applies to older models).
3. When the print head is out thoroughly clean it by flushing all ink out under the hot water tap. This video may help - Print head Cleaning
4. Next method to try is to reload the printers drivers as the B200 error code can be caused in some cases by a corrupted Driver.
5. Try turning the printer off and unplugging it at the wall for at least 2 hours. Sometimes this can work.
6. If all else fails please follow the instructions on this video.
7. Purchase a new Print Head from canon and install it yourself. (this is not recommended as it is usually not much more expensive to buy a new printer).
The image to the left indicates the cleaning of the contacts on the print head itself. These need to be cleaned thoroughly with either pure alcohol or a non oily cleaning fluid. If these contacts are dirty it can cause the B200 error to occur.
When cleaning the print head be very careful as the bottom of the print head is very delicate and will not tolerate rough treatment. This picture shows the actual part of the print head were the ink is sprayed from. (between his thumb and fore finger).
The next picture to the left indicates the correct method to clean a print head. Simply hold it under a hot water tap and keep the water flowing through until the water comes out fully clean.
This will remove any hardened ink which has solidified inside of the print head itself.
The print head can be dried after by using a hair drier or simply by carefully dabbing it with a lint free cloth or paper towel.
Canon B200 Error video Fix
If you would like a more in depth look at how to fix the B200 error then take a look at the following video. ( Just go with the subtitles ! )
My personal thoughts
Having been in the print consumables industry since 2007 and being a huge fan of the Canon inkjet range of printers I must say that the chances of actually fixing a Canon printhead is very slim. On some occasions we have certainly manged to revive printers using the above methods however the percentage of successes are small.
My background is in electronics so I kinda know the effect that constant temperature variations have on any electronic piece of equipment. The thermal printhead used in Canon printers uses a myriad of small resistors which are constantly heating up to spit the ink out and then turning off and cooling down again. After a couple of years of this often the minute resistors inside the head simply die or open circuit.
Once this occurs then you end up with one of the dreaded B200, U052, U054 etc error messages. Honestly folks if you get one of these don't spend hours trying to fix it, quickly try the above solutions and if they don't remove the error message then grab it by the 240 cord and launch it out the door!
What about replacing the printhead?
Many folks get attached to their printer and even when it's near death they simply don't want to part with it. Many are not tech savvy and they have spent several years simply working out how to use the thing. Finally they get the hang of printing when the dreaded printhead error occurs and devastates them.
Many older folks don't care how much it's gonna cost to fix or replace the printhead and even if they gotta mortgage their house to them it seems a better alternative than to have to purchase some new fandango printer and spend another couple of years learning to operate the thing.
Seriously folks the best alternative is to simply update to a new Canon printer as they are not so much different to use than your current printer. Instillation is very simple and even though you may be apprehensive once you take the plunge you will soon master the operation of the new printer.
Replacing the printhead should not even be a consideration. They are expensive, hard to obtain and even if you do repair the printer chances are that a 2 year old or more printer will simply develop another problem before too long. Often either the plastic drive gear will chew out, the ink waste pad will fill up or some other part of the printer will die.