Let me start with something I learned the expensive way. I've handled supply orders for a small B2B team for 12 years, and I've personally made eight significant mistakes that cost about $18,400 in wasted effort and rushed repair bills. That's why I now keep a checklist. It's not because I'm smarter than anyone else. It's because I've been burned.
If you're reading this because your Canon printer stopped printing, I understand the panic. And here's the thing: most “canon printer repairs” I've authorized were not printer repairs. They were workflow problems wearing a printer-shaped costume.
Do you know how many tutorials exist for how to make a lanyard? I don't either. But the internet has guides for everything—including a review of a Texas Instruments calculator, a tutorial for how to make a lanyard, and a walkthrough for a scientific notation calculator. What's harder to find is a straight answer about whether a printer repair is worth it. Let me try to give you one.
The Surface Problem: Your Canon PIXMA TR4720 Has Stopped Working
The scenario is always the same. Someone in accounting tries to print an invoice. The Canon - PIXMA TR4720 Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer - Black starts making a strange noise, flashes an error code, and refuses to continue. Someone searches “canon printer repairs,” then the office manager calls me to authorize a service visit.
I understand why. You don't have time to troubleshoot. You want it fixed.
What I Learned the Hard Way: It's Usually Not the Hardware
In 2022, I approved a repair for a PIXMA TR4720 with a 5B00 error. I thought it was dead. The technician fixed it in ten minutes by resetting the maintenance counter. It cost $185. I still kick myself for not looking up the error code before sending it to a third-party shop.
An error code is not a diagnosis.
The most frustrating part of Canon printer repairs is how often the fix is a process fix, not a hardware fix. You'd think a printer repair would be about the printer. In my experience, it's usually about the setup around it.
This is where the industry has changed. What was best practice in 2020 may not apply in 2025. Printer firmware updates are more common than people realize, and a driver designed for an older operating system can make a healthy printer look broken. The fundamentals haven't changed—check the basics first—but the execution has transformed.
Most Canon printer repair calls fall into three categories. There are exceptions—real hardware failures definitely exist—but I've learned to start with the obvious ones.
1. The Maintenance Counter Is Full
Canon inkjet printers have a waste ink counter that records how much ink the printhead has flushed. When it hits a preset threshold, the printer stops to protect the printhead and keep ink from leaking. That's not a mechanical failure. It's the printer saying, “I've done a lot of work, please reset my counter.”
2. The Ink System Is Confused
The second cause is misdiagnosed ink. A “low ink” notice can be based on a cartridge chip, not the actual remaining ink. On models like the TR4720, installing a third-party cartridge can also trigger an error that looks like a hardware failure. The printer isn't broken—it can't confirm what it already knows.
3. The Driver and Firmware Are Out of Sync
The third cause is invisible: the software changed. Canon may update firmware to improve security or printhead behavior, and a driver from two years ago won't communicate cleanly with a new operating system. The printer responds with a generic error, and the user assumes the worst.
The Real Cost: More Than the Repair Bill
When someone asks me about “canon printer repairs,” I do the math in a way that hurts. Get a scientific notation calculator on your desk. I keep a Texas Instruments calculator in the office for the same reason—not because I'm doing engineering, but because I want to see the total cost without fooling myself.
In Q1 2024, we had three printers out of commission for what seemed like hardware failures. We spent $310 on a repair that didn't fix the issue, $240 on replacement ink that wasn't needed, and roughly $1,800 in staff time waiting, resending, and restarting. Total: $2,350. A quick diagnostic would have caught all three problems before the first service call.
Then there are the hidden print-quality costs. If the printer is misaligned and your office prints branded materials, the color can drift. The industry standard for a brand-critical color is Delta E < 2; a difference above 4 is visible to most people. That's not a repair issue. It's a color management issue, and no repair technician is going to fix it unless you ask.
Paper weight matters too. Standard 20 lb bond is about 75 gsm. If you're using a heavier paper, set the media type correctly. Otherwise, the printer may feed fine but start rejecting sheets or reporting jams that aren't actually there.
What I Do Now (And What You Can Do Before Calling for Canon Printer Repairs)
Here's the short version, because you don't need another long lecture.
- Look up the error code. Go to Canon's online support and search the exact code before you call anyone.
- Run the printer's built-in diagnostic. If the printer can print a status page, it's not completely dead.
- Check the maintenance counter. If you see a 5B00 or similar code, find out whether a reset is what the printer actually needs.
- Check warranty before paying. If your TR4720 is still under warranty, a third-party service could delay or void your coverage.
- Update drivers after OS changes. Don't wait for the printer to stop working.
This gets into board-level component territory very quickly, and I'm not a technician. If there's a burning smell, a physical jam you can't clear, or liquid ink on the logic board, stop guessing. Call Canon or an authorized service provider.
Real talk: when someone hears a printer error, their first instinct is to call a technician. My instinct is to look at the counter. That shift takes five minutes and saves hundreds of dollars.
I still kick myself for that $185 reset. But it taught me the most important lesson: canon printer repairs are usually a symptom, not the disease. The disease is missing information about the printer's actual state.
So before you authorize a repair, do yourself a favor. Search the error code, run a diagnostic, check the ink system. That won't solve every problem, but it will solve most of the ones I've accidentally paid for over the years.