Why is one color (for example magenta) not printing on my Canon MegaTank even though the tank has ink?

Usually the nozzles for that color are clogged with dried ink, or there is air in its tube. Try a regular cleaning first, then a deep cleaning followed by a 10-minute rest. On a G3010 with magenta missing, two regular cleanings did nothing and one deep cleaning fixed it. If a deep cleaning repeated twice does not help, the print head may need replacing.

Which printers does canon-ij-maint work with?

It is tested on the Canon PIXMA G3010 over USB. Other recent PIXMA, MegaTank (G series), TS and TR models that use Canon's cnijfilter2 driver likely use the same protocol but are untested. Unsupported commands are simply ignored by the printer.

Free & open source · Linux

Deep clean your Canon PIXMA printer from Linux.

Q: Do I need to install Canon's driver to use canon-ij-maint?

No. It is a single binary with no dependencies. It can send commands through any CUPS queue for the printer (including a Gutenprint one) or write directly to the USB printer device.

Q: Is deep cleaning bad for my printer?

It uses noticeably more ink than a regular cleaning and adds to the waste-ink absorber, so use it only when a regular cleaning has not helped, and not more than twice in a row.

One color stopped printing and the tank is full? Canon's Linux driver can't run a deep cleaning. canon-ij-maint can, with one command and no Canon driver.

Install in 10 seconds View on GitHub

# deep clean the print heads
canon-ij-maint --queue Canon_G3010 clean --deep

# wait ~10 minutes, then check every color
canon-ij-maint --queue Canon_G3010 nozzle-check

What it does

Deep cleaning

The stronger cleaning cycle that Canon's Linux driver doesn't offer. Clears stubborn clogs.

Regular cleaning

The everyday print head cleaning, for faint lines or light streaks.

Nozzle check

Prints Canon's test pattern so you can see which color has gaps.

No driver needed

One small binary, no dependencies. Works through any CUPS queue or straight to /dev/usb/lp0.

Why it exists

Our Canon PIXMA G3010 stopped printing magenta. The tank was half full. Two regular cleanings from Linux changed nothing, and the printer's buttons didn't start a deep cleaning. Canon's Linux driver only sends a regular cleaning, so we looked at how it builds its commands. It's a small XML message with the cleaning type hard-coded to regular. Setting it to deep worked: one deep cleaning and a 10-minute rest brought magenta back.

Scanned Canon G3010 color test page before deep cleaning: the magenta block, gradient, lines and band print as pale yellowish paper, red prints yellow and blue prints teal. — Magenta prints as almost bare paper, so red comes out yellow and blue comes out teal.

Scanned Canon G3010 color test page after one deep cleaning: magenta, red and blue print correctly and the grey band is neutral. — Same test page, same scanner. Magenta, red and blue are back, and the greys are neutral.

Unedited flatbed scans (150 dpi) from the G3010's own scanner. Tap a scan to see it full size.

Install

Download the single binary. It has no dependencies (use arm64 instead of amd64 on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5):

curl -fsSL -o canon-ij-maint https://github.com/taktekhq/canon-ij-maint/releases/latest/download/canon-ij-maint-linux-amd64
chmod +x canon-ij-maint && sudo mv canon-ij-maint /usr/local/bin/
canon-ij-maint list

Or build it with Go 1.22+:

go install github.com/taktekhq/canon-ij-maint/cmd/canon-ij-maint@latest

How to deep clean a Canon PIXMA printer on Linux

1. Find your printer

canon-ij-maint list

This lists Canon printer queues in CUPS and any USB printer devices. If you have no queue yet, add the printer in your system's printer settings (any driver is fine), or use --device /dev/usb/lp0.

2. Start the deep cleaning

canon-ij-maint --queue YOUR_QUEUE clean --deep

The printer should whir for 2–3 minutes. If it stays silent, it ignored the command.

3. Let it rest, then check

Wait about 10 minutes after it goes quiet so fresh ink soaks into the nozzles. Then print the pattern:

canon-ij-maint --queue YOUR_QUEUE nozzle-check

Still a gap in one color? Run one more deep cleaning. If two in a row don't help, the print head is probably worn out.

Supported printers

Printer	Regular clean	Deep clean	Nozzle check
PIXMA G3010 (USB)	Works	Works	Works
Other PIXMA, MegaTank G-series, TS, TR models using Canon's `cnijfilter2` driver	Likely, untested	Likely, untested	Likely, untested

If your printer ignores a command, nothing happens and nothing breaks. Tell us which model worked so we can add it.

FAQ

How do I deep clean a Canon PIXMA G3010 on Linux?

Canon's Linux driver only offers regular cleaning. Install canon-ij-maint and run canon-ij-maint --queue YOUR_QUEUE clean --deep. Wait about 10 minutes after the printer stops, then print a nozzle check.

One color (e.g. magenta) isn't printing but the tank has ink. Why?

Usually that color's nozzles are clogged with dried ink, or there's air in its tube. Try a regular cleaning first, then a deep cleaning followed by a 10-minute rest. On our G3010, two regular cleanings did nothing and one deep cleaning fixed it.

Does Canon's cnijfilter2 Linux driver support deep cleaning?

No. Its maintenance commands are limited to regular cleaning and a nozzle check. canon-ij-maint sends the same command format with the cleaning type set to deep.

Do I need Canon's driver installed?

No. It is a single binary with no dependencies. It sends commands through any CUPS queue for the printer, including a Gutenprint one, or writes straight to the USB printer device.

Can I deep clean just the color head?

The tool accepts --group color, but the G3010 ignores a color-only deep cleaning. Use the default (all).

Is deep cleaning bad for my printer?

It uses more ink than a regular cleaning and fills the waste-ink absorber faster. Use it when a regular cleaning hasn't helped, and not more than twice in a row.

Paper ran out mid-print and nothing happens after I reload it.

On the G3010 you have to confirm after loading paper: press the printer's Black or Color button to resume.