If your Canon iP1200 suddenly refuses to print and shows a maintenance or service warning, the ink absorber counter may have reached its limit.

Inside Canon printers, absorber pads collect excess ink from cleaning and maintenance cycles. The printer uses an internal counter to estimate pad saturation.

This page is prepared for Canon iP1200. Service mode instructions are shown only when a matching series procedure is known.

Common Symptoms

• Service / maintenance warning on the screen or driver
• Printer refuses to print even with ink available
• Blinking lights and queued jobs fail
• Error reappears after restart

Finalize the Reset and Restore Printing

Once the counter is cleared, Canon iP1200 should exit the locked state and printing should resume normally.

Maintenance Reminder

If absorber pads are truly saturated, ignoring maintenance can lead to ink leakage inside the printer. The counter reset only removes the software lock.

Need a reset solution?

For best results, avoid rushing button presses—consistent timing matters.

If It Doesn’t Work

• Close other Canon printer utilities while resetting.
• Try a different USB cable/port if using PC software.
• Repeat the service mode steps carefully (timing matters).
• Power-cycle the printer and try again.
• Use the correct Stop/Reset press count for your series.

FAQ