Your Canon PIXMA TS6420a is feeding paper, humming through the motions, and spitting out sheets that are completely blank or barely there. That is frustrating when you can see the printer working, yet nothing usable lands in the output tray. On a cartridge-based inkjet like the TS6420a, blank pages almost always trace back to ink that has run dry, a print head whose nozzles have clogged, or a print job that is stuck somewhere between your computer and the printer. The good news is that every one of those causes has a fix you can do yourself, and the safest, most likely fixes come first.
Work through the eight steps below in order. The TS6420a uses two FINE cartridges (PG-260 Pigment Black and CL-261 Color), so the standard print-quality remedies all apply directly to this model. Start with ink and cartridge checks, move to the maintenance routines on the printer's operation panel, and only resort to a reset or a support call at the very end.
Start With Ink Levels, Because That Is Usually the Culprit
Blank or very faint pages are most often caused by an empty or near-empty FINE cartridge, so check this before anything else. On the printer, press the OK button, then select Estimated ink levels. A symbol shown above a FINE cartridge means the ink is running low and you should prepare a new ink cartridge.
If a cartridge reads low or empty, replace it with a new one. The TS6420a takes a PG-260 black cartridge and a CL-261 color cartridge. Sorting out ink first matters before you try any maintenance pattern, because a near-empty cartridge cannot print a clean nozzle check, and fixing the ink first keeps you from chasing a clog that does not exist.
Make Sure the Cartridges Are Seated and the Orange Tape Is Gone
A cartridge that still has its protective tape attached, or one that is not fully locked down, will print blank no matter how much ink it holds. The correct fix is to remove any orange tape from the cartridge and to confirm the ink cartridge locking cover closes with an audible click.
To check or reinstall a FINE cartridge, follow this sequence.
- 1.With the printer powered on, open the scanning unit/cover; the cartridge holder moves to the replacement position.
- 2.Pick up the ink cartridge locking cover to open it, then remove the cartridge you want to inspect.
- 3.On a new cartridge, remove the protective tape gently. Do not touch the electrical contacts or the print head nozzle.
- 4.Install the color FINE cartridge into the left slot and the black FINE cartridge into the right slot.
- 5.Close the ink cartridge locking cover and push until a click sound is heard.
- 6.Close the scanning unit/cover.
Avoid touching the electrical contacts or the print head nozzle on the cartridge, because handling those parts can permanently damage it. While you have the printer open, this is also the moment to load paper correctly, since the wrong side facing the head will print blank. Load paper with the printable side facing up in the rear tray, and with the printable side facing down in the cassette, and confirm the print-quality setting in your print dialog is not set so light that the page looks empty.
Print a Nozzle Check to See Which Nozzles Are Clogged
If ink, cartridges, and paper are all sorted but pages still come out blank, a nozzle check will tell you whether the print head is clogged. Load A4 or Letter plain paper in the cassette first so the pattern prints cleanly and is easy to read.
On the operation panel, press OK, then go to Maintenance, then Nozzle Check, then Yes, then press OK. The pattern prints, then select Next. Examine the result closely. Missing lines or horizontal white streaks mean the nozzles are clogged and the print head needs cleaning. A clean pattern with no gaps tells you the head is fine and the cause lies elsewhere.
Run Print Head Cleaning, Up to Twice
When the nozzle check shows gaps, run a standard cleaning. Press OK, then Maintenance, then Cleaning, then Yes. The screen notes that this takes about 2 minutes. Because cleaning consumes ink, only run it when the pattern actually shows a problem.
After cleaning finishes, print the nozzle check pattern again to confirm the gaps are gone. If the first cleaning does not fully clear the nozzles, run it once more. If the problem is not resolved after cleaning the print head twice, you should clean the print head deeply.
You can also run Cleaning from a connected computer instead of the panel. On a Windows PC, open the Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool, select Cleaning, choose the ink group, and click Start; afterward, use Print Check Pattern in the Nozzle Check dialog. On a Mac, the equivalent printer driver utility performs the same routine.
Step Up to Deep Cleaning When Standard Cleaning Falls Short
If two standard cleanings have not cleared the nozzles, move to the stronger routine. Press OK, then Maintenance, then Deep Cleaning, then Yes. Keep in mind that Deep Cleaning consumes a larger amount of ink than Cleaning, which is exactly why you save it for after standard cleaning fails.
After Deep Cleaning finishes, print the nozzle check pattern again to confirm whether the gaps have cleared. If a stubborn clog still will not budge after Deep Cleaning, the next stop is replacing the FINE cartridge or contacting Canon, which the final step covers.
Align the Print Head if Lines Print but Look Off
Once the nozzles are clear and ink is reaching the page, you might find that ruled lines print but look skewed or uneven. That points to alignment rather than blank output, and the auto alignment routine handles it.
Load two sheets of A4 or Letter plain paper in the cassette, then press OK, then Maintenance, then Print Head Alignment - Auto, then Yes, then press OK. The process takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Select OK when the completion message appears.
Clear a Stuck Print Queue and Take the Printer Off Offline
If pages eject blank only when you print from a Windows PC, the printer hardware may be fine and a software hang is to blame. A stuck job in the queue, or an offline status, can cause empty sheets or no real data reaching the printer.
Clear the queue with this sequence.
- 1.Open Start, then Printers & scanners.
- 2.Select the Canon printer, then Open print queue.
- 3.On the Printer menu, choose Cancel All Documents, then confirm with Yes.
- 4.While you are in the Printer menu, make sure Use Printer Offline is NOT checked.
Once the queue is empty and the printer is back online, send a short test page to confirm real data is now reaching the printer. If your blank-page trouble shows up only over Wi-Fi, the band your router uses can be the issue. The TS6420a is a 2.4 GHz-only printer; it supports IEEE 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11b on the 2.4 GHz band, with no 5 GHz and no Ethernet port. If your router broadcasts one combined SSID for both 2.4 and 5 GHz, set different SSIDs for the two bands and/or turn off band steering so the TS6420a can lock onto the 2.4 GHz network. For setup and wireless printing, the official companion app is Canon PRINT for iOS and Android, and the printer also works with AirPrint and Mopria.
Replace the Cartridge, Then Reset or Contact Canon Support
If pages are still blank after two rounds of Deep Cleaning, the print head may be damaged or the ink may have run out, and the FINE cartridge should be replaced. Swap in a fresh PG-260 or CL-261, whichever the nozzle check implicates, using the cartridge replacement sequence covered earlier.
If problems continue even after a new cartridge, you can restore defaults from the operation panel for connection or setting issues. Press OK, then Device settings, then Reset setting, then choose the option you need: Web service setup only, LAN settings only, Settings only, or Reset all. Resetting will clear the settings you select and you may have to set them up again, so choose the narrowest option that fits your problem rather than Reset all. Note that the LCD language, the print head position, and the CSR for SSL/TLS are not reset by this menu.
Should the trouble persist after replacement and a reset, the printer may need service, so contact Canon for repair or replacement options rather than continuing to run cleanings that only waste ink.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Canon PIXMA TS6420a print blank pages even though it shows ink?
An on-screen ink estimate can still read present while nozzles are clogged, so the ink never reaches the page. Run a nozzle check from the operation panel by pressing OK, then Maintenance, then Nozzle Check, and if you see missing lines or white streaks, run Cleaning and, if needed, Deep Cleaning. Also confirm the orange protective tape was removed and the cartridge cover clicked shut.
How many times can I run print head cleaning before deep cleaning?
Run standard Cleaning up to twice. If the problem is not resolved after cleaning the print head twice, you should clean the print head deeply. Deep Cleaning uses more ink than Cleaning, so use it only after standard cleaning has failed.
Which cartridges does the Canon PIXMA TS6420a use?
It uses two FINE cartridges, the PG-260 Pigment Black and the CL-261 Color. When you install them, the color FINE cartridge goes in the left slot and the black FINE cartridge goes in the right slot, and you push the locking cover until you hear a click.
How do I reset the TS6420a without erasing everything?
Use the narrowest reset option for your problem instead of Reset all. Press OK, then Device settings, then Reset setting, then choose Web service setup only, LAN settings only, or Settings only. The LCD language, print head position, and the CSR for SSL/TLS are not affected by this menu.
Does the Canon PIXMA TS6420a work on 5 GHz Wi-Fi?
No. The TS6420a connects only on the 2.4 GHz band, supporting IEEE 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11b, and it has no Ethernet port. If your router uses one combined SSID for both bands, set separate SSIDs or turn off band steering so the printer can join the 2.4 GHz network.