Canon Printer Error A000 — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

Error A000 on Canon printers means the printer cannot recognize or accept the media type currently loaded in the rear specialty tray. This error appears most often when printing on thick paper, envelopes, labels, or photo paper through the manual or rear feed tray. Adjusting the paper type setting in the print dialog to match what is loaded almost always resolves it.

Affected Models

Canon Pixma TS9020
Canon Pixma MG7720
Canon Pixma TS8020
Canon Pixma iX6820
Canon Pixma iP8720

Common Causes

The paper type selected in the print settings does not match the actual paper loaded in the tray
Media that is too thick for the selected paper path has been loaded in the wrong tray
An envelope or specialty sheet is loaded in the wrong orientation for the selected media type
The rear tray media guide is not adjusted to the width of the loaded paper
A previous print job left a partial specialty media setting active that conflicts with the current job

How to Fix It

Remove the paper or media from the rear specialty tray. Check what type of media you are loading — is it plain paper, photo paper, envelopes, or something else? Make a note of it.

The rear tray on Canon Pixma printers is designed for specialty media like thick photo paper, envelopes, and labels. Plain paper usually goes in the front cassette.
Before reloading the media, open the print dialog on your computer. Find the paper type or media type setting. Make sure it exactly matches what you are about to load.

Common mismatches include selecting 'Photo Paper Plus Glossy II' but loading standard glossy photo paper — even small differences in paper type can trigger A000.
Reload the media into the rear tray and adjust the media guides so they lightly touch the edges of the paper. The paper should not be loose or tilted.

An unevenly loaded sheet will not register correctly with the media detection sensor.
In the Canon print dialog, double-check the paper source setting. Make sure it is set to 'Rear Tray' and not 'Cassette' or 'Auto Select'. Selecting the wrong source confuses the printer about what is loaded.

Auto Select can sometimes pick the wrong source when specialty media is involved.
If the settings all look correct and the error persists, turn the printer off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. Then resend the print job.

A hard reset clears any lingering media type conflict from a previous print session.

When to Call a Professional

Error A000 is almost always a user settings or media mismatch issue, not a hardware fault. If the error appears consistently regardless of what paper type is selected or loaded, the rear tray sensor that detects media may be faulty. A Canon service technician can test and replace the media detection sensor if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does A000 only happen with photo paper and not plain paper?

Plain paper is so common that most printers accept it regardless of minor setting mismatches. Photo paper and specialty media have much stricter loading requirements — thickness, orientation, and tray selection all matter. Canon uses these stricter checks to prevent expensive photo paper from being ruined by a misprint.

Can I print envelopes through the rear tray on all Canon Pixma printers?

Not all models — check your printer's manual to confirm the rear tray's supported media types. Most Pixma models that have a rear tray support envelopes, but the maximum envelope size and thickness varies by model. Loading an envelope that exceeds the tray's specs will trigger an A000 error.

I am printing from a Mac and get A000. Is the fix different?

The fix is the same — make sure the paper type in the Mac print dialog matches what is loaded. On Mac, go to File > Print, click the dropdown menu that says 'Copies & Pages', and select 'Media & Quality' to find the paper type setting. The setting name and location varies slightly by application.