Can you keep using it?
Can you keep using it?
Contact customer support if any of these apply
- !The warning repeats frequently and downtime would be disruptive.
- !A stronger absorber or service-stop code appears after 1702.
What to check first
Step-by-step checks
- 1
Safe first step
Keep printing only if the printer is otherwise stable and you understand the warning is still active.
Start with the official recovery step before moving on to parts or deeper servicing.
- 2
Escalate
Plan Canon support or replacement before the absorber reaches the full stop condition.
- 3
Escalate
Avoid unnecessary cleaning cycles because they shorten the remaining service life.
Background
What this message usually means
Canon uses support code 1702 when the TR4500 series estimates that the ink absorber is almost full. This is a warning-stage service-life condition rather than a low-ink alert, so printing can often continue temporarily but support planning is wise.
Before the message
What users usually notice first
Messages like this often appear after the printer fails one of its normal startup, supply, or paper-path checks and cannot return to ready state cleanly.
Diagnosis
Likely causes
The internal ink absorber has reached a warning threshold.
Cleaning cycles and purge routines filled the waste-ink area over time.
The printer's service counter is nearing its stop point.
Service
When service or replacement is more likely
- -This is a service-life warning, not a normal ink cartridge reminder.
Avoid wrong turns
Common misreads of this message
- -Treating the message like a confirmed failed part instead of a support clue about which system has stopped the printer.
- -Assuming any supply-related wording means the next step is automatically to buy a cartridge, toner, drum, or printhead.
Explore more
More Canon printer families
Read this next
Helpful guides for this problem
Guide
When a printer says paper jam but there isn't one
What a false paper-jam warning usually points to, from hidden scraps and tray issues to faults that are no longer simple jams.
Guide
How to identify your Canon printer family before using an error code page
How to work out the right Canon family first so the code page you open is actually talking about your printer.
Guide
How to tell if a printer fault is a cartridge issue or a service issue
How to separate ordinary cartridge or toner trouble from the kind of printer fault that usually points to real service.
Boundary
When to stop troubleshooting and move to support
Use the message once to classify the problem, then move to support if the printer still cannot return to ready after the first safe checks.
Keep browsing
Where to go next
Source notes
Canon's official 1702 page says the ink absorber is almost full and indicates a warning-stage maintenance condition.
Built around Canon TR4500-series official support-code guidance. Exact wording can vary a little by regional model naming, but the support-code meaning stays close across the family.
Printer error codes can vary a little by firmware, region, and exact model variant. Use this guide as a family-level starting point and stop if the next step would require disassembly or service-mode changes.
Known family variants: TR4520, TR4522, TR4527, TR4530, TR4540, TR4550, TR4551, TR4560, TR4570, TR4570S, TR4580, TR4590, TR4595
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12
Reference: Open reference