We have a "Low Mileage" Canon i550 printer that appears to the lay observer to be in perfect health. The mechanical parts seem to be fine: the ink cartridges respond to the buttons, sliding on their rails to and fro, etc. However, when a print request is sent from the computer, all that occurs is the blinking of one of the green lights on top. Diagnostics end up leading you in circles. I unplugged both ends of the parallel cable, cleaned the contacts, and replaced it.

The fact that the i550 is a number of years old and out of warranty suggests it might be a good candidate for a Goodwill Donation. But since the print quality was so good right up until the day it just decided to sit there and blink, I thought I'd see if anyone here had the same experience, and could point me to some known simple fix that a non-electrical engineer could perform!

Thanks in advance,
--Guineu