Lexmark shows these as a number of up to three digits, a point, and two more, for example 121.31 or 900.43. Numbers up to 99 are messages for the user, such as supplies. The 100s are printer hardware, the 200s are paper jams in the printer and its trays, the 300s are the optional trays, the 400s are jams in the output options, and the 900s are firmware and the system electronics. Write the whole code down before you do anything else.
Where the manual writes .xx, the two digits after the point change with the exact cause. The number in front is what tells you which part of the printer to look at.
Before you call
- Write down the full code, including the digits after the point, and what the printer was doing when it appeared.
- For a jam code, open the door or tray the panel shows and remove the paper gently. For anything else, switch off at the power switch, wait a minute, and switch back on. Lexmark calls this a power on reset, and it clears many software and communication codes.
- If the code comes back, or it is a fuser code in the 121 range, stop there. Repeated restarts will not fix the cause, and the fuser runs hot.
- Call us with the code and the model. The code tells the technician which parts to bring.
Lexmark codes by family
31 to 54: supplies, smart chips and network
Toner level sensing, the chips on the toner cartridge, the imaging unit and the fuser, and the network port.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 31.21 to 31.25 | The toner level sensing reading is out of range, noisy, or changed suddenly. Reseating the toner cartridge is the first check. | A technician |
| 31.40 to 31.45 | The printer cannot read or verify the smart chip on the toner cartridge. | A technician |
| 31.60 to 31.65 | The printer cannot read or verify the smart chip on the imaging unit. | A technician |
| 31.80 to 31.85 | The printer cannot read or verify the smart chip on the fuser. | A technician |
| 32.10, 32.11, 32.12 | The toner cartridge, imaging unit or fuser fitted is not compatible with this printer, going by its chip. | A technician |
| 54 | Network error: the controller board lost contact with the network port. Restart the router and the printer. | A restart may clear it |
111: printhead
The laser printhead and its spinning mirror motor.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 111.30 | The printhead fitted is not the type the printer expects. | A technician |
| 111.31 to 111.38 | The printhead line signal was never seen or was lost, or the mirror motor did not lock to speed, or was not ready when a page arrived. | A technician |
| 111.90 | The printhead video cable is not plugged in. | A technician |
120 and 121: fuser
The fuser that bonds the toner to the page, its drive motor, and the thermistors that watch its temperature.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 120.10 to 120.80 | The fuser drive motor would not start, lock to speed or stop, or ran too fast or too hot. | A technician |
| 121.07, 121.08, 121.20 to 121.30 | The fuser did not reach its working temperature during warm up, or was too cold when a page reached it. | A technician |
| 121.31 | The fuser went over temperature. | A technician |
| 121.32, 121.33, 121.34 | A fuser thermistor reads open circuit: the main, the edge or the backup roll thermistor. Usually the fuser itself. | A technician |
| 121.37 | The fuser heated too quickly while the printer was checking the mains voltage, which points to a fuser of the wrong voltage. | A technician |
| 121.48 | The fuser fitted does not match the fuser type the firmware expects. | A technician |
126 to 175: power, drives, toner supply and fans
Mains sensing, the main drive, the paper feed motors, the toner supply and the cooling fans.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 126.01, 126.02 | The mains frequency is out of range, or not detected at all, by the low voltage power supply. | A technician |
| 130.01 | Transfer servo error. A restart may clear it; if it comes back, the imaging unit is usually replaced. | A restart may clear it |
| 133.05 to 133.08 | Toner level sensing reads too high, too low or noisy, or toner is not being topped up into the imaging unit. | A technician |
| 140.10 to 140.80 | The main drive motor would not start, lock to speed or stop as it should. | A technician |
| 146.00 to 155.00 | No signal from a motor's encoder: the tray 1 media feeder (146), the redrive (149), the duplex (150) or the toner add motor (155). | A technician |
| 171.03 to 175.07 | A cooling fan is slow, stalled or over speed: 171 is the main fan, 172 the cartridge fan, 173 and 174 the power supply fans, 175 the miscellaneous fan. | A technician |
200 to 250: paper jams
Jams in the printer and its trays, numbered by where the sheet stopped. The panel shows the area to open.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 200.xx | Jam at the input sensor inside the printer. Also raised when the main drive, the fuser motor or the printhead was not ready for the page. | A technician |
| 202.xx | Jam at the fuser exit, behind the upper rear door. 202.49 is a fuser chip error. | A technician |
| 203.xx | Jam at the standard bin, where the upper redrive feeds the paper out. | A technician |
| 230.xx to 239.xx | Jams in the duplex path: 231 to 234 at the upper door and rear duplex area, 235 to 239 lower in the duplex area. | A technician |
| 241.xx | Paper did not feed properly from tray 1, or the tray was pulled out while a sheet was being picked. Often worn pick tires or a worn separator roll. | A technician |
| 242.xx to 245.xx | Paper did not feed properly from optional tray 2, 3, 4 or 5. | A technician |
| 241.29 to 245.29 | The feeder motor did not stop when lifting the tray: a tray lift error. Check nothing is caught under the tray first. | A technician |
| 250.xx | Paper did not feed properly from the multipurpose feeder. | A technician |
282 to 295 and 84x: ADF and scanner
The automatic document feeder, the flatbed scanner and their boards.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 282.xx to 285.xx | An original stuck, arrived late or did not clear a sensor in the ADF: pick (282), first scan (283), second scan (284) or exit (285). | A technician |
| 290.02, 290.11 | The ADF top door was opened while it was feeding. Close it, remove the originals and scan again; repeats with the door shut need the door sensor checked. | A technician |
| 295.20 | The ADF detected more than one sheet going through at once. Usually the ADF separator roller. | A technician |
| 840.01, 840.02 | The scanner and ADF are switched off, either by a user in the menus or by the printer itself after two hardware failures in a row. | A technician |
| 842.xx | Communication lost between the controller and the ADF or scanner. | A technician |
| 843.00 | The flatbed scanner carriage did not find its home position. | A technician |
| 843.07, 843.15, 843.18 | The ADF elevator tray did not find home, stalled, or its motor did not stop in time. | A technician |
| 845.02, 845.03 | The CCD scanning sensor in the flatbed or the ADF failed to start up. | A technician |
3xx: optional trays
The optional 250 and 550 sheet trays and the high capacity input tray (HCIT).
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 321.xx, 331.xx, 341.xx | The pick and lift motor in optional tray 2, 3 or 4 gave no feedback, would not stop, or ran over speed. | A technician |
| 322.xx, 332.xx, 342.xx | The transport motor in optional tray 2, 3 or 4 gave no feedback, would not stop, or ran over speed. Check the tray for anything in the way first. | A technician |
| 324.xx, 334.xx, 344.xx | The lift motor in the high capacity input tray gave no feedback, would not stop, or ran over speed. | A technician |
| 325.xx, 335.xx, 345.xx | A problem on the optional tray's own board: not recognised, sensors not plugged in, or the high capacity tray's lift plate not returning home. | A technician |
4xx: output options
The mailbox, the output expander and the staple finisher.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 431.xx, 436.xx, 441.xx | Jams, motor errors or diverter errors in output option 1, 2 or 3. The manual's first step is a restart and reseating the option. | A restart may clear it |
| 451.xx | Paper stuck at, or not reaching, the finisher or offset stacker, or its main motor stalled. | A restart may clear it |
| 452.73 to 455.82 | A finisher part did not leave or return to its home position: the left or right tamper, the ejector, the diverter, the paddle or the tray holder. | A restart may clear it |
| 456.xx | Staple faults: the page did not reach the stapler, paper is left inside it, or it was not ready to staple. | A technician |
9xx: firmware and system electronics
The controller board, its memory and firmware, and communication with the options.
| Code | What it means | Who clears it |
|---|---|---|
| 900.xx | System software error in the controller. A restart often clears it. If it returns, the job, the network connection and the controller board are checked in turn. | A restart may clear it |
| 912.xx | The engine firmware hit an error it could not recover from. Restart; if it returns, the firmware is updated. | A restart may clear it |
| 940.xx | The zero crossing signal the low voltage power supply uses to control the fuser has failed. | A technician |
| 950.xx | The settings stored on the controller board and on the control panel no longer match. These parts must be changed one at a time with a restart between, so leave this to a technician. | A technician |
| 952.xx | A recoverable error in the settings memory. A restart usually clears it. | A restart may clear it |
| 953.xx, 954.xx, 955.xx, 958.xx | The settings memory or the flash memory on the controller board has failed. | A technician |
| 956.xx | The scanner and ADF cannot communicate properly with the controller board. | A technician |
| 959.xx | The controller could not verify its firmware or its security chip at start up. For some of these a firmware update comes first. | A technician |
| 960.xx, 961.xx | Memory error, on the controller board or on an optional memory card. | A technician |
| 980.xx to 991.xx | Communication errors or unidentified equipment faults reported by a tray, the duplex or an output bin. | A technician |
Messages that are not faults
The fuser maintenance kit is due: a new fuser, transfer roller, pick roller and separation roller. The early 80 messages are warnings; at end of life the printer stops until the kit is fitted, so book it in at the first warning.
The roller kit has reached its count. Not a fault; book it in with your next service.
The imaging unit is near or at the end of its life. Warnings come first, then it must be replaced.
The toner cartridge is running low. Not a fault: have a new one ready. On a service agreement, order it from the customer portal.
The toner cartridge is not in or not seated. Push it fully home and close the front cover.
The toner cartridge was made for another region. Machines sold here are region 3, Asia Pacific, and need cartridges for that region.
The paper is shorter or narrower than the job expects. Check the paper size in the tray and set the tray guides against it.
The number shows where to look: 200 and 201 inside the printer, 202 behind the upper rear door, 203 at the standard bin, 231 to 234 at the upper door and rear duplex, 235 to 239 in the duplex area, 24x in the trays, 250 in the multipurpose feeder, 41y and 43y at the mailbox and output expander, and 451 and 455 to 457 at the staple finisher.
Need it fixed?
Call 1300 922 260 or book online and quote the full code. In Brisbane, see Lexmark repairs in Brisbane. For toner and parts, see our Lexmark page.
Common questions
What do the numbers in a Lexmark error code mean?
The number before the point gives the area: up to 99 are user messages such as supplies, the 100s are printer hardware, the 200s paper jams, the 300s the optional trays, the 400s the output options, and the 900s firmware and system electronics. The digits after the point give the exact condition.
How do I reset a Lexmark error code?
Switch the printer off at the power switch, wait a minute, and switch it back on. Lexmark calls this a power on reset, and it clears many software and communication codes. Fuser codes in the 121 range, and codes pointing at a part, will come back until a technician fixes the cause.
What does 900.xx mean on a Lexmark?
It is a system software error in the controller. A restart often clears it. If it keeps coming back, note the full code and what was printing at the time. A technician checks the job, the network connection and any installed options before looking at the controller board itself.
What does 121.xx mean on a Lexmark?
It is a fuser fault: the fuser did not reach temperature, went over temperature, or one of its thermistors reads open circuit. It is safety related, so it needs a technician. Most of the time the answer is a new fuser, often fitted as part of the fuser maintenance kit.
Checked against the Lexmark MX71x and MX81x service manual, covering the MX710, MX711, MX810, MX811 and MX812. Lexmark keeps the same numbering across its product lines, though individual codes vary a little between models. DSA is an independent service provider. Lexmark is a trademark of its owner and is used here only to describe the machines we service.