Always clogging with Inktec CyanI

[Serville]

I'm using IP4500 & Inktec ink.
I never have any problem with other colors, except Cyan.
This color will get clogged so easily in just a few days.
Sudden clogging also happens after printing several pages of photos.
When I say clogging, it is complete clog on the printhead. (not even the slightest cyan coming out).
Nozzle check printing shows complete blank on cyan.

I believe the cyan ink is too thick in term of fluidity.
When I print photos in plain paper with normal printing mode, cyan will not come out, but nozzle check printing shows no clogging on cyan.
Only when I choose high-quality photo printing on plain paper, cyan will comes out without a problem.

Since I bought several bottles already, I wonder if it helps to dillute the ink with a little of distilled water.
WHat do you think ?

 

[embguy]

You need to flush the cyan cartridge. How long you have refill this cyan cartridge? Is this an OEM cartridge?

 

[panos]

I've had a similar problem with a magenta bottle and I solved it by adding a few drops of alcohol to it. No more clogs.

That said, I wonder how your nozzle check is OK but the nozzles fail on plain paper (where the larger nozzles are used) and work on photo paper (where the finer nozzles are used).

 

[Serville]

You need to flush the cyan cartridge. How long you have refill this cyan cartridge? Is this an OEM cartridge?

It is OEM cartridge, practically new. Just refilled 4-5x only.

I've had a similar problem with a magenta bottle and I solved it by adding a few drops of alcohol to it. No more clogs.

That said, I wonder how your nozzle check is OK but the nozzles fail on plain paper (where the larger nozzles are used) and work on photo paper (where the finer nozzles are used).

Yes, that's the funny thing. It has problem when printing large area on plain paper (photo, color block, etc) in normal printing mode. When switched to High quality printing, cyan will print without a problem. Nozzle check pattern doesn't show clogged cyan though. It looks like the cyan inkflow is not catching up when printing fast.

Every 4-5 days, cyan will get complete clog, and I have to clean the printhead over running water, and it will work for another 4-5 days before the same problem appears. I'm worried I might damage the head if I do this every week.

When clogged, I notice there is always a blot of cyan ink above the filter, as if the ink can not come through. Other unclogged colors doesn't show this sympthom. No ink blot above the filter, and I can still see the metallic filter clearly.


Here is a sample print (click to enlarge) :



It doesn't happen with photo paper even in normal printing mode, but cyan will suddenly get clogged completely after printing 4-5 A4 pages.

 

[fotofreek]

Most probably a marginally poor flowing cart. Photo paper settings cause a tighter pattern for the printhead pass which will cover small spaces left from the poor flow you see with plain paper settings. Marginal cart ink flow will eventually clog the nozzles and possibly damage the printhead. Purge the cart, refill, clean the printhead, and try again. I've started marking the number of refills on the side of my carts so I know more accurately when I need to purge. I found that prior to doing this I was in a hurry and kept refilling the same carts over again while other refilled carts sat in the drawer.

 

[Serville]

I finally figured out why.
The cyan filter on the printhead seems to have a little dent. I don't know how this could happen. My guess is I must have bumped it when I put in the cartridge. I borrowed my friend's IP4500 printhead and it prints without a problem.
Holy damn, it is just less than 6 months old. I don't think Canon would replace it under warranty, which means I must fork out another $50-60 just for the head. I must be bloody idiot.

 

[Serville]

My problem continues. I have changed the printhead. Everything was fine in the beginning, and suddenly Cyan clogs again.
I never have clog problem with other colors, but the Cyan is a bitch. It clogs almost every week when I tried to print on photo paper.
The funny thing is, the printer could sit for a week or more, and I printed Nozzle Check without a problem. Then I started to print on photo paper, and it clogged in the middle of printing. Nozzle check shows complete blank for cyan. No cleaning, even deep cleaning can clear it. What the hell is going on ? Could my photo paper cause the clog on the nozzle, perhaps the paper coating cause the clog ? Yes, it only a cheap photo paper, but the printhead doesn't actually rub against the printhead during printing, right ? If it is caused by the photo paper, how come only cyan shows this problem. No other colors ever clog with the same paper.

When I tried to flush the printhead from the printhead & filter, I can see the cyan ink kept flowing out while other colors have been thoroughly cleaned from inside the printhead. It's like there is a lot of cyan ink trapped inside, and it took a lot of time to flush it clean. It took almost 20 minutes to flush cyan, while other colors only 5-8 min.

Do you think it is my photo paper or ink problem ?

Btw, the cyan cartridge has been flushed, but same probelm continues

 

[RWP]

You may have an ink delivery problem with the cyan cart, permitting sufficient volume for the nozzle check but quickly diminishing during a photo print. Is the breather vent on the cart's top clear? Does the cart's sponge have the same saturation pattern as the others? Does the cyan cart's ink become air entrained (full of bubbles) during the rapid movement of a print job? If the cyan ink formulation is not close enough to the OEM spec it might be foaming up during a print and starving ink flow...

 

[Smile]

Try to put 0.5ml of 10% ammonia on the exit port of the cyan cartridge you have problems with. Then run a few cleaning cycles in the printer. Then print some photos that you had problems printing.

The ammonia solution will dilute the ink and make it flow better, if that's the problem that makes it clog. It's not recommended to dilute your ink with ammonia due to it being unstable, but just to test feed problems its fine at that small amount.

You can buy 10% ammonia in your local pharmacy.

 

[Grandad35]

Serville,

Your problem is typical of what happens when a cart is refilled too many times. Gunk builds up in the sponge(s) and filter, inhibiting the free flow of ink. It is also not unusual for certain colors to have more problems than others. I would try purging your carts.