Banding with Pro 100

[The Hat]

@pkk, To me it is clearly a Magenta cartridges problem and it has nothing to do with the firmware whatsoever, your cartridge it not allowing sufficient ink to flow properly, am I right in that you’re using the top fill method ?

Take one of your magenta cartridges or any other cartridge for that matter and wash out all of the ink from it, (Clean sponge) then use the ghwellsjr wicking method on it for at least a couple of hours.

http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/draining-a-canon-cartridge.4760/

Next put some of pharmacist’s solution (5% Propylene Glycol, 20% Isopropyl alcohol and 75% distilled water) into the cartridge (10 ml) and then wick that out the same way and then fill the cartridge normally, now the next step is important.

When you remove the orange clip from the bottom of the cartridge after refilling, does it drip and if so how many drops before it stops, in case you’re wondering a healthy cartridge is suppose to drip a few drops before use.

Once you have established all of the about proceed and try a nozzle check and then another test print, this should show a 100% difference to what you had been getting before..

 

[pkk]

Hi again.

The magenta & photo magenta carts carts in the printer now, when these tests were done, are Canon oem carts-not rerfils. I tried them as kind of a last resort when my refil carts (top fill) were doing the same thing. All of my carts were flushed & conditioned as per the above instructions before they were refilled the first time, and they do indeed drip ink before the refil hole is plugged.as This is the same thing I went through with both of my Pro 9000s & my MP830. What I thought were head clogs were inkflow problems but in my experience they've never been solved. And because they seem to show up in the magenta carts to me it points to the ink. Minkling has fought this battle from the begining & has tried out several theories but none of them seem to hold up in my case with this Pro100. He spoke to me back in the winter about possible bacteria problems which he's now addressing. But this Pro100 has had problems basicly right out of the box with new formula PC inks & Canon oem inks. I don't think there was time for bacteria to cause this. Also my second Pro9000 showed the problem much quicker than I think bacteria could have caused.
I'm open to try any ideas & will continue to try even though I've already reached the point where further investments in time are not worth the return to me personally. 90% of my printing can be done on my Epson-although at higher cost since I don't refill those carts. I'm also trying to be careful about too many test prints, as I think I burned out my MP 830 & Pro9000s in troubleshooting all this.

If the forum really wants to run this to ground, at least as far as my Pro100 is concerned, someone could ship me the two magenta carts that he knows are working in his Pro100. I'll pay for the shipping & I'll ship them back or if they work, buy them. Then we'll know if it's the carts or the printer.

Best regards & thanks for all the interest & quick replies.

Pkk

 

[stratman]

If the forum really wants to run this to ground, at least as far as my Pro100 is concerned, someone could ship me the two magenta carts that he knows are working in his Pro100. I'll pay for the shipping & I'll ship them back or if they work, buy them. Then we'll know if it's the carts or the printer.

Just buy a new OEM Canon Magenta cartridge. If you still have problems then the odds are it is not the cartridge.

This is the same thing I went through with both of my Pro 9000s & my MP830. What I thought were head clogs were inkflow problems but in my experience they've never been solved. And because they seem to show up in the magenta carts to me it points to the ink.

Maybe the Magenta ink is potentially more problematic, but people do run these printers without ink flow problems or can resolve the ink flow problem.

I have used the same single Magenta cartridge with Precision Color ink in my MP830 for several years without a flush or a functional problem. I used to platoon two sets of cartridges but have not done this for several years, ie using only one set of cartridges.

Having the same issue across different printers with different ink sets suggests there is something(s) in your routine that potentiates the ink flow problem. A number of factors may impact poor results including but not limited to not printing frequently enough, cartridges in need of flushing for a variety of reasons such as biological contamination of sponges, old (dessicated) or contaminated ink supply, an improper seal of the cartridge's ink exit port to the inlet port on the print head (eg print head gasket issue or deformity of either the print head or the ink outlet port on the cartridge).

Mikling has discussed an issue of ink flow if you wait too long to refill the cartridge, and recommends never waiting for a cartridge to go to empty, instead refilling before the spongeless side of the cartridge is drained of ink. Some members swear by this. I let a cartridge go to empty before refilling and then refill any other cartridge that is either near to complete or is completely empty on the spongeless side, so I have not experienced what Mikling. As with anything to do with refilling YMMV.

Again, the easiest and least possible way of adding confusion while determining a cartridge issue is to try a brand new, OEM Canon cartridge. A proper flush of your cartridge should do the trick, but if the problem lingers then it could still be due to the cartridge despite it being flushed.

 

[The Hat]

All of my carts were flushed & conditioned as per the above instructions before they were refilled the first time, and they do indeed drip ink before the refil hole is plugged.as This is the same thing I went through with both of my Pro 9000s & my MP830. What I thought were head clogs were inkflow problems but in my experience they've never been solved. And because they seem to show up in the magenta carts to me it points to the ink.

@pkk, Your answers still trouble me some what, you’re not by any chance leaving the print head without cartridges while you’re refilling them are you ? It just seems very odd that you can reproduce exactly the same poor ink flow conditions in several of your printers ?

Secondly you say that your cartridges do drip ink before the refill hole is plugged ? That is to be expected because any cartridge with the refill hole left open will pour ink out all over the place.

When you top fill your cartridge the orange clip must be kept on till you seal the refill hole 100% after refilling, then when you go to install the cartridge in the printer on removal of this orange clip, this is when it should drip a few drops of ink and never before.

When you trouble shoot a print problem you should keep an open mind as to what the cause could be and then try to either prove or eliminate your first guess, then move on and never try to solve more than one issue at a time, if it’s the cartridge or the ink then change either one never both.

Slow progress and patients go hand in hand when dealing with poor output quality and a small step in the right direction is in fact huge progress when measured against what you experience before hand..

 

[pkk]

Well, both the magenta carts in the printer are new Canon OEM. I would have to have two defective carts from Canon. All of my refilled carts were flushed & conditioned before they were filled with new fresh PC ink. My earlier problems with the other printers could have been due to running carts to empty or letting them get dried out but since I got the second Pro9000 I've been scrupulous about doing all this by the reccommendations of the forum & Precision Colors About the only thing I haven't looked at is the seal between the cart & the printhead. I don't know how to evaluate that & one would think a new printer with OEM carts would not have a problem there.
The saga continues.

Pkk

 

[pkk]

I just saw The Hat's comments. Up until this Pro100 I've always had filled carts ready to go & just switched them. I don't have spare ones for the Pro100 but I haven't refilled them much either. I planned to "refill while you wait" with the head slot empty for the minute or two it takes. My topfill method is to fill the tank, wait for the sponge to absorb the ink, when the first drop comes out the bottom I put my finger over the vent, top off the tank & replace the plug. Covering the vent pretty much stops the dripping. I think I learned this from you!! Or maybe Mikling. I don't always use the orange clip. I just do it over my trash can which I have to do anyway since I want to see that first drip. When I was trying to troubleshoot back last winter one thing I tried was to remove the offending cart, take out the plug & see if it would drip. The results were not consistent. Sometimes it dripped normally so I concluded this was not a good test. Thanks for the input, Hat.

Pkk

 

[turbguy]

If an OEM cart is used for the test images posted above,even after a windex soak, I suspect you may have a defective print head (something wrong in the ink passageways, not the nozzle plate). I would try a new printhead...

 

[stratman]

Well, both the magenta carts in the printer are new Canon OEM.

Could you please define what you mean by "new". Are these cartridges recently purchased or are they the ones that came with the printer and are old or may have had the chips swapped off of for another cartridge?

I would have to have two defective carts from Canon.

What do you mean by "two"? Do you mean both Magenta and Photo Magenta cartridges or something else?

All of my refilled carts were flushed & conditioned before they were filled with new fresh PC ink.

Were these flushed with tap water? Do you have hard tap water? Minerals in hard water can clog things up over time.

bout the only thing I haven't looked at is the seal between the cart & the printhead. I don't know how to evaluate that & one would think a new printer with OEM carts would not have a problem there.

The gaskets might get unseated during a flush of the print head. Maybe it is a manufacturing error in your case. Turbguy's suggestion of a new print head may be the final course. But not yet unless you are done investigating further.

http://daydull.com/tips-tutorials/how-to-remove-a-canon-printhead-how-to-clean-a-clogged-printhead/

 

[Roy Sletcher]

Well, both the magenta carts in the printer are new Canon OEM. I would have to have two defective carts from Canon. All of my refilled carts were flushed & conditioned before they were filled with new fresh PC ink. My earlier problems with the other printers could have been due to running carts to empty or letting them get dried out but since I got the second Pro9000 I've been scrupulous about doing all this by the reccommendations of the forum & Precision Colors About the only thing I haven't looked at is the seal between the cart & the printhead. I don't know how to evaluate that & one would think a new printer with OEM carts would not have a problem there.
The saga continues.

Pkk

New printer!! - You have already wasted more than enough of you time.

Call Canon and let the warranty resolve your problems. Of course make sure you have OEM carts in place when returning it.

They will probably send you a new print head first as the cheapest fix for them.

RS

 

[pkk]

Wow! Lots of replies! I would have gone back to Canon already but I bought this new in the box from an individual who got it with his camera as part of a rebate. I didn't realize till later that I could have gotten the same deal with rebate directly from Canon & have the warranty too. Live & learn. These magenta & photo magenta carts are the ones that came with the printer so they are 6-8 months old. The chips were removed for the refill carts & then when the problem appeared, which was right away, I put the chips back on the OEM carts & tried them with no improvement. This was all back in January when the carts were new. Now they are 7 month older but the problem is exactly the same.
I am using tap water to flush but it is not hard.
I will try manipulating those seals a little since it's a free effort. It seems like there would be ink leaking past them when the printer's off if they were not sealing.

Another thing to mention. The printer is capable of a good print. The first one I ran after it had sat since last winter came out perfect. Then about halfway through the second print the banding started. This was true back in the winter too. That's why I don't think a new head will fix it.

If we can't find a solution here I'll wait for Canon to offer another of their rebate deals & get a whole new printer with warranty for the cost of a set of carts. I'd sure like to get one working though.
Thanks again for all the interest.

Pkk