Blogged heads or old carts? Can not figure out.

[oblue]

Hi guys, I have a Canon MP550 and recently it's developed a problem of smudging the photos. What exactly happens is that when the print out comes out of the printer, I see very tiny horizontal green lines right at the end of photos (see the image). I don't know why they appear at the end. I did a software cleaning a few times but no chance. I've been refilling the original carts using that German method for the last two years. The problem may be attributable to two things, but not sure: either cart sponges or blogged heads. There were times I have not used my printer for a while and the ink hold by sponges might have dried up and damaged the sponges. If this is a blogged head problem, do you think soaking the head in the hot water would solve the problem without damaging the sensitive electronic parts? Throughout the forum, I've gone through many cleaning related posts but they all suggest different things and I feel a bit confused now. What do you suggest I do?


Any help appreciated,

 

[stratman]

Magenta is being choked off from feeding from the cartridge properly, either from a sponge issue or problems with atmospheric equalization within the cartridge from ink blocking the passage of air, hence the greenish lines. Either purchase a new Magenta cartridge or flush the one you are using.

Try to print something that uses all the cartridges, like a nozzle check, once a week to keep ink from drying up and causing print head issues in the future as well.

 

[oblue]

Stratman, I'll flush the cart as you suggested but just one question. Once I take off the cart, do I need to put another one into the empty place to prevent the printheads from drying? Coz I guess it will take no less than one day to dry the sponge properly.

 

[jtoolman]

Yes do put in a "Dummy" cart in its place while you work on the Magenta cart.
Also check that you haven't forced the bottom surface of the sponge up so it no longer contacts the bottom of the cart and the ink post hole. it could happen when you insert the needle under the sponge thorugh tho the ink chamber.
A "Carefull" sharp downward rap on a table top should force the sponge into contact again.

I always top fill mine Canon carts and have never had any ink starvation problem such as you Magenta cart is displaying.

 

[stratman]

As jtoolman says, use another cartridge to keep the print head from drying up and blocking nozzles. You could also try placing the print head in a bowl of water (distilled if you have heavy water) so that the input ports are covered with water. Make sure the electronics are dry before reinstalling the print head or you could short out it's circuit board.

If you feel the need to rap the cartridge on another surface to seat the sponge, make sure to not rap it on the ink outlet port - the cylindrical out-pouching on the bottom of the cartridge that fits inside the print head ink inlet port. You may deform the cartridge's ink outlet port and cause an failure to seal with the print head ink inlet port.

 

[oblue]

Thanks for the hand guys, I'll let you know when I get it done.

 

[PeterBJ]

Hi oblue

Out of curiosity: How many times was the offending magenta cartridge refilled before the problems started? There seems to be many people experiencing inkflow and/or capacity problems with the PGI-x20/CLI-x21 cartridges refilled by the German method.

To begin with everything is fine, but after a number of refills the cartridge gets problems with inkflow and might not fill up to the specified weight. Often a flushing and drying of the cartridge, as suggested by stratman, restores the cartridge to good working order. I have experienced similar problems, and a flushing and drying of the cartridge was the solution.

 

[oblue]

PeterBJ, it is hard to say how many times I refilled it but I bought the machine about 2 years ago and considering I am not a heavy user, I guess it amight have been refilled 7-10 times. When I refill it, about 25 percent of the tank remains empty. If I try to fill more, ink starts coming out of the vent hole and the bottom sponge. I cannot remember if this was the case with the original ones, I mean I don't remember if the ink chambers were full more than 75-80 percent.

Stratman, I have just installed another magenta cart and it works like a charm, no greenish lines or similar, many thanks for the help. Also flushed the other one and left it drying. Just for future reference, in case I need the info: If I get into trouble with the printhead, is it OK to soak it completely in the warm water? Would this damage electronic or any other sensitive parts?

 

[stratman]

If I get into trouble with the printhead, is it OK to soak it completely in the warm water? Would this damage electronic or any other sensitive parts?

Soaking is OK as long as you do not have residual water on the circuit board of the print head. Compressed air or letting the print head dry in the open air should be sufficient to protect from a short circuit.

Glad to hear you are back to printing bliss. good job!