Canon G3270 - blowing its nose or what?

[Doug Kerr]

On my Canon G3270, as it gets ready for a new print job it goes through some sort of ritual. About a minute after a print job, it goes through another ritual (sounds as if the waste ink suction pump is running). About an hour later, it goes through a third ritual, with a loud noise (as if the head or parking pads are being manipulated), lasting only a few seconds.

Do we know what this third ritual is? Canon tech support was not at all helpful regarding this.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[PeterBJ]

Canon inkjet printers do some automated printhead cleaning at some intervals determined by timers and counters.

I have also observed the cleaning one minute after a print job of only one page. If two or more pages are printed no cleaning is done one minute after printing the last sheet. I have had several old Canon inkjet printers of different generations and it seems that many (or all?) Canon inkjet printers for home use do this cleaning.

So I think your printer is perfectly OK.

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Peter,

Canon inkjet printers do some automated printhead cleaning at some intervals determined by timers and counters.

Indeed.

I have also observed the cleaning one minute after a print job of only one page. If two or more pages are printed no cleaning is done one minute after printing the last sheet.

Oh, I had not noticed that. Interesting.

I have had several old Canon inkjet printers of different generations and it seems that many (or all?) Canon inkjet printers for home use do this cleaning.

So I think your printer is perfectly OK.

Oh, I'm sure. I was just curious as to what it was doing!

Thanks.

Doug

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Pete,

On my Canon G3270, I did a single print job of three pages, one of which had color on it, the other two only black.

Almost exactly one hour after the end of that print job (the printer not having been used in the interim) , the printer did the brief "third" routine I described earlier.

By the way, I have the printer set to go "off" after 30 minutes of non-use, and to come on when needed. It was off when the one hour elapsed, came on to do the brief routine, and then (after a 5-second count down, just as if I had pressed the power button) turned off.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[x64]

Printer manufacturers put in as many of those cycles as they can get away with. They have a purpose, but the more ink the printer consumes the more ink you will need to buy from them. I would recommend turning off your printer between use.

Surprisingly, with the absence of ink cartridges in your printer, Canon managed to flip the script. Instead of emptying your carts, it has a waste cartridge that needs to be replaced when full. Someone at Canon definitely got a raise with that idea.

Still a better solution than the waste pads that most printers use, where most buy a new printer when fully soaked.

 

[Doug Kerr]

I understand.

So what is it that this printer does in that "third" routine?

Doug

 

[x64]

I'd assume it cycles and moves the printheads to a 'turned off' position/mode in relation to the waste suction cups, rather than the 'standby' position/mode. Considering it's a continuous ink system printer, it could be something related to that too. I'm just guessing with what I know about these mechanisms in general.

 

[Doug Kerr]

I'd assume it cycles and moves the printheads to a 'turned off' position/mode in relation to the waste suction cups, rather than the 'standby' position/mode.

Yes, that might very well be. I'm not sure in this case what each of those is, exactly.

Interestingly, if I do a print job, and then about 30 seconds later it does "routine 2", and then shortly I turn the printer off with the on/off button, It makes a sound different from "routine 3", this one sounding like just a head movement (but I can't be certain).

Of course there is no real reason I need to know all these things!

Thanks.

Doug