canon mg6350 clogged?

[BoKKeR]

Hey, I bought some cheap ink and it seemed to clog the head on my printer, so I ordered a refurbished printhead and some better quality ink but it still prints the same way. Here is the test print. I am already invested in this printer, (head, ton of ink).

Any help is appreciated.

 

[turbguy]

Great that you posted a nozzle test print! DON'T PRINT ANYTHING OTHER THAT NOZZLE TEST PRINTS UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED!

What printer is it (we recognize it's a Canon)?

What ink are used (supplier)?

Where did you obtain the "refurbished" print head??

Any significant nozzle test print difference from the "initial" print head?

It appears to be clogging of many ink channels, or a potentially under performing purge unit. Have you attempted print head cleaning out-of-printer??

 

[BoKKeR]

The printer is a canon mp6350. The inks supplier is octopus-office.de
I would say there is no difference between this and the old print heads when it comes to "clogging". If I print more I end up with different patterns but the problem persists.
I did attempt head cleaning using hot water on one of the heads but as far I remember it was the old one. Here are some more pictures from some older tests.

BTW the old print head was from china or other foreign country. But I don't think the fault is with it.

https://i.imgur.com/uh4lX9w.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WM1LpBQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/kb14zg1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/DpegNxv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/59pYIFx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LizSzpt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GkAMAtQ.jpg

 

[turbguy]

Due to the "variablity" of the nozzle test prints, I would say either your head(s) are clogged, or you purge unit (tubing and a peristaltic vacuum pump below the purge pads) is non-performing The purge pads are the porous ceramic pads where the print head "parks" when not printing. You can see them when you open the printer to change inks. Using an eyedropper or equal, flood those pads with original Windex for about 5 minutes, close the cover, and try another nozzle check, report back.

 

[BoKKeR]

To be honest those test are few months old. I just didn't get around to post them. I tried to do a new test and the printer didn't print anything. After checking the cartridges it turns out that they are all empty/dried up? https://i.imgur.com/VKEQbQt.jpg They seemed to dry up really fast as they were fully loaded when I put them in, and they were not used at all beyond the tests. I did clean the ceramic pads properly but now I am questioning if I should fill up these cartridges or just get new ones? https://i.imgur.com/x4o31GG.jpg

Edit: maybe I should invest in a printhead cleaning kit. The seller that sold me the ink has them. As the head still leaves marks after good 10 minutes of cleaning

 

[turbguy]

Those carts should not have emptied (if you story is correct). They may have drained out while installed.

When you flooded the ceramic pads, did they hold a pool of liquid (they should have), or did the fluid seem to drain away?

 

[BoKKeR]

They did hold liquid fairly good.

 

[turbguy]

That implies that the purge unit is not leaking (which is good). I cannot explain the empty carts.

 

[BoKKeR]

Some more pictures of the cartridges. Maybe I opened that hole on the top that shouldn't be open? Or the sponge on the bottom underperforms?
https://i.imgur.com/lS1x2jz.jpg

 

[stratman]

Sorry to say there is so much wrong going on, real and potential.

First off, the missing ink appears to be at least in part due to ink starvation, meaning ink is not flowing through the sponge properly, or, the cartridge is empty. We typically recommend trying a new cartridge, a known working cartridge or flushing the current cartridge to ensure proper ink flow through the sponge. Given you are using aftermarket cartridges, the least expensive thing to try is flushing and then refilling the cartridges.

Lack of ink may be caused by poor air seal at either the refill plug or the ink exit port on the cartridge where it needs to be snug up against the print head ink inlet port. You may see ink in and around the print head on the exterior of the cartridge(s) if there is a leak. Sometimes leaked ink will infiltrate a neighboring cartridge and alter the color within, something you may see in a nozzle check.

Secondly, there may be ink clogs in the print head that are reversible. Flushing the print head and then soaking it may improve this situation. How much is irreversible is unknown till you try flushing and soaking the print head. Flush the print head with tap water until most or all traces of ink is seen at either ink inlet ports or nozzles. Soaking may be done in a bowl of water with a small amount of liquid dish washing soap like Dawn or Fairy. The fluid level should be just above the ink inlet ports as the print head sits in the solution. You can place a crumpled up paper towel under the print head and pump the print head up and down on it from time to time to help drive solution through the print head nozzle channels. Change the solution if dirty or every 12 hours. Be patient! this is key. At least 24 hours if no several days of soaking. When done, flush the print head, left dry thoroughly (lest you cause and electrical short of the circuit board) and then put back in the printer.

Third, there is irreversible damage to the print head in the Pigment ink nozzle check. Each tiny straight line of the lattice work represents a pigment black nozzle. While some of the missing nozzles may be reversible clogs, the vertical bowing - split lines shaped like a canoe - represents warped nozzles caused by overheating. Canon printers heat up ink to spit it out on the paper. The ink also acts as a coolant of the nozzles so they do not burn up. It has been hypothesized that "cheap inks" are a cause for this heat related nozzle warping due to poor cooling properties of this inexpensive ink.

If you can get the rest of the print head working - the Dye ink nozzles - then you can still use the print head and bypass the pigment ink cartridge by selecting a Photo Paper media type. This will use only the Dye inks to make blacks.

Fourth, you said the nozzle check print outs are similar for both print heads. This may mean that the problem may be a malfunctioning logic assay board as well. It has been reported, albeit rare, that an electrical problem in the print head can damage the logic assay board and vice versa. In this scenario, trying a second print head with a bad logic assay board can cause the electrical malfunction to propagate to the new print head and destroy it. No saying this is what happened o you, just food for thought on how far you want to go in using the printer further.

Fifth, try some or all of the suggestions here is up to you, but you need to prepare yourself for buying another printer, hopefully one that uses all the ink you've invested in.

Sixth, as @turbguy said... print nothing but nozzle checks until this is resolved, one way or another, to prevent irreparably burning up (more?) nozzles.

Take this one step at a time. Nothing is difficult in and of itself though it might seem overwhelming in its totality at first.

For good quality aftermarket inks, and refilling supplies, purchase from Octoink in the UK or Precision Colors in Canada depending on what country you are located.