Canon PIXMA MG6450 printing blurred/faded

[412gt]

Hi All

Hoping somebody can shed some light and offer some advice at fixing this issue myself.

I have not used my printer for around 2 years, I have started trying to use it again and it prints as per the attached images. any postage or returns labels are completely unreadable nor able to be scanned!

I have updated the I think it is firmware on the printer, the software may be out of date now, but I only have the latest version of the Mac operating system which Canon is not supporting yet?!

I have carried out every maintenance setting on the printer, all alignments and cleaning, every option there is I’ve done it, I’ve also manually cleaned the printer head itself, it seemed like it was very clogged with ink, which was cleaned thoroughly, but all these have still not fixed the problem. I have also replaced the ink cartridges with a brand new set, but not no avail.

If you can shed any light on this for me, I would be so grateful.

Thank you in advance for any response(s).

Best regards

 

[Artur5]

Very likely the pigment black nozzles are damaged. Although the photo you sent is quite small it seems that there’re those typical double warped lines in the lattice of the pigment black nozzles. Dye inks look OK. As said here many times, if you want to print text in acceptable quality with a printhead in this condition, you need to select a non-plain paper setting in the driver and the printer will use photo black instead of pigment. The drawbacks are that printing will be considerably slower and text won’t be water fast as it’s pigment ink.
If you want to really fix the problem a new printhead is mandatory, but I don’t know if it’s worth the expense. Your MG6450 uses a QY6-0082 printhead, priced in Europe 70 Euro + shipping.

P.S.
Please tell us which ink do you use, because damaged black pigment nozzles are almost always the consequence of overheat when using third party ink inadequate for this model of printhead. If you have been using only OEM carts then the issue it’s elsewhere.

 

[412gt]

Hi Artur

Thanks a lot for your speedy response, your temporary fix has stopped this issue completely!

I will have to take the hit on more ink being used, I have only recently paid for 2 full sets so at least they will go to use, even if it is faster. I'tll be cheaper to purchase a brand new machine so this will work for now, until then.

I have always used third party ink cartridges due to price point and ease of access, I was completely naive to the fact that using those may screw up the printer, from now I'll only use official products.

Much appreciated

 

[stratman]

Two things to consider in addition to @Artur5's good words:

• Using the Dye-based inks for mailing labels can be a problem since Dye-based inks will not be water resistant. Smudging or running of ink may prevent the package from being delivered or returned. Clear tape over the label is a solution but may cause it's own issues with the carrier and their optical readers.
• Whether you get a replacement print head or a new printer, consider printing using "Quiet Settings" (or equivalent for a different printer), particularly if you use 3rd party inks. This slows the print head speed to allow more heat dissipation at the nozzles and decrease the risk for the nozzle warping you experienced.

Let us know how things turn out.

 

[412gt]

Thank you stratman, that's very helpful and really practical, as the main use of the printer will be postage/returns labels I would assume, so being able to scan any bar/qr codes is essential. I will have to come up with a solution to stop the ink running as the rain is going to be very common occurrence.

I have turned on quiet settings too and the results are so much better with all these fixes combined, I will have to see how it fairs over the next 6 months or so, another printer saved from the scrap heap.

 

[stratman]

You're welcome. Happy printing!