HELP! with Canon i960 Black Only

[turbguy]

For several months, I have been experiencing weird problems with my black on my Canon i960. I refill OEM carts with Hobbicolors UW8 inks via the traditional (top fill) method. A service test print shows a different pattern on the black every time I print a test print. The head's not clogged, and the purge unit is working fine. Yet the test pattern varies from near perfect to this from one test to the next. Static Electricity redirecting the sprays? Something else?? See the following for the full tests print (PC works fine, it just didn't show up in the scan). Changing carts DOESN'T help!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/4585879292_0f3b291fca_b.jpg

For a isolated view of the black print, see:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4585879188_2b85042125_o.jpg


Since the test print is printed left to right, if there was a flow issue, why does the pattern always "get better" towards the right side?

Any ideas folks?? Anyone else see this??


I'm about ready to throw in a magenta cart into the black position and see if something happened to HobbiColors black formulation.....grrrr.

 

[ghwellsjr]

This may be caused by a lot of ink on the bottom of the print head. Remove the cartridges and do two deep head cleanings to flush the ink out of the print head. Then remove the print head. Make sure you put the latching lever back down so it doesn't get mashed if the printer decides to park the carriage. Take a paper towel and fold it over twice so it is a quarter of its original size. Put some Windex on the paper towel and press the print head on to it to soak up the extra ink. Repeat until it is clean. You can also use a cotton swab soaked in Windex to clean the residual ink inside the printer where the print head parks. In particular, you want to clean the thin rubber blades that stick up that wipe ink off the bottom of the print head during cleanings. Put it all back together and see if it works any better. Let us know how this works.

Make sure you don't get any Windex anywhere except right on the bottom of the print head. If any gets on the electronics inside the print head, it could cause permanent damage to the print head and maybe your printer.

 

[turbguy]

I just cleaned the printhead with a windex bath, pressurized blow-thru, dry prior to the test prints, doesn't seem to make a difference. Wipres are clean, too...anything else?

 

[turbguy]

Also, why only black??

 

[ghwellsjr]

Even though you are sure it's not the cartridges, I would still swap your black with a magenta or cyan and see if the problem also switches. You need to do a cleaning after swapping to get the inks to flow through the print head.

Another possible cause is an air leak in the rubber seal surrounding the inlet port on the top of the print head. You can remove this and wash it and look for cracks.

It may be an internal restriction inside the print head for your black. This is very uncommon for dye black so I don't know if that is what it could be. I would take the print head out of the printer and run warm (not hot water over the nozzles to flush anything out of the inlet ports. Let it dry for two days before putting it back in the printer or you can get permanent electrical damage.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[fotofreek]

Another possible cause is an air leak in the rubber seal surrounding the inlet port on the top of the print head. You can remove this and wash it and look for cracks.

In the event that the rubber seals permit ink to leak into the top of the printhead, are replacement seals available? I have two i960's, one of which is sitting in a box without a printhead. I did have a printhead that had black ink pooling on the area around the intake screen. Other problems came up that convinced me that I should discard the printhead as it may damage the electronics in the printer. Unfortunately, the i960 printheads have been discontinued and the only one I've seen available is on an ebay site I'm not sure about.

When I found that I couldn't buy a new printhead for the i960 I bought two new spare printheads for my ip5000 printers, one of which my wife has been using for a few years and the other in a factory sealed box in reserve for when my i960's give up.

 

[turbguy]

FYI, I called Canon USA about a month ago and asked if printheads for i960's are still available. I was told they were!

Wayne

 

[fotofreek]

I called Canon USA also last month regarding the i960 printhead. There was some initial confusion, but the bottom line was that they told me this printhead was discontinued and no longer available. I will call again.

 

[Ron350]

I have two i960's for sale what is the going price?