How to fix fuzzy text?

[Celso]

Hi All,

Some parts of the text printed with MX922 are not clear but blurry (see in the photo the excerpts that seem to be printed in bold, but in fact the were not). Nozzle check prints are fine (see photo). I have already aligned the printhead but it did not improve or impact the problem. How can I fix it?

I have just substituted the printhead for a refurbished one. However, I cannot guarantee that the blurriness was NOT present before the substitution. as I was not using the printer but my wife.

Sorry about the scaned images, as they also need adjustments. However, I am printing on the back of used paper, which fact also helps to produce distortions on the scanned images.

Is there a solution for the referred bluriness?

Thanks

 

[Celso]

Now the nozzle check print.

 

[Callistemon]

Try wiping the clear tape with fine lines that runs behind the carriage. If that doesn't work, then tape over the gold terminals of the print head and carefully rinse out the large pigment black channel. Does the quality improve when the text is printed in gray color and photo paper mode (which uses different inks)?

 

[stratman]

the nozzle check print.

Magnifying the nozzle check there appears to be early signs of splitting/bowing of the vertical lines in the latticework of the Pigment Black nozzles. This is believed due to overheating and warping of the nozzles caused by poor cooling properties of aftermarket inks.

See previous discussion on this here. Note that Moderator @The Hat also brings up cleaning the Timing Strip, the same recommendation given by @Callistemon. Canon's instructions here. It's for a different printer but the principles apply for you printer as well.

The fix is a new print head. Using Quiet Mode to print will slow down the printing and help keep heat down with your new print head.

The workaround is to bypass using the Pigment Black by selecting a Photo Paper setting, instead of Plain Paper. The text may not be as sharp, as black, and will not be water resistant but you will be able to keep using the print head.

 

[Celso]

Thanks to all. I tried to clean the timing strip (followed the instructions provided above) but it did not work. I could not see any change on the prints after cleaning the timing strip. The solution is to buy a new printhead, as already mentioned. Unfortunatelly, this solution is too expensive in light of the cost of a new printer. For now I will most likely keep it as it is, as it is not used to print documents that need top quality finish. The fuzzyness is little and it does not cause any problem to reading the docs that it prints. Once again, thanks to all of your help. This forum is amazing.

 

[stratman]

Thanks for the feedback. Use Quiet Mode to slow the progression of warping to the Pigment Black nozzles. Let us know how long it lasts.

 

[Celso]

Thank you. I will revert to you once it fails.

 

[Callistemon]

The workaround is to bypass using the Pigment Black by selecting a Photo Paper setting, instead of Plain Paper. The text may not be as sharp, as black, and will not be water resistant but you will be able to keep using the print head.

It would still likely be sharper than the defective Pigment Black. The problem is that Photo Paper mode uses more ink than what plain paper can accept, but changing the text color from black to a dark gray before printing should resolve that. When the proper amount of ink is used, the difference between the dye mixture and the pigment black (without the defect) is negligible.

Thanks to all. I tried to clean the timing strip (followed the instructions provided above) but it did not work. I could not see any change on the prints after cleaning the timing strip. The solution is to buy a new printhead, as already mentioned. Unfortunatelly, this solution is too expensive in light of the cost of a new printer. For now I will most likely keep it as it is, as it is not used to print documents that need top quality finish. The fuzzyness is little and it does not cause any problem to reading the docs that it prints. Once again, thanks to all of your help. This forum is amazing.

Used replacement print heads cost $70 to $100, but that becomes a much larger cost when they may be completely counterfeit, neglected, or defective. Call Canon at (11) 4950-5060 and tell them that they should provide replacement parts for longer than just 5 years.

 

[Artur5]

My five cents.

Using dye photoblack instead of pigment black is a temporary fix but, for printing regularly a lot of text, is no solution.

1- Unlike pigment, dye ink is not water fast on plain paper.
2- Photo paper mode is considerably slower than plain paper in standard quality. Probably it would take three or four times more to print the same amount of pages,
3- In spite of the printer laying more ink with photopaper settings, black pigment ink on plain paper is still darker than photoblack and sharper too (that is, when pigment black nozzles work properly ).


Merry Christmas !

 

[The Hat]

The workaround is to bypass using the Pigment Black by selecting a Photo Paper setting, instead of Plain Paper. The text may not be as sharp, as black, and will not be water resistant but you will be able to keep using the print head.

By using @stratman work around, is the only option you have to keeping the printer going, and when you have the time you can check out some of the new printers available, I would suggest looking at one of the Maxify range as a good replacement for your ageing MX722.. Sorry..