Ip4500 Stopped Printing Pgbk Ink

[PeterBJ]

If the cleaning damaged the print head further I cannot tell. Hopefully no Windex residues damaged the logic board. I think you should do no further printing with the defective print head, not even a nozzle check, to minimize the risk of damaging the logic board, so your chances of successfully reviving the printer are increased.

Hopefully the refurbished print head will bring your printer back to good working order. The iP4500 is much higher build quality than subsequent Canon printers. See this: http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/lubricant-for-printer-carriage-mechanism.4966/

If you intend to do extended nozzle checks from service mode, to see if all nozzles are working, you should be aware that the service manual contains an error regarding service mode operations, an important step in the procedure is missing. More info here: http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/warning-error-in-some-canon-service-manuals.6388/

 

[Igor Gefter]

A bit an off topic, but still related though. If the logic board is damaged, I guess my final option would be getting another printer.
Do you have any recommendations on what to get. I haveinvested into cli-8 cartridges, so ideally would want to stick with something that uses these cartridges.
Quick look on local kijiji, brings up a few MP600 printers for under $100. Are theae worthy replacements for Ip4500?
Any recommendations?

 

[PeterBJ]

I agree with you that the Canon printers of the PGI-5/CLI-8 generation are worth looking for. The MP600 uses the same print head as the iP5200, so I think the print engine is an iP5200, a very good printer IMO.

You can check out Canon website to get an idea about which printers to look for, here is the MP600: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/suppo...function/pixma_mp_series/pixma_mp600#Features and: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/suppo...xma_mp600?selectedName=SuppliesAndAccessories

It might be a good idea to ask the seller to perform a nozzle check while you watch. Don't buy if the nozzle check is not perfect and the machine appears to be in perfect working order, unless you can have the printer for very little money and probably fix it yourself. You could bring a post card or similar and check both the printer and scanner by making both a colour and a B/W copy.

Maybe others have more suggestions for what else to look for when buying a used printer?

 

[Igor Gefter]

Got the new refurbished print head today.
Did the print test, everything is fine, no missing colours. Yet, the colours are extremely UNSATURATED. Printed a photo, the same thing, extremely unsaturated colours.
Tried a few cleaning cycles, didn't make any difference at all.
What is causing it? Any solutions to fix it? Just having real bad luck with this printer.

 

[stratman]

Got the new refurbished print head today.
Did the print test, everything is fine, no missing colours. Yet, the colours are extremely UNSATURATED. Printed a photo, the same thing, extremely unsaturated colours.
Tried a few cleaning cycles, didn't make any difference at all.
What is causing it? Any solutions to fix it? Just having real bad luck with this printer.

It is either your ink (old, degraded for another reason, or poor ink even when new) or a settings issue with the printer color output. It could also be the paper you use or you have an improper ICC printer profile selected for the ink-paper you are using.

 

[Igor Gefter]

My when I do a print test of the pattern, I don't control any settings or profiles. The printer just uses its default setting for a pattern test print.
The ink has been sitting unused for two weeks inside the cartridges, yet the cartridges were seales both on the bottom and on the top with the plastic tape.
What else could this be?

 

[stratman]

1) How old is the ink? What brand ink do you use? Do you refill? If so by what method?

2) What paper are you using? Is this different than before?

3) Have you changed anything in the printer settings such as Print Quality or Color/Intensity setting? Did you change anything in the application you use for printing that would affect color saturation?

4) Did you inadvertently select a different ICC printer profile?

If after checking these items, and if you find nothing askew, then try different fresh ink, maybe one OEM cartridge to see if the issue for that color resolves.

 

[Igor Gefter]

I use OEM cartridges refilled from the top with plugs attached afterwards. I use Precision Colours high quality fresh ink purchased from them one month ago. My print head was damaged, and I ordered the refurbished one from Hong Kong. In a meanwhile, I sealed the freshly refilled cartridges both on top and on the bottom.
I am running a Mac computer. When I run a test pattern to check if the nozzles are clogged, there are absolutely no options to select any settings. It prints as soon as I say okay.
Thus, none of the settings or ICC profiles are involved in the test pattern printing.
The test page comes extremely unsaturated. I tried printing pictures, and get exactly the same unsaturated results.

 

[stratman]

I sealed the freshly refilled cartridges both on top and on the bottom.

What does this precisely mean?

If you close off the air inlet on the top of the cartridge then this could be the cause of your unsaturated colors. You are depriving the cartridge the ability to equalize pressure inside the cartridge as you use up ink. It is like poking one hole instead of two in a can of liquid and trying to pour.

If the cartridges have been unused for some time and air was able to seep into the cartridges then it could be the ink has gunked up the sponge(s) and you will need to flush and refill the cartridges. Usually in this case you would see streaks of absent ink and not uniform low intensity printed color.

Please upload a scan of your latest nozzle check since replacing your print head.

 

[turbguy]

Are nozzle checks also "unsaturated"? Perhaps you are referring to nozzle checks as Test prints, but I'm not certain....