ip5000 Printhead

[ghwellsjr]

I'm not sure what you mean about the grid pattern printing fine the 3eBK cartridge is the only cartridge printing.

I'm still trying to figure out where the purge systems are?

Here is a picture of a nozzle check that is fine for the pigment black grid pattern at the top but some of the dye ink nozzles below are not correct:

Tin Ho is suggesting that if the pigment black purge system is working correctly (the rectangular one), then the dye ink purge system is probably also working correctly (the square one), and he's right, but we want to make sure before proceeding on the off-chance that the dye ink one is not working. It's kind of like when your car won't start, you check the gas gauge to make sure you are not out of gas.

 

[mccoady]

Ok thanks for the screenshot here is what I've done.

Used a straw and flooded the pads where it pooled with windex then the pigment black pad slowly drains away without doing a cleaning so it's fine.
Doing a nozzle check the 3eBK grid pattern prints fine but not the dye ink patterns.

Now on the dye ink pad it pools but never drains through unless I do a cleaning cycle. After I do a cleaning cycle and then print out say a dvd cover (just to try out different colors) the first print is fine but if I print another one it colors are screwed up or don't print at all. I've dropped windex on the dye ink pad several times and with the same results.

What is this telling you?

 

[ghwellsjr]

First off, it's not good that the Windex is draining away from the pigment black pad before you do a cleaning cycle but since you don't have a problem with those nozzles, we won't worry about it. I think you are saying that the Windex remains pooled on the dye ink pad until you do a cleaning and then it's gone. If this is the case, then you don't have a problem with your purge system.

But I'm surprised that the nozzle check that you do after a head cleaning does not print fine but the first DVD cover does print fine. Let me warn you against printing anything besides nozzle checks until you get them working because you can burn out the heating elements in your print head if they don't have ink flowing through them.

So here's what I'd like you to try again:

Put some Windex on the square dye ink pad and do a cleaning cycle. If you do this from you computer, you can specify to only do it on the color dye inks so that you don't waste any more pigment black ink. Then immediately do a nozzle check. If it is not "fine", then describe what it looks like. (I'm assuming you don't have a scanner to upload an image of the nozzle check.) For example, for the nozzle check image I uploaded previously, I would say that the top half of the first 6C bar is lighter than the bottom half and the same thing, except worse, for the second 6M bar, and the first 6M bar has an uneven intensity.

 

[mccoady]

Put some Windex on the square dye ink pad and do a cleaning cycle. If you do this from you computer, you can specify to only do it on the color dye inks so that you don't waste any more pigment black ink. Then immediately do a nozzle check. If it is not "fine", then describe what it looks like.

This is my results:

 

[ghwellsjr]

You have one pigment black nozzle that isn't printing so you should do cleanings on it as well as the others until you get it working.

I would make a set of cleaning cartridges. If you have a set of empty cartridges, especially Canon originals, I would turn them over and dribble Windex into the outlet port until the sponge is saturated. Try not to let the mixture of ink and Windex dribble into the area between the sponge and the top of the cartridge (which is now on the bottom). Remove all the cartridges from your printer and close the cover. This will make the printer think you have just put full cartridges in the printer. Then put your cleaning cartridges in the printer and the printer will now report that all your cartridges are low.

Next you want to do a deep cleaning followed by a nozzle check and repeat until all nozzles are working or until your printer says that one or more of your cartridges are empty, at which point you want to start from the top (remove the cartridges, close the cover, dribble more Windex, put cartridge back in, and continue doing deep cleanings and nozzle checks. Hopefully you'll see some improvement with each cleaning. If you don't see any improvement after several repeats, then let the printer sit with the power on until the next day.

Post another nozzle check after each day of work.

By the way, my instruction for making cleaning cartridges is assuming that you are not already refilling your cartridges. If you are already refilling them then just refill them with Windex using whatever method you are using, but you want to have some ink in them just so you can tell when your nozzles are getting cleaned.

And also, what cartridges/ink are you using?

 

[mccoady]

I guess I'm not sure how I should proceed as stated in my first post I've only used Ink Grabber third party cartridges for maybe four years now so I don't have any Canon originals nor do I have any empty Ink Grabber carts so I could make cleaning cartridges.

I tried refilling my own cartridges a couple of years ago and I had more ink outside the cartridges than inside so I got frustrated and threw all the supplies away. It sounds like I may have to give this a shot again though since I can't afford to buy Canon OEM cartridges even if I can fix my ip5000 and especially if I have to buy a new printer.

Can I buy some inexpensive empty carts to fit my printer as cleaning cartridges without investing a whole lot in case I have to buy a new printer which would use different cartridges? Whatever the result I think I will try refilling again so I need to be pointed to the recommended refilling kit and ink.

 

[l_d_allan]

since I can't afford to buy Canon OEM cartridges even if I can fix my ip5000 and especially if I have to buy a new printer ... Can I buy some inexpensive empty carts to fit my printer as cleaning cartridges without investing a whole lot

It is definitely expensive to build up an inventory of cartridges by purchasing new oem Canon carts and using up the ink. There is the advantage of knowing the entire history of the cart, and not having someone else's junk.

Something to consider ... see if an ebay vendor will put together a specific bundle of "Buy-It-Now" virgin, empty carts . I've had good success with two batches of CLI-8 + PGI-5bk carts from inkjetsforeducation

 

[mccoady]

What are the chances of my printer purging itself if I bought a set of Canon OEM cartridges and ran them do you think it would start printing normally or do you think it would still take running cleaning cartridges?

If I start refilling my own carts is it preferable to refill Canon OEM carts or are refillable cartridges sold by various venders acceptable?

 

[l_d_allan]

What are the chances of my printer purging itself if I bought a set of Canon OEM cartridges and ran them do you think it would start printing normally or do you think it would still take running cleaning cartridges?

Your latest nozzle check scan appears to indicate that only the Yellow is working ok. Even that is hard to tell because Yellow is faint. Using Canon oem ink for deep cleaning would be quite expensive, and odds of actually fixing are questionable, imo.

I believe that the ip5000 is pretty old technology using unchipped BCI-6 carts. The Canon ink may not be the latest ChromaLife-100 that I believe was introduced with the following generation of CLI-8 based printers. However, many people on this forum prefer printers based on unchipped carts like the BCI-6. Now that CLI-8 resetters are readily available, I prefer CLI-8 based printers.

If I start refilling my own carts is it preferable to refill Canon OEM carts?

Yes, but it is expensive to refill Canon oem carts that you bought retail, filled with Canon ink. That's how I built up my initial inventory of carts for refilling, but not how I'd do it again.

or are refillable cartridges sold by various venders acceptable?

No.
Maybe ... if they specifically say that the cart is oem Canon and even then I wouldn't go that route. What kind of ink? Could be anything.

Based on an admittedly limited sample size of 2 batches, I'd purchase virgin, empty Canon oem carts from an eBay vendor. Designate a set to be cleaning cartridges, and refill the rest. $1.00 USD per empty cart or less seems typical, including shipping with sufficient quantity of carts.

But it all boils down to "it depends" ... how much printing do you anticipate doing? How much is your time worth? What is your budget? What are your quality expectations of your prints? Selling prints that the buyer has archival expectations? How much text?

 

[mccoady]

But it all boils down to "it depends" ... how much printing do you anticipate doing? How much is your time worth? What is your budget? What are your quality expectations of your prints? Selling prints that the buyer has archival expectations? How much text?

I do quite of bit of home printing (mainly color but some text) and the quality of the Chinese InkGrabber cartridges is fine as far as I am concerned so I'm not that picky as long as it looks decent. I do want to stay with a Canon printer so I have the option of printing on disks which I'm assuming most do like my ip5000. My budget is whatever it takes to get my current printer going or even buying a new one but regardless I plan on trying to refill my own carts again with whatever is recommended I refuse to pay the price of a new printer everytime I need to replace a set of Canon OEM carts.

As far as getting a new printer I'm looking for advise do I give up on this printer?

Ok you seem to be saying I'm still needing to run cleaning cartridges and at the same time I need to use Canon OEM empties to do this and not generic empty carts some sell like here http://store.inkjetcarts.us/canon-compatible-bci-6-refillable-cartridges-p2150.aspx

I need to find Canon BCI-3eBK, BCI-6BK, BCI-6C, BCI-6M, BCI-6Y virgin empties on Ebay but I must not be putting in the right searches because all I can find is new OEM carts.