ip5000 Printhead

[mccoady]

I can't seem to find a new print head am I just out of luck?

I've been using Ink Grabber cartridges for a few years now with little issues although I've changed print heads once before. My colors are all off and I've replaced all the carts with new carts but it still doesn't print right. I've ran countless cleaning cycles both regular cleaning and deep plus head alignment with no improvement.

I've tried blowing compressed air through the nozzles as Neil Slade suggests but that didn't help. I did find it strange though while doing this that no ink came out of any of the nozzles except the the large black cart that prints text only I would think I should be getting ink out of all of them.

I sure hate giving up on this printer for several reasons printing on dvds being one plus the carts are cheap to replace and last quite awhile. Any suggestions?

 

[twoob]

Have you tried searching for the specific printhead model number rather than say 'ip5000 printhead'?
Last time I searched for a printhead for the ip5000 I couldn't find a source in the UK only the USA.
The cost worked out the same even with the postage, about 50.

I went through about 3 printheads in the couple of years I had it. I found it had a tendency to get
blocked print nozzles if I didn't use it for more than a couple of weeks. I used non OEM ink cartridges.
Something I experimented with for unblocking the printhead was an ultrasonic cleaner. It was a bit
hit or miss though, it could unblocked nozzles that the cleaning cycle couldn't but it could also
'break' nozzles that were working. Something to try only in desperation I think.

In the end I decided to cut my losses and buy a new printer.

 

[PeterBJ]

The Canon part number for the ip5000 print head is QY6-0057-000. It is discontinued, but you may have luck in finding one, using the part number in a Google search.

Peter.

 

[fotofreek]

I have two ip5000's and managed to purchase spare printheads before the supply dried up. I haven't seen any for sale, now, for several months.

i would suggest checking the forum for printhead cleaning threads. I purchased two used printers and was given an i960 recently. Two of these printers had not been used for a very long time and had been stored with empty carts. With dilligent, simple cleaning techniques I was able to get them working perfectly. Give it a try. You might also keep checking Craig's list if you are in the US. There was an ip5000 for sale for $70 in the San Francisco Bay area, and the seller claimed that it had never been used. It came with all of the full original unwrapped OEM carts as well. If it had been in San Francisco I would have checked it out and probably bought it. I Live in SF and would prefer to buy locally to avoid a wild goose chase in case the seller is not honest in his/her ad.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I've tried blowing compressed air through the nozzles as Neil Slade suggests but that didn't help. I did find it strange though while doing this that no ink came out of any of the nozzles except the the large black cart that prints text only I would think I should be getting ink out of all of them.

When you do a nozzle check, is the pigment black grid the only thing that prints?

 

[mccoady]

When you do a nozzle check, is the pigment black grid the only thing that prints?

Yes the 3eBK cartridge is the only one that prints consistently fine all the others 6C, 6M, 6Y, and 6BK either don't print at all or are very faint.

I have had no luck googling the print head or on Craig's List in my area.

Yesterday I tried soaking the head in hot water and at least I could see ink coming out from all the other nozzles (for the first time) and thought maybe I was making some progress but not so. After drying it out I ran a couple of clean cycles to get the ink flowing but still the only thing that prints fine is the 3eBK cart.

I'm getting ready to try soaking it in either alcohol or Windex.

 

[ghwellsjr]

You should verify that your purge system is working because if it isn't, you're never going to get any of your dye ink nozzles working. There are two separate purge systems, one for the pigment black and the other for all the dye inks so it's possible that the one for the pigment is working while the one for the dye is not.

The way to do this is to open the lid and after the print head stops in the middle of the printer, use a syringe or eye dropper or even a bent straw to deposit some Windex on the two pads off to the right where the print head parks. Make sure that you can tell that the Windex remains pooled on the top of the two pads. There's a rubber tray they sit in to contain the liquid. It should look shiny and smooth. Then do a cleaning cycle. This will suck on the bottom of the pads and draw away the Windex and hopefully some ink through the nozzles. So after the cleaning cycle, open the lid again and see if the liquid has been sucked away. The pads should be dull and coarse. The square one on the right is for the dye ink nozzles and the rectangular one on the left (which is much harder to see) is for the black pigment ink. If the square one indicates that the purge system is not working, this would explain why none of your dye ink nozzle or working, or hardly at all. Let us know.

 

[mccoady]

ghwellsjr I'm not exactly sure which pads you mean or where they are located do you have a screenshot? I don't think you mean dropping index on the foam pad running down the middle sorry but I've never explored the inside of the printer before or how it works.

 

[Tin Ho]

If the grid pattern is printed fine there is a good chance that the purge unit is working just fine.

 

[ghwellsjr]

ghwellsjr I'm not exactly sure which pads you mean or where they are located do you have a screenshot? I don't think you mean dropping index on the foam pad running down the middle sorry but I've never explored the inside of the printer before or how it works.

Here is a picture of a dismantled printer showing the two purge pads:

The really dark rectangular one is for the pigment black ink nozzles and the smaller grey one to its right is for the dye ink nozzles.