Maybe my IP6600 gem still needs some polishing

[Hogwild]

Hi everyone:

Well, this is embarrasing. After you all kindly advised me on my new (used) acquisition of an IP6600D with apparently minimal mileage on it, just last week in this thread...
https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/please-help-interpret-this-ip6700-eeprom-print-test.11632/

I just found another problem with that printer.

I did a printout tonight of an Excel spreadsheet. The yellow on the screen printed as light lime green with vertical bands in it. The red came out reddish-brown. The following ink cartridges were just installed last week:

Black
Cyan
Photo Cyan
Magenta

The drive indicates about half a tank of yellow left, though I'd image that yellow cartridge is very old. Photo magenta is also at about half, but is probably very old.

Suggestions?

 

[stratman]

Please post an image of the issue and of a nozzle check.

Do not print anything other than nozzle checks until the issue has been corrected or else you may permanently damage the print head.

I would replace all cartridges that are not new or not just flushed and refilled. I would not use any of the cartridges that came with the printer as you have no idea their condition with respect to environmental exposure or age.

Inspect all cartridges for cross contamination by another cartridge's ink. Inspect the print head for leaked ink. If any of the cartridges are refilled then check to see if the wrong ink was used to refill.

There may be a cross contamination of two (or more) ink colors causing a muddy red and a greenish cast to the yellow. Cyan would be an explanation for both color changes. There could also ink starvation causing the loss of ink in the "vertical bands" you mention. It is possible there is no cross contamination at all and that the color changes are from bad or incorrectly refilled ink, an incorrect ICC profile used for printing, the paper used, or misperception due to a monitor or printer that needs calibration to more closely match WYSIWYG. (What You See Is What You Get)

This may be due to some other issue, but this is a starting point.

First things first -- Post images of the issue and a nozzle check. Inspect the cartridges and print head as per above.

Second thing -- Rule out ink and cartridge issues by replacing all unknowns with new or known working flushed and refilled cartridges. This includes and cartridges you replaced initially that were opened and not pulled from a known working machine (ie not factory sealed and open to the environment where it is unknown if they function properly) Otherwise you may be chasing your tail longer than necessary.

 

[PeterBJ]

An additional question. Are all the ink cartridges genuine Canon, new or properly refilled? After market cartridges might be OK but they could also be junk that will quickly ruin the print head by leaking and/or ink starvation. A genuine Canon cartridge that has been refilled in a wrong way can also ruin the print head.

With the exception of the PGI-5 PGBK that is not used in your printer do the cartridges look like this?

 

[Hogwild]

Stratman/Peter:

All cartridges are genuine Canon and look like the ones posted in the photo.

You wrote:
"I would not use any of the cartridges that came with the printer as you have no idea their condition with respect to environmental exposure or age." Does that also include those that came with the printer, sealed in their packages but very old? I haven't had time to buy ink through eBay, so I'd either have to wait or fork out tons of money at my local Staples. The latter is not in the budget right now, unless I could be fairly sure of the outcome.


Recently replaced with newly-purchased cartridges
Black

Purchased brand new a week or two ago @ Staples, so should be fine.
Black seems to be printing perfectly. Very clear and dark.


Replaced last week with very old cartridges in original packaging:
Cyan
Photocyan
Magenta

Here are

-Nozzle test (400 dpi scanned on Canon ImageClass D1350) and;
-A spreadsheet I was looking at. I had to print another page, cause the original sample with the green's banding on it had confidential info. that would've been very complex to replace with normal text.
-Screencap of same spreadsheet for reference

All on regular bond paper.

Unfortunately for testing purposes, there appears to be minimal to no banding on the spreadsheet, unlike the first test I did.

Spreadsheet printouts scanned on same copier @ 300 dpi and saved as Jpeg.

I just checked the ink cartridges and the space right underneath them on the printhead (what are those called?) and cannot see any colour where another colour should be.
However, the yellow ink tank looks very dark. Is is supposed to look bright yellow cause it looks very dark, except for the area where there's currently no ink?

Oh, and while I'm at it, are the bars on each side of the colour names on the nozzle test supposed to all be black, cause the [ black ] ones are, but the other ones are very slightly different colours.


Thanks

 

[The Hat]

From what I can tell you have a problem with the black leaking, or being syphoned when sitting on purge unit, try giving the purge unit a good wash and clean...

 

[Hogwild]

Hat:

Thanks. I have no idea what /where is the purge unit. Can you communicate that somehow?

 

[stratman]

Does that also include those that came with the printer, sealed in their packages but very old?

What I meant was opened cartridges, ie not sealed, such as those in the print head when you purchased it. I don't know how old is "very old", but it is possible a "very old" yet never opened cartridge could become altered in its performance. If the cartridges NEVER produced proper color then you might assume it could be due to altered ink characteristics from too old ink. However, as we can see in yourold original nozzle check I have linked below, you once did have a good nozzle check!

So what changed???

The idea of using fresh cartridges is to rule out the possibility of bad/improper ink or malfunctioning cartridges.

I cannot make much from the spreadsheet images, but, the nozzle check does provide some information. You either have bad Yellow (greenish cast) and possibly PM (tending towards more bluish / purplish cast) then what your previous nozzle check showed in your post here,or, there is cross contaminant from Cyan. @PeterBJ magnified your image nicely a couple of posts down from yours and is easier to examine. You can see the color changes between your original nozzle check and your latest one in this thread.

Take a look at the following graphic:

You can see how cross contamination of Cyan will cause the color changes to Yellow and PM in your nozzle check and is why I recommended you inspect the cartridge and print head for leaked ink. If the Cyan, Yellow and PM are next to one another in the print head then it makes the possibility greater for cross contamination.

If cross contamination of ink is the issue then it is either external to the print head (leaking cartridge) or internal to the print head (ink channel destruction allowing ink to move into another nozzle(s) channels).

However, the answer could be something else such as a change in color setting in the printing software, a different ICC printer profile used, the effect of the paper used, etc.

This is why it is good to take a stepwise approach and rule out the simple stuff such as using new ink/cartridges, looking for leaks, check your printer settings for "customized" color adjustments, selecting an incompatible ICC, etc.

 

[stratman]

From what I can tell you have a problem with the black leaking, or being syphoned when sitting on purge unit, try giving the purge unit a good wash and clean...

Good idea. Cross contamination from the purge unit though I wonder how long that contamination would last during a print job. Would we see a gradation in the aberrant colors as the contaminant from the purge unit is ultimately replaced by ink from the cartridge?

Maybe the OP has not printed enough to use up the contaminant.

 

[Hogwild]

Stratman: Yes, with the colour mixture diagram it's very clear and easy to understand.
How do I, as per Hat's suggestion, wash the purge unit?

I do have one more old (never opened) cartridge-a Photo Magenta.

Wait, newbie question, but how likely is it that the purge unit is really dirty when only 160 or so pages have been printed during the printer's life?

 

[stratman]

I do have one more old (never opened) cartridge-a Photo Magenta. I would try above first, then replacing that second.

If Cyan, or Black as @The Hat suggested, were the cross contamination issue, how would replacing Photo Magenta help? Likewise, how would replacing Photo Magenta correct the poor Yellow nozzle check?

My suggestions were to inspect ALL cartridges and the print head for leaks. Also, look inside the printer as well for any sign of leaked or accumulated ink. If this is not a problem, and the purge unit hypothesis is addressed and not the issue - I am sure @The Hat will explain his recommendation, then replace all potential cartridges, preferably not with cartridges that are years old and were stored in unknown conditions by someone else. These would be make the job of diagnosing and correcting you issues easier. Otherwise you may chase your tail indefinitely.

Once you have taken out and inspected the individual cartridges and the print head, and inspected the inside of the printer for leaks or signs of obvious malfunction, then reinstall the print head and then the cartridges. If you haven't tried a cleaning cycle yet, then try ONE cleaning to see if this clears the potential contaminant by printing another nozzle check. If there is improvement but not resolution then try ONE more, print a nozzle check and let us know. You can run a cleaning by clicking Print icon while viewing this page, click Properties, and then click Maintenance to see your choices. It is in the same section as performing a Nozzle Check in my MP830 software. YMMV.