Newbie - Canon MP780 do I need CD to install?

[bahjan]

Thanks for the advice re cleaning and use of alcohol - I will get a print head and report back - hopefully all will be well. There was paper in the rear feeder, but maybe not enough pages to register.
By the way, the seller refunded my payment in full with no quibble and even phoned to apologize - so I am only risking the price of a print head - I have no reason to think it won't solve my problem as all else seems to be working fine. I take your point about messing with the inside - at least I know the purge pads work. Fortunately I was frugel with the water - I take it water will evaporate won't it? Or as the purge pads are deep in the machine is there little chance of evaporation?
Heads cost about 50.00 - 70.00 GBP - might try US as it's often cheaper, though postage occasionally pushes it up.

 

[bahjan]

Hi,

I've bought a new print head and just installed it - no ink is flowing as nothing is printing on an extended nozzle test. No error messages. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to do a head alignment unless the machine indicates via error message? All ink tanks have ink in them.

 

[ghwellsjr]

No, a head alignment is useless until the printer is printing properly.

I know in the past we had determined that the purge unit is working but now it seems that it is not. Here's another test you can do to determine if it is working:

Start by doing a nozzle check, even if nothing prints.
Open the printer cover and wait for the print head to stop in the middle.
Use a flash light (torch in the UK) to view the two purge pads off to the right where the print head normally parks. They are black rough looking. The one on the right is almost square and is a lot easier to see. The one to its left is rectangular and very difficult to see. You see them easier if you look through the hole where the structure is that holds up the printer on the right side.
Take a syringe, eye dropper, or bent straw and apply some Windex or other window cleaner or just plain water to the two pads. Make sure the liquid stays there. It will make the pads look shiny.
Close the cover and wait ten seconds until the noise stops.
Open the cover and look at the pads again. The liquid should be gone on both pads. If it isn't, close and reopen the cover.

You need to have the purge system working to get ink to start flowing through your print head.

Please report what you find.

BTW, did you ever get your On/Off button to work?

 

[bahjan]

Hi,


Left the machine for several hours and a Nozzle check seemed OK
Performed extended check (shukken pattern 2) and it seemed to work as well. {I'll check pattern against what's on line.)

Maybe I just needed time for gravity to work the ink through the new print head - I didn't do anything to it.

Yes it does switch off - what threw me was the fact it took time to respond. I take it I can install software and attach to my machine?

Thanks for your help

 

[ghwellsjr]

Yes, you can install the software and when it tells you to, plug in the printer.

Don't forget to do the automatic alignment, now that your nozzles are working.

 

[bahjan]

Everything working fine - thanks for your advice.

One more thing - as my printing needs are light (not daily) - how often should I print a test page and/or nozzle test to prevent clogging issues?

 

[ghwellsjr]

I would leave the printer on all the time and print a nozzle check once a week.

 

[bahjan]

Thanks for that