One of my inks isn't flowing

[PenguinLust]

Whoa! How did this happen? I looked at all the colour carts and only the magenta tank seems empty (but the chip says the cart is 3/4 full) However, it seems that the cyan is what's missing but there's plenty still in the cyan.

Here's a scan of what's happening:

And here's what it should look like:

My printer is an MG6120. On my last printer I needed to do a cleaning because of this sort of nonsense. I was of the mind that this printer did that automatically. And it is the firmware that handles that, right? I printed this from Linux so if the onus is on the driver, maybe that's my problem.

 

[The Hat]

PenguinLust
Dealing with the magenta cartridge first, just because the reservoir looks to be fairly empty
doesnt mean you cartridge is out of ink, regardless what the chip is registering.

I printed this from Linux so if the onus is on the driver, maybe that's my problem.

As your printing from Linux I dont know if the ink monitoring is working properly in your printer,
you should get a low ink warning when the reservoir side of your cartridges is void of ink,
then it's time to change the cartridge.

Your cyan ink problem is a complete different matter altogether and until you resolve this problem
DONT print another sheet except nozzle checks, lets hope you havent do damage to your print head already.

My printer is an MG6120. On my last printer I needed to do a cleaning because of this sort of nonsense.
I was of the mind that this printer did that automatically.

Looking at your scanned image it has all the hallmarks of ink starvation in your cartridge
and nothing at all to do with cleaning the print head because that wont solve the issue either.

The problem is with your cyan cartridge or precisely the way youre refilling it,
and going by your statement above would confirm this as an ongoing refilling problem with all your cartridges.

I have no idea which method you use to refill your cartridges or which type of cartridge your using at present
so I would suggest you re-examine your procedures once more to see if you can correctly identify where its all going wrong for you.

Change the problematic cyan cartridge for one the you know for sure is working properly (buy a new one if necessary)
and run a normal head clean then print a nozzle check to see if that brings back the cyan for you,
repeat this procedure once again if need be.

 

[PeterBJ]

The Hat wrote:

Change the problematic cyan cartridge for one the you know for sure is working properly (buy a new one if necessary)
and run a normal head clean then print a nozzle check to see if that brings back the cyan for you,
repeat this procedure once again if need be.

Even if it is a bit expensive that is also what I would strongly recommend. The ink flow problem is caused by a blockage in the cyan cartridge or in the print head. Hopefully it is a cartridge problem. Your problem might be similar to this, but with the problem in cyan instead of magenta: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7744&p=1

 

[turbguy]

The banding of your posted test image implies to me that one color is not being printed in one direction of printhead travel.

Does the appearance change if you select a higher or lower print quality or a different grade of paper in the driver, so that printing is only done unidirectionally?

Wayne

 

[PenguinLust]

I'm using the German method to refill. I maybe should have mentioned that I'm using 220/221 carts, and cannibalizing the 225/226 chips. I'm not sure why you say this is an on-going problem. This is the first hardware problem I've had w/this printer.

I topped up the magenta, put in a different cyan, did the cleaning (colours only) and the nozzle check. The nozzle check worked fine. I then printed the brochure again and that went fine, too.

So I don't know if it was the replacement cart, the cleaning or just the fiddling w/the carts or trying it on another day. What should I do next? What about the cyan cart that's half full?

 

[The Hat]

I'm using the German method to refill.
I'm not sure why you say this is an on-going problem. This is the first hardware problem I've had w/this printer.

It was in reference to your earlier thread where you said: - On my last printer I needed to do a cleaning because of this sort of nonsense.
That implied to me you were having ink flow problems on your last printer back then also
and you taught it was a head clog causing your poor print performance, was that correct.

I topped up the magenta, put in a different cyan, did the cleaning (colours only) and the nozzle check.
The nozzle check worked fine. I then printed the brochure again and that went fine, too.

Thats very good new news, I am glad everything is working again for you.

So I don't know if it was the replacement cart, the cleaning or just the fiddling w/the carts or trying it on another day.
What should I do next? What about the cyan cart that's half full?

There are several known issues that can easily occur while refilling using the German method.

One is getting an air lock (Bubble) between the reservoir and the sponge compartment
which can cause ink starvation to occur after only a short while in use.

Another one is when the internal sponge gets de-thatched from the outlet sponge;
this can happen due to the passage of the needle passing over the outlet sponge anytime.

Air Lock: - Try refilling (Topping up) the cyan cartridge again, but this time as you remove the needle slowly from the reservoir
continue to inject ink into the sponge area till the needle is half way out.

The outlet of the cartridge may well leak a few drops during this operation so dont withdraw the needle fully out of the cartridge
for a minute or so just to let it sit a while, then fully withdraw the needle.

Sponge Separation:- One of the ways to prevent or correct the problem of sponge separation
is to tap the outlet of the cartridge on a hard wooden surface a couple of time,
after each refill if necessary but only do this of course with the orange clip attached..

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

One is getting an air lock (Bubble) between the reservoir and the sponge compartment
which can cause ink starvation to occur after only a short while in use.

...Try refilling (Topping up) the cyan cartridge again, but this time as you remove the needle slowly from the reservoir
continue to inject ink into the sponge area till the needle is half way out.

Or later you can just release the bubble by tapping the cartridge with the reservoir side up.

 

[PenguinLust]

Actually, the problem I had before was clogging caused by cross-contamination between my photo black and print black inks in a worn head. It had been on the shelf for a long time.

Great, thanks very much. Now, when I use this suspect cyan cart again, what's the safest way to test it?

 

[The Hat]

Actually, the problem I had before was clogging caused by cross-contamination between my photo black and print black inks in a worn head.
It had been on the shelf for a long time.

Great, thanks very much. Now, when I use this suspect cyan cart again, what's the safest way to test it?

If you have refilled it while youre withdrawing the needle and cap it with the orange clip
then give it a few tap on the hard surface, youre ready to go.

Before you put it into the printer just blow on the air maze very lightly to be sure it starts to drip
then print away to your hearts content, change the cartridge out when you have the low ink warning.

You now have seen how little things can go wrong and more important how to correct them yourself
so you should be able to handle just about anything for the future.

Happy printing..