Pixma iX6850... Yellow is completely Missing ?

[floK]

Not sure if my issue has anything with the subject*, but today my printer (Pixma IX6850) started to print strange colors. So I executed a nozzle check and saw that the yellow is completely missing...
I use a set of OEM cartridges that I bought a month ago from Octoink (already flushed) and I refilled them with Octopus inks - so, according to @The Hat, it should not be the case of "yellow jello".
And until today (when the cartridges still contain about 30-50% of the initial refill) everything went perfectly.
So, what could be the problem?

*)This message was initially posted at: https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/windex-or-pharmacist‘s-solution.12204/ - thanks @The Hat for moving it to a new thread!

 

[stratman]

Not sure if my issue has anything with the subject, but today my printer (Pixma IX6850) started to print strange colors. So I executed a nozzle check and saw that the yellow is completely missing...
I use a set of OEM cartridges that I bought a month ago from Octoink (already flushed) and I refilled them with Octopus inks - so, according to @The Hat, it should not be the case of "yellow jello".
And until today (when the cartridges still contain about 30-50% of the initial refill) everything went perfectly.
So, what could be the problem?

Please post this in a new thread and include a nozzle check for us to see.

Until then, yours may be a case of ink starvation and flushing the Yellow cartridge and refilling may cure it. It could be other things. Start a new thread1
Edit: Happy Now...

 

[floK]

Well, I'm coming back with the nozzle check required by you, @stratman and with some more details.
The absence of the black pigment is an older problem, that was discussed in a previous thread (https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/ix6850-clogged-pigment-black.12047/)
In the last two years I've also had a lot of other problems caused by some chinese refillable cartridges (e.g: https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/clogged-print-heads-or-cartridges-issues.11149/), that forced me to make a lot of unclogging procedures (using windex, pharmacist solution and, twice, even by disassembling the print head) - so I may have "managed" to damage a bit the print head and this could explain those streaks that appear in the nozzle check.
Interestingly, however, these flaws do not appear in my usual prints (documents, graphic design works, architecture blueprints) so I'm still satisfied with my Canon and, especially after I succeeded (thanks to Martin) to change the refillable cartridges with the OEM ones, I hoped that, finally, I got rid of all problems...
Until yesterday

Any suggestions, please?

 

[stratman]

even by disassembling the print head

All bets are off once you do this. Anything can happen afterward and we could chase our tails till the cows come home without success. Continued issues or new problems at this point may require a new print head to cure.

That said...

Interestingly, however, these flaws do not appear in my usual prints (documents, graphic design works, architecture blueprints) so I'm still satisfied with my Canon and, especially after I succeeded (thanks to Martin) to change the refillable cartridges with the OEM ones

OK. Time for clarification.

Prints after taking apart the print head and then switching to OEM cartridges WAS

1. 100% perfect (besides no Black Pigment ink)
   
2. NOT 100% Perfect (besides no Black Pigment ink)

If your answer is #2 then explain what was NOT perfect in the nozzle check (besides no Black Pigment ink)?

If your answer is #1 then you have more than one problem.

1) There are horizontal lines of missing ink in the vertical black bars. The quality of your image is not adequate, due to artifacts from scanning/resolving into a JPG, to determine if there are any missing ink in the big colored swaths. Do you see any missing ink? Nozzles are either clogged or burned out.

2) Yellow is missing, of course. The first thing to do is try a known working or brand new Yellow cartridge. If this is ink starvation from lack of yellow ink flow out the cartridge then a new cartridge will resolve it. Flush the problematic cartridge and then refill and hopefully it will work properly again. Another tip about ink starvation from mikling.

If this is Yello Gello then soaking the print head in something like Windex with Ammonia D will dissolve the gunk. If this is Yello Gello then I would not reuse the cartridge unless thoroughly flushed to white-near white such as using The Hat's method. Better yet, just get a new cartridge.

If this is a print head or logic aassy board failure then the game may be up and a new printer is in your future. You can try a new print head but there is risk that the logic assay board is involved which could then affect a new print head as well. These are unknowns.

Probably a good place to stop, let you investigate and report your observations back.

 

[The Hat]

If this is Yello Gello then soaking the print head in something like Windex with Ammonia D will dissolve the gunk.

Just to be clear on the effects of “Yello Gello”, it never clogs all the nozzles fully, usually only 10 to 20%, but with continued use over time, the nozzles will clean up again with no ill effects...

If you have no yellow showing in the nozzle print, then its either a serious cartridge problem, or more likely the nozzles are all burned out...

 

[floK]

Prints after taking apart the print head and then switching to OEM cartridges WAS

1. 100% perfect (besides no Black Pigment ink)
   
2. NOT 100% Perfect (besides no Black Pigment ink)

If your answer is #2 then explain what was NOT perfect in the nozzle check (besides no Black Pigment ink)?

Thanks for your time, @stratman, I really appreciate!

Firstly I have to say that there was no difference in the print quality before and after switching to OEM cartridges.
The previous cartridges had other problems (ink leaking, drying without warning from the printer's sensor) that required a lot of service interventions, but, for the rest of the time, they did pretty well the print jobs.

Secondly, if by "100% perfect" you refer strictly to the nozzle check prints, the answer is NO.
The white streaks (missing ink) - both in the vertical black bars and in the horizontal color bands - appeared a long time ago (maybe one year) and, of course, this didn't change after switching to OEM cartridges.
(And yes, you're right about scanning/jpeg artifacts. However, I can confirm that the image I posted, excepting the color accuracy, reflects pretty well the reality).

However, as I already said in my previous post, in the real prints these white streaks (or other artifacts) don't appear - or, at least, I can't see them - so I learned to not be too worried about the nozzle check bad look...

Please take a look at the attached image, printed without yellow ink, to see what I mean (and I must say that on paper it looks much better, that noise/ pixelization is caused only by the very poor scanner I have...)

Just to be clear on the effects of “Yello Gello”, it never clogs all the nozzles fully, usually only 10 to 20%, but with continued use over time, the nozzles will clean up again with no ill effects...

Interesting information! In this case, I think we can eliminate this cause from the discussion...

or more likely the nozzles are all burned out...

But how could all the nozzles burn out, as long as the other colors are printed well???

 

[stratman]

My suggestion remains to try a new or known working Yellow cartridge.

 

[The Hat]

But how could all the nozzles burn out, as long as the other colors are printed well???

If any one colour fails to print, then that does not affect the rest of the other colours right away, and when there’s no ink present in any nozzles when they fire, that causes the electrical components to overheat and fail, and they won’t come back from that event.

With your yellow not functioning at all, the print head will most likely fail in the other colour too, and if that happens all together then you may lose your logic board also, the black is not been used when you print in colour, so it has no bearing on any of the other colours...
Your print shows a lot of white noise throughout..

My suggestion remains to try a new or known working Yellow cartridge.

Always a true optimist..

 

[stratman]

Your print shows a lot of white noise throughout..

I think the pink penguins are artistically attractive, even if it wasn't on purpose..

Always a true optimist..

I'll tell my friend Joe that. He'll get a good laugh.

 

[floK]

My suggestion remains to try a new or known working Yellow cartridge.

Ordered one, let's see...

If any one colour fails to print, then that does not affect the rest of the other colours right away, and when there’s no ink present in any nozzles when they fire, that causes the electrical components to overheat and fail, and they won’t come back from that event.

With your yellow not functioning at all, the print head will most likely fail in the other colour too, and if that happens all together then you may lose your logic board also, the black is not been used when you print in colour, so it has no bearing on any of the other colours...

Yes, I know this - I mean that the lack of ink flow from one of the cartridges can damage the print head by overheating. However, in my understanding, this will burn ALL the nozzles (in the dye inks sector) TOGETHER.
But what you said in the previously quoted post is somehow contrary - that the missing of yellow ink could be caused by burnt nozzles.
So, my question is how would this be possible, as long as the other colors are still printing?
Or ... maybe I ask a stupid question, but I really don't know too well how a printhead works ... are there separate (groups of) nozzles for each color?

Your print shows a lot of white noise throughout..

As I said, that white noise is only caused by the (very poor) scanner...

Always a true optimist..

Well, a bit of optimism is always good, especially in an extreme sports community as we are