Pixma iX6850... Yellow is completely Missing ?

[The Hat]

@floK, your print head is made up with a separate set of nozzles for each colour, now when you print, the head has two options, one it can use the black to print text with the pigment ink, or two it can use every colour to print graphics, text, and coloured pictures, this includes black which is media dependant.

The Canon print head is made up to use the black nozzles and/or all the other colour nozzles together, but the black is independent from the other colours, so if it fails then the other colours are unaffected.

Now this is the bit you are having trouble with, if any one of the colours fail to print then that one colour can cause complete failure in the other colours too, furthermore this electrical failure can cause you logic board to also fail...

 

[stratman]

but the black is independent from the other colours

"Black" in this case, The Hat means Pigment Black (PGI-550PGBK) and not Dye-based Black (CLI-551BK).

 

[stratman]

Ordered one, let's see...

Hope it works.

Just in case... How much is a new print head? A new printer?

 

[floK]

@floK
The Canon print head is made up to use the black nozzles and/or all the other colour nozzles together, but the black is independent from the other colours, so if it fails then the other colours are unaffected.

Yes, I know that the pigment black is separate, but I thought that the other colours are sharing the same nozzles. Isn't true?

Hope it works.

Just in case... How much is a new print head? A new printer?

Thanks!

A printhead for my model (Pixma IX6850) is about 100 USD and a new printer is about 250 USD (because it is A3/tabloid format). Not huge amounts, but neither pocket money in Romania (where I live)

I would have bought a new printhead if I were sure this would solve all the problems, but I'm afraid the pigment black still will not work because of the defective purge system (I'm not sure about this, but it seems to be the conclusion of this discussion: https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/ix6850-clogged-pigment-black.12047/)
And without the pigment black, I can use the printer only in photo mode, which is very slow for my usual tasks (as I said, consisting mainly in documents, graphic design and architecture blueprints), so I wouldn't pay 100 USD more only to maintain this situation...

Buying a new printer... yes, it seems the only safe and wise solution, but I'm still struggling to accept the loss

Probably I'll give up the A3 format because of the exaggerated price of the printers in this range (I really don't understand why they cost threefold more than the technically similar A4 printers; only for a bigger box?!) and I'll buy either an IP7250 (which costs under $100) or an MX925 (which costs $200, but at least I'll have a good scanner for the extra money)...

 

[stratman]

I would have bought a new printhead if I were sure this would solve all the problems, but I'm afraid the pigment black still will not work because of the defective purge system (I'm not sure about this, but it seems to be the conclusion of this discussion: https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/ix6850-clogged-pigment-black.12047/)

I just reviewed the thread. I am afraid so much has gone wrong: Possible clogged purge system of the Pigment Black; possible cooked Pigment Black clog in print head due to keeping in bath of high heat (50-55 C); did not try liquid dish washing soap, and whatever happened that got you to these places to start. Maybe there are electronic or mechanical failures at play as well we haven't definitively diagnosed yet.

So, yes, I agree with you that a new print head may not be wise, at least until you resolve the Pigment Black purge issue. Better to save up for a new printer, or, find a used one in your area.

I hope a nice sale on printers happens soon for you. A properly functioning printer will make all these frustrating days drift away into a corner of your mind to hopefully never be recalled again.

 

[floK]

I hope a nice sale on printers happens soon for you. A properly functioning printer will make all these frustrating days drift away into a corner of your mind to hopefully never be recalled again.

Thanks for your encouragement!

But there really exists such a thing as "a properly functioning printer"?
I admit that I became a little pessimistic about that...

What I'm trying now is to figure if all the troubles that I had with this printer were caused only by the improper refillable cartridges that I told about in the post #3.

Interesting is that the missing yellow problem occurred one month after I changed those bad cartridges with a set of OEM ones, so now I'm no longer sure of anything...

And I also have a lot of doubts about what new printer to buy.

On the one hand, it would be advantageous to still be a Canon with the same PGI-550/CLI-551, as I've already spent time and money on cartridges, inks and refilling accessories for this range.

On the other hand, I became anxious about the "predisposition" of Canon printheads to clog, which requires a continuous watchfulness for preventing or, if still happens, compels to time-consuming and uncertain resuscitation procedures (that also could aggravate the damage or produce others).

I think the problem is that, in my activity, I don't need to use the printer daily, there could pass 2-3 weeks or even a month without printing nothing - and it seems that Canon technology can't prevent the ink to dry in the printhead or in the purge system, even if kept all the time turned on (as recommended) and no matter if the ink is genuine or not.

I never experienced this issue with my 2 previous HP printers (though I had other reasons for being unsatisfied with them, especially paper jams and not so good print quality, so I don't want to return to this brand).

...

So, any advice is welcomed here!
Am I right with this suspicions about Canon, or it was only bad luck and I should give it a new chance?

Or should I move to another brand, maybe Epson? Are their printers better than the Canon ones in terms of reliability and easiness of maintenance?

 

[mikling]

Have you determined that the OEM was properly flushed? I guess you cannot because the sides are opaque. Problem one.
Lack of flow can come from either the intake ceramic filter below the SS mesh on the printhead can become clogged from these small globules. This can create a complete stoppage of flow. Or it can be clogged at the nozzle end.
To determine is the pathway to the nozzles is open to flow is very simple. Take a kitchen paper towel and fold it over. Now remove the printhead and using an eyedropper, drop ink on the intake mesh. If the pathway is open to flow, then the ink will be absorbed and if this is repeated, the paper towel will have yellow ink. That will allow you to determine if the pathway is open to ink flow. If it is, and nothing appears on print, then the problem is not likely the mechanical flow of the ink.
If it is the yellow jello, you can drop windex or mild detergent ( make sure the surface tension is modified enough that allows the solution to creep well) then absorb it back out with a paper towel. Doing this numerous time will eventually allow ink to get through.
Flushing is a good and bad thing. If you do not perform a perfectly good flush then you are likely setting yourself up for a problem. Seeing the flush progress immensely helps determine how good or bad the flush was but with opaque sides....the bets are open...you cannot tell. Having flushed tens of thousands of carts one can see that water flow inside carts are NOT always as even as one might think, some pockets can remain unflushed and you'd never know with opaque carts.
The above outlined steps are non intrusive and perfectly safe. That is the route that should be taken first before taking on more risky invasive steps.

 

[stratman]

@mikling gives good advice!

it would be advantageous to still be a Canon with the same PGI-550/CLI-551, as I've already spent time and money on cartridges, inks and refilling accessories for this range.

Sounds like a plan to me.

Or should I move to another brand, maybe Epson? Are their printers better than the Canon ones in terms of reliability and easiness of maintenance?

I am a Canon man and cannot comment on other brands for your needs. Maybe a laser printer is an option for you.

 

[floK]

Have you determined that the OEM was properly flushed?

To be honest, when I received the set of OEM cartridges I noticed - through the air vent transparent zone and the outlet port - that the sponges in all the others were perfectly white, while the sponge in the yellow cartridge had a fairly pronounced hue of yellow-orange.
But at that time I wasn't aware of the "yellow jello" phenomenon, so I did not pay attention...
Even so, I used these cartridges without any troubles for one month, before the reported problem has occurred.
Would this have been possible with yellow jello?

Anyway, what I omitted to say is that, meanwhile, I tested the printer with a new and genuine yellow cartridge, unfortunately with the same result.

To determine is the pathway to the nozzles is open to flow is very simple.

Oops... how could I do not think about checking the printhead?!
Maybe because I thoroughly cleaned it just before installing the OEM cartridges (as a last attempt to unclog the pigment black nozzles).
Thanks for the tips, I'll try them and will return to report the results.

@mikling
I am a Canon man and cannot comment on other brands for your needs. Maybe a laser printer is an option for you.

Yes, I also considered a laser printer, but I quit due to the fact that although I do not print photos, I am very sensitive to colors and it bothers me when the hues in the prints don't exactly match with those that I intended in my works (architectural "realistic" simulations or graphic design) - and this is the main issue of laser printers (or at least of the cheaper ones that I could afford).

In this respect, after thinking all the night I woke up this morning with the decision to remain with Canon, as they have the best color rendering of all printers (from the same classes).
Maybe I'll choose the cheaper option - the IP7250 instead of an MX925 multifunction or of another IX6850 - in order to reduce the losses in case the same issues will arise again.

But, for the moment, let's see if any success by following @mikling's advice.

 

[arw4]

It's certainly seems to be quite an unusual problem. I would be initially inclined to follow the steps outlined by mikling. It's a process of elimination. Am I right in thinking that you said that when under normal printing, the colours (including yellow) are all produced? If this is the case, my thoughts would be to print a test pattern image (but not the Canon print-nozzle check pattern). It may well be worthwhile comparing the two.