Possibility Of Print Head Failure? Newb Mistake

[David99G20T]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and I've searched for the answer, but couldn't find a direct one. I have a new Pixma Pro-100 and I made this mistaje when inserting the carts. I removed the plastic wrap but did not realize that the tab covering the vent hole also needed to be removed. At this stage I've already printed several 4x6's and had initially thought that my color on the prints was slightly off due to the settings I was using in my photo software. Some came out ok, but others had streaks and the color was slightly off, so I did some more research and that's when I noticed my mistake. I removed the tabs, but the same thing happened and the nozzle checks were almost non existent.

So I did 2 head clean procedures and now the nozzle check pattern is better than the first time I printed it which had some minor streaks but thought that was normal. I would like to know if this might cause problems in the future. I have read that as long as the nozzle check prints well than that means that you have a good print head, but would like some clarification from experts.

Thank you!

David

 

[turbguy]

A nozzle check print on a PRO-100 (and most Canon consumer printers), prints light blocks of pastel colors, that "should" look completely featureless if good. No streaking or banding should be visible at all.

A service test print (easily to print on older Canons) would show EACH NOZZLE'S output, via a printed grid/matrix. I don't know how to get a service test print out of a PRO-100.

I would deep-clean again and print another nozzle check. If not perfect, wait an hour (to let the print head cool down) and repeat two more times, waiting an hour between deep cleans. NOTE: this will waste a LOT of ink!

Do not print any photos or documents until you get a perfect nozzle check, you might overheat the print head microheaters.

Please post an image of your nozzle check print.

 

[The Hat]

@David Gastelum, If you have a good nozzle print then your print head has suffered no damage from your little mistake, and you can continue to enjoy your lovely prints.

However if the nozzle check is not completely clear and clean then you will need to rest the printer from any further photo or test prints immediately.

Run 1 deep head clean, followed by another nozzle check, and examine them both for signs of improvement, at this stage the nozzle print should be perfect, but if not then wait 12 hours and repeat the procedure, note, repeated deep head cleans are not good for the print head...

 

[stratman]

Canon typically recommends a regular cleaning followed by a nozzle check and if not normal then a second regular cleaning followed by another nozzle check, If the second nozzle check is still not normal then run a single deep cleaning followed by a nozzle check. If the third nozzle check is still not normal then wait 24 hours and try a fourth nozzle check and if still not normal then run another deep cleaning.

From Canon, though a different printer:

Caution: If after Deep Cleaning the Nozzle Check Pattern is still not normal, turn the printer off and let it sit for 24 hours or more before attempting another Deep Cleaning again. The wait time may allow dried ink in clogged print head nozzles to liquefy, and resolve the problem.

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART131263

A 12 hour wait between deep cleanings as The Hat suggests should not present a thermal issue for the print head, ie too much heat causing permanent print head malfunction.

If the nozzle check is still not normal then consider ink flow issues with the affected cartridges. In fact, you might want to consider this sooner rather than later.

Post an image of your nozzle check. Crop the image so that it includes just the printed area and not the entire page of mostly unprinted area. Print nothing but nozzle checks until the nozzle check is normal or recommended otherwise.

 

[David99G20T]

Thanks for the replies! I just did a regular clean to get out any air and the nozzle check was greatly improved, but still had faint lines. I did another clean on the 2nd section and it looked to have been fixed, but this morning I saw some very very faint lines in BK that I didn't notice, so I ran another 2-3 regular cleans and they look to be gone. Without getting it under a microscope I can't be 100% sure, but to the naked eye it looks fine. I have attached 2 pictures that I took with my phone. I am sorry about the flash use.

EDIT: I just realized how bad the quality of the attachments are. I can upload a scanned copy later tonight when I get home.

Thanks again!

 

[stratman]

Example of a good Pro100 nozzle check:

http://ugp01.c-ij.com/ij/webmanual/Manual/M/PRO-100S series/EN/BG/bg-maintenance1300.html

 

[stratman]

From what I can tell it looks good. Will await the improved nozzle check image.

Sounds like ink starvation due to a blocked cartridge air vent did not allow ink to flow into the portion of the sponge depleted by your printing. Given time and an unblocked air vent, the ink redistributed in the sponge.

Hopefully the print head did not suffer any irreparable damage. As turbguy said, a service test print could show individual nozzle health. You would need to get into Service Mode, something others would need to help you with as I do not know.

 

[David99G20T]

Thanks for the reply! I have read on either this board or another similar board that as long as the nozzle check image looks good than you can consider the print head to be in good working condition. The nozzle check image I have looks similar to the one you linked with some minor differences, but I believe that could be due to the paper used. I will scan a better copy later today.

Also, can anyone tell me how to remove my name from showing and use a nickname instead?

Thanks again!

 

[stratman]

Also, can anyone tell me how to remove my name from showing and use a nickname instead?

Send a private message to our fearless Moderator @The Hat via the Inbox function found top right of page as a tab between Alerts tab on the right and your User Name tab on the left. You will now be on the Conversation page.

Click on "Start A New Conversation" top middle-ish of page, begin typing the name of the member you want to private message with in the Participants window. For The Hat, begin typing t h e h a t. As you add more letters to the name the list of members matching that string of characters will get fewer and fewer. You can either type out all the name or click on the matching name from the pop up list.

Once all the Participants are entered then type your message, give it a title and click Start A Conversation. The Hat will receive you message.

When he messages you back, you will see the Inbox tab at the top right of the page have a number corresponding to the number of private messages awaiting you.

 

[The Hat]

Nothing yet.., thanks @stratman...