Prevent clogging

[ghwellsjr]

Indeed the print-head which I put in the zip lock bag got here still wet as it left...

Why was the print head wet when you put it in the zip lock bag? My instructions were to wrap it in a clean paper towel. I also said to put a wet paper towel in the zip lock bag with the ink cartridges to prevent them from drying out. I hope you didn't think I meant to put both the print head and the cartridges in the same zip lock bag. If so, I appologize for the confusion. I'll have to be more clear in the future.

As far as getting your magenta nozzles working, make sure you don't print anything except nozzle checks until it works again. Hopefully, there has not been an electrical problem caused by the head being wet when you put it back in the printer and applied power. And don't try to clean the print head outside of the printer. Let the printer try to clean the print head.

First you want to make sure your magenta cartridge does not have an ink flow problem. Hold the cartridge over a sink or waste can and put your lips to the top of the cartridge over the air vent and gently blow into it to see if ink comes out the outlet port. Before putting it back in the print head, deposit a couple drops of Windex on the magenta screen on the print head and put some more Windex on the purge pads. Then install the cartridge and do a head cleaning (for the color cartridges only if you can) followed by a nozzle check. Repeat this several times. Let us know what happens.

 

[Metallo]

Hi ghwellsjr,

the printhead an the carts were in separate zip bags, both were wrapped in a clean paper towel and both had a wet towel in it to prevent to dry.

I let the printhead dry from "humidity" before placing it back in the printer.

Last night I tried the windex in the magenta but no change at all, I got this morning some ammonia, maybe I can give a try but unfortunately I need the printer to work and have not much time to test.
I have done a number of deep cleaning cycles, but no way and now my carts are almost empty.

It is really a pity because every time I get a clog, I have to buy a new printhead, again, I never succeeded to recover one, so either I am unlucky or simply unable to clean them properly.
I think I did what I could but I failed

I took a quick picture, it is a bit dark but shows clearly the problem.



Many thanks for your help.

Alex

 

[ghwellsjr]

Your picture is very difficult to scrutinize so let me ask you some questions about it:

It looks like there are three light horizontal stripes in the first part of the dark magenta bar and then two light horizontal stripes in the second part and then this pattern repeats three more times. Is this correct?
It also looks like the light magental bar has an identical pattern of light stripes. Is this correct?

Do the light stripes have any magenta in them or are they pure white?

Can you take a sharp closeup of these first two patterns on the dark and light magenta and upload it?

 

[Metallo]

Your picture is very difficult to scrutinize so let me ask you some questions about it:

It looks like there are three light horizontal stripes in the first part of the dark magenta bar and then two light horizontal stripes in the second part and then this pattern repeats three more times. Is this correct?
It also looks like the light magental bar has an identical pattern of light stripes. Is this correct?

Do the light stripes have any magenta in them or are they pure white?

Can you take a sharp closeup of these first two patterns on the dark and light magenta and upload it?

Yes, it is as you mentioned, I have taken another shot but with artificial lighting is not better, however, I have uploaded on another site where I am allowed the full size, so it is much better for you to see.

I tried the ammonia in the meantime, no change.

Thanks for your help,

Alex

 

[ghwellsjr]

It appears that you have some clogged nozzles. I would simply do a nozzle check once a day, leaving power on all the time. Sometimes, it just takes time for clogs like this to dissolve. If you want, you can put some Windex on the purge pads after each nozzle check but I wouldn't try any other solvents or remove the print head from the printer. See if there is any improvement after a week.

Do you still have your other clogged print heads?

 

[Metallo]

It appears that you have some clogged nozzles. I would simply do a nozzle check once a day, leaving power on all the time. Sometimes, it just takes time for clogs like this to dissolve. If you want, you can put some Windex on the purge pads after each nozzle check but I wouldn't try any other solvents or remove the print head from the printer. See if there is any improvement after a week.

Do you still have your other clogged print heads?

I will follow your suggestion, but honestly, I am not optimistic, I tried both windex and ammonia during the last two days, none worked.

No, the old print heads are gone, it happened years ago, I do not move every year!
I should have bought a stock some years ago when they were much cheaper, now they doubled their prices and are in the hands of a few crooks.

I let you know if anything will change.

Regards
Alex

 

[RMM]

Keep trying. Two days isn't that much. Sometimes it takes a week or more to unclog stubborn clogs with Windex.

Be vigilant, most of the time it pays off. If it's just a stubborn clog eventually it will come with the Windex. If it's burned out electronics then you're out of luck.

 

[Metallo]

And if if find somebody who has an air compressor, that should work, or not?

So far, no sign of improvement and I keep on printing...

Alex

 

[leo8088]

leaving power on all the time.

You still believe it will make a difference by leaving the power on all the time? Why are some Canon printers designed with an auto shut off feature? Some multifunction printers with fax machines do not have this feature for an obvious reason. My MP780 is located about 2 feet from my head. It was left on all day sometimes if I was expecting a fax. It never made a noise none whatsoever all day long. When I finally turned it off the light went off immediately and it made no noise whatsoever either. Why do you insist in believing in leaving the power on?

An AC line power surge could kill the printer instantly. I have seen power went off and back on within a split second a couple of times a year. When it happened it would go off again within a second again. The electricity system is automated to switch on the power almost immediately when it went off for some reason. But the system would detect that it really should go off (especially if it detected a malfunction somewhere) so it will shut it off again within a second or so. When this happens you will see power goes off then goes on almost instantly followed yet another shut off. This can induce a huge spike of power to kill many electronic equipments instantly.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Leo8088, I have learned from you that my i860 (which is what this thread is about) and my iP4000s behave differently than my MP760 and MP780 in that the latter, which are all-in-ones, do a head cleaning every time you turn them on, while those that are just printers do not do a head cleaning every time you turn them on unless you unplug them and I have thanked you for teaching me something I didn't know. Your comments are always welcome.

The main reason that I advise leaving the power on all the time is that Canon printers will do a head cleaning if left powered on after about 24 hours of idleness. This prevents clogs when the printers are left idle for weeks or months at a time. In the last year, I have purchased a dozen or so used printers and every single one of them that had been unplugged for more than a few months had major clogging problems with the pigment black nozzles. If you always leave it on, you will avoid this problem.

Canon has made their printers "green" and they brag about it on their website. Auto shut off is one of these "green" features.

The power supply in Canon printers are always directly connected to the AC mains. The on/off switch sends a signal to the power supply to electronically turn the outputs on. If there is a power surge, it can still damage the power supply even if the printer is turned off. The only way to protect against power surges is to put your equipment on an Uninterruptable Power Supply which is designed to be tolerant of surges and regenerates the AC power constantly. If you knew there might be a power surge, like during a lightning storm, you could unplug your equipment and physically move them away from the power wiring but simply turning them off won't help.

But my main reason for leaving my printers on is to avoid wasting ink and time every time I want to use them. If I print every day, the printers will not do extra cleaning cycles but if I turn my AIO's off and on, they will waste ink. Thanks to you, I now know that I can turn off my printer-only printers, as long as I leave them plugged in, and turn them on without wasting ink from an automatic cleaning cycle but I still leave them on to avoid wasting time and to make sure they will do their preventative cleaning cycles in case I don't use them for over a day.