Soak Pro-100 Head

[Richie]

It's interesting that you mention Cyan from Precision Colors. I too always have problems with Cyan always clogging. I've been using Precision Colors ink since 2013 over 4 pro-100's with heavy daily use, and almost every other week I have to unclog the Cyan channel on all of them. There's definitely something funky with it.

 

[The Hat]

I too always have problems with Cyan always clogging.

If your unhappy with your current ink supplier then why not change to a different one, because not all inks suppliers have the same inks, there are so many good ink suppliers in the US not just one..

But before you do that why not take the time to re-examine your own refilling procedure first, most times that is usually the couplet and not the inks at all, and incorrect ink storage may all so cause problems...

 

[Richie]

If your unhappy with your current ink supplier then why not change to a different one, because not all inks suppliers have the same inks, there are so many good ink suppliers in the US not just one..

But before you do that why not take the time to re-examine your own refilling procedure first, most times that is usually the couplet and not the inks at all, and incorrect ink storage may all so cause problems...

I wouldn't say I'm unhappy with PC as I've been using them for many years now and probably printed around 100,000 prints with those inks, but there definitely have been some hiccups along the way. Who are some other good ink suppliers for the pro-100? Back in 2013 I think only Precision Colors was the good one and have stuck with them since.

 

[mikling]

Check the condition of the Cyan cart, it is critical because it is one of the most dense ink containing the most dyes and it is also the furthest from the printhead. Once it stops flowing properly, it will cause banding and is sensitive to it.

 

[Richie]

Check the condition of the Cyan cart, it is critical because it is one of the most dense ink containing the most dyes and it is also the furthest from the printhead. Once it stops flowing properly, it will cause banding and is sensitive to it.

I cycle between 12 of them and they all look great. I have noticed that on all the LGY and PC carts, I have to flush out after about 4-6 months. The sponges begin to look dry, all the other colors look nice and saturated. I don't run them til they're empty either.

Whats the recommended way to store the ink bottles? Is it possible that my climate has anything to do with it? I live in Southern California and it's been very hot lately. The bottles are stored in a large desk drawer and all the carts are in zip lock bags with the orange clips on them.

 

[Richie]

I just began having another problem today on two of my heads. Both the Cyan and Black are not printing out the nozzle check. What's strange is that it happened within a day of each other and the black has never given me trouble. I did my usual soak that seems to work most of the time, but they are not budging. Checking the spray pattern on them with my little tool and distilled water, the pattern is almost there, but it's definitely broken.

 

[mikling]

One thing, Canon sponge carts were NEVER designed to be refilled and surely not indefinitely. The fact that you can refill them is a bonus. Each refill degrades the sponge a little. Eventually the sponge will ALWAYS needs to be flushed out clean and then refilling begins again. How many times you can refill will vary and there is no clear set amount of times. My recommendations are that you refill before the printer starts to use up the saturated sponge as when you do that it minimizes any changes in the sponge. It is not a time issue as you can refill only a few times over a couple of years and you might need to flush. Each time the cartridge is used and even when it is resting air flows in and out of the cartridge due to air pressure variations. Each time the cartridge is used air passes over and through the sponge to enter the reservoir. This action will slowly dry up remaining ink in the sponge and when this ink becomes thick, flow is degraded. When the degradation of this "flow" happens, it will cause deposits on the nozzles to form due to overheating. When deposits form, the nozzles are compromised, they overheat and can destroy themselves or become clogged. http://www.precisioncolors.com/Maintenance_Canon.html
If you print commercially you NEED to understand this. No race car driver does not have a mechanic backing him up that performs proper maintenance. Same for the printer. Using printers like these commercially, you need to learn what is required is "pushing" these domestic printer for commercial use. Flushing MUST be included as a maintenance procedure when these printers are used commercially in heavy printing environments. Even with the best maintenance, engines used for racing wear out and need to be rebuilt. Similarly when using a Pro-100 heavily for commercial printing one needs to expect that printheads will eventually wear and must be considered a consumable of some type. One can extend the life but not indefinitely. Like any maintenance program, you wil need to determine at how many refills, you should flush to eliminate problems BEFORE they start. No winning racing team waits for something to break before replacing it. Similarly you need to do the same for the carts. Of course if you used flushed carts each refill, then the printhead will last a lot longer but that is not practical nor economical. So a compromise is needed.

If you wait till the prints come out streaky, then stop printing, then that is the wrong procedure for commercial use of the Pro-100. You are guaranteed to break printheads that way. You need to flush the cart BEFORE any streaking occurs. That could be a time thing or a label on the cart with a checkmark up to a certain amount before flushing is called for.

yes, climate will have an effect on all of this as well..

 

[Richie]

I appreciate the response. I do tend to look at the print heads as a consumable product aside from the ink. Sort of like the imaging drum on a laser printer. I have a zip bag with about 10 print heads that no longer work, either clogged or the printer just doesn't read them and throws a 1405 error code. I've gotten much better with them however, as I've only had to replace one this year, hoping I'm able to rescue these 2, and that number will stay the same, otherwise it will be 3 in the same month.

I'm curious if this is inevitable no matter how careful you are. I think most times that I lose a print head, I lose another soon after. All printers get the same amount of use. If I'm doing 400 4x6's, I'll send 100 to each one.

 

[stratman]

yes, climate will have an effect on all of this as well..

I am also curious to hear your recommendation to Richie's unanswered question about storing your bulk ink:

Whats the recommended way to store the ink bottles?

Another question....

@jimbo123 , the king of refills, did not require flushing of his Canon MP830 cartridges (CLI-8) despite dozens of refills. Why is the Pro-100, cartridges, or refill inks so fragile?

 

[The Hat]

@jimbo123 , the king of refills, did not require flushing of his Canon MP830 cartridges (CLI-8) despite dozens of refills. Why is the Pro-100, cartridges, or refill inks so fragile?

I don’t reckon it has anything to do with PC ink or the CLl-42 carts at all, the common denominator here is the user himself, he needs to learn how to look after his carts and especially his printer better.

If you read back his previous posts it is clear he’s having all sorts of issues with poor ink flow and is hinting (Suggesting) that the PC inks are to blame, he is also going through print heads quicker than anyone I’ve ever seen.

He need to slow down and take stock of his work flow, I also reckon he is running his carts beyond low and refilling quickly expecting them to perform as before, if you don’t have a good refilling procedure then this is a classic case of what can and does happen to a print head.

I have run 6 dye ink printers continually for years with more than 70 CLl-8 carts ready prepared for use and never lost a single head from ink starvation, dye ink printers need far more attention and should be monitored constantly, it’s the nature of the beast….