Trouble with print quality on Canon iP2872

[AbdullahTrees]

So I went ahead with pulling ink out of the print head using a homemade ink suction tool, and the results have noticeably improved. Now the black-only graph paper is good(the wavy lines are less noticeable than before), but there are still some small defects in the nozzle check for the black cartridge. Any suggestions on how this can be further improved?

NOTE: This test was printed on two sides, so the show-through should be ignored.

 

[PeterBJ]

The black cartridge is much better now. The nozzle check shows all nozzles are now firing. A few of them are misdirected due to still being partially blocked. The print may improve when printing more, the fresh ink might dissolve the dry ink causing the misdirection. Else I would suggest to alternately press the print head nozzles against a paper handkerchief wetted with a window cleaner to try to dissolve the dry ink and press it against a dry paper handkerchief to absorb the dissolved dirt/dry ink.

 

[AbdullahTrees]

Here is an update on the quality of the Black-Only and Color Cartridges as they print a grey graph paper.

The color grey graph paper is the highest quality and has sharp crisp lines (although that's because in grayscale the printer has to produce different shades of black by actually placing spaced dots on the paper instead of a solid line of grey)

Now please recommend me tips on how to properly upkeep the quality of the printer and the kind of documents that I can print regularly that will prevent this from happening again. Is a nozzle check per week sufficient or do I need to print full color test pages that I've seen some people recommend on the forums (which are quite wasteful on ink, I think)

 

[PeterBJ]

I think that both the black and colour cartridges are now OK. Well done

I think a weekly nozzle check will keep the cartridges working, It uses all the nozzles without using much ink and you can take action at the first sign of problems. Printing full colour test pages is a waste of ink and could actually damage the print heads as the ink acts as a nozzle heater coolant, and a clogged nozzle passes no ink and is so not cooled. In case of clogged nozzles printing the nozzle check will not damage the print heads.