Weird nozzle check on Canon Pro-100, clog or ?

[Cedar]

Please see attached 2 files (hopefully that works ok). The first one is the original nozzle check done a week or two ago, the second is the one from today, #19, and I have 17 more nozzle checks in between these two. I'm refilling OEM carts with PC inks. This is the first problem ever with this printer. What I've tried so far: Cleanings, no more than 3 or 4 in a row. Deep cleaning, just one. A couple of Qimage's unclog pattern. It appears to me the only thing that has changed after all this is it looks a little worse now than it did to begin with. Maybe I should have just ignored it and it would have cleared up on it's own.....? Zooming in on the white band in the BK shows a weird pattern, I've never seen something like that before.

 

[The Hat]

Zooming in on the white band in the BK shows a weird pattern, I've never seen something like that before.

It’s quite possible the print head is failing on some of the BK nozzles, and you can’t do any more than you’ve done already to fix the issue, but rather than carry on and ignore it, I’d recommend you use OEM BK ink, purchase one new if you don’t still have an old one.

If the head has bits of old ink lodged in the nozzles the OEM ink is just about the only thing that can remove it safely, so just print as normal with the BK OEM ink and hope for the best, in the mean time I’d purchase a new head anyway..

P.S. The Qimage unclog pattern in my opinion is not worth diddly, it’s not a very good substitute or replacement for the standard nozzle check, because it doesn’t exercise ALL the ink channels..

 

[Artur5]

Qimage owners and Jose Rodriguez claim that the unclog pattern exercises all the nozzles, I have no clue if you're right or not. Have you positive proof about this?.
Anyway, even if it's like Qimage people claim, after you get a clog on some nozzles, printing that pattern is no solution. In my experience, it does nothing to clear the clogs. I'd say that it's useful only as a regular maintenance tool to keep all(?) nozzles firing regularly.
Compare it to a helmet for bikers that prevents, up to a point, head damage in case of accident, but it's no use to shove the helmet on your head after the accident happened. (rather the contrary ..).

 

[palombian]

Qimage owners and Jose Rodriguez claim that the unclog pattern exercises all the nozzles, I have no clue if you're right or not. Have you positive proof about this?....

Nope, Jose admitted he found out a few weeks ago the MBK channel of his PRO-1000 nozzle check was blank.
The Qimage pattern was printed with photo paper settings.
He warned users to alternate with plain paper settings.

 

[stratman]

Qimage owners and Jose Rodriguez claim that the unclog pattern exercises all the nozzles

Back in June of 2014, Jose was skeptical the Unclog Tool could exercise all the nozzles. Note his word "Agreed".

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53804014

In November of 2014, 5 months later, Toolman was onboard with the Tool's composite color printing and all because enough of the target color would be printed and the Tool allowed you to save on ink in general. He also comments that you can accomplish the same using other methods using +/- ink volume potentially.

https://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/qimage-ultimate-print-unclog-pattern.9502/#post-76920

But what did QImage have to say about their Tool's function? From August 2019...

http://ddisoftware.com/tech/qimage-ultimate/purge-sheet-unclog-job-questions/

I don't think Admin clearly stated what is happening. I can get a range of intensities of Cyan in a nozzle check with my old MP830 that had only one Cyan cartridge. How do we know the Tool fires the Light Cyan cartridge as well and not just "fakes" it as my MP830?

Have you positive proof about this?.

Does Jose?

 

[The Hat]

Does Jose?

Now where did I put that can of worms.. No big deal.. I said it was no good a long time ago for Canon printers.. You cant beat the Canon Nozzle check..

 

[Cedar]

I can't really see that weird pattern in the white band in the BK in these photos. Can you guys see them ok? Well, anyhow, I'll post a close-up of it here, just in case it helps to figure out whether this is printhead failure or clog or whatever.

 

[Cedar]

Thanks for the info, The Hat.

It’s quite possible the print head is failing on some of the BK nozzles, and you can’t do any more than you’ve done already to fix the issue, but rather than carry on and ignore it, I’d recommend you use OEM BK ink, purchase one new if you don’t still have an old one.

Is the OEM ink like a cleaner or something? What's the difference? So.....is it more likely a print head failure, as opposed to a clog? Is air in there a possibility at all?

If the head has bits of old ink lodged in the nozzles the OEM ink is just about the only thing that can remove it safely,

Really? What about one of the pharmacist's solutions? Or removing and cleaning the printhead? Maybe like this:

(he suggests a solution of distilled water, alcohol, and ammonia), or, of course the other many many videos on cleaning printheads.

so just print as normal with the BK OEM ink and hope for the best,

Oh...um....er...hmmmm.....?? Now I'm confused....I thought that printing anything with a nozzle check such as this is a big no-no! So then, what would happen if I just printed as normal with the refilled cartridge?

in the mean time I’d purchase a new head anyway..

Ah yes! If only! I've been looking for one, probably for a week already, but no luck. Does the Pro-200 use the exact same head?

And, if I keep printing, am I running the risk of damaging the logic board (or whatever you call that)?

 

[The Hat]

Is the OEM ink like a cleaner or something? What's the difference? So.....is it more likely a print head failure, as opposed to a clog? Is air in there a possibility at all?

Yes the OEM ink can clear old ink out of the nozzles, (it’s a far superior ink) your issue maybe a few clogged nozzles or it may not, and if it doesn’t clear then those nozzle will be lost for good, and no, air is only an issue with Epson print heads..

Really? What about one of the pharmacist's solutions? Or removing and cleaning the printhead? Maybe like this:

You have done so much head cleans yourself, that external cleaning won’t do any better at this stage, your last hope is to use the OEM ink..

Oh...um....er...hmmmm.....?? Now I'm confused....I thought that printing anything with a nozzle check such as this is a big no-no! So then, what would happen if I just printed as normal with the refilled cartridge?

That is normally very true but your nozzle check show a fair amount of nozzles missing and continuing to print with your current inks can only make them worse, that’s why I recommended using OEM ink.

Does the Pro-200 use the exact same head?

Yes it does QY6-0084-0000

And, if I keep printing, am I running the risk of damaging the logic board (or whatever you call that)?

No you won’t do damage to any other part of your printer including the Logic board, your current head is most likely damaged beyond repair with electrical problems in those few missing nozzle, but you can never be 100% sure until you have tried everything possible..

 

[palombian]

I can't really see that weird pattern in the white band in the BK in these photos. Can you guys see them ok? Well, anyhow, I'll post a close-up of it here, just in case it helps to figure out whether this is printhead failure or clog or whatever.View attachment 13289

This is the kind of pattern I sometimes see on my pigment printers (with MBK I seldom use) and it normally disappears with some patience.
Wait until next day and print a few nozzles checks again.
Eventually one normal cleaning cycle.
As said changing inks can help too.