What maintenance should be done for canon Inkjet Printer

[sathyakala]

I am a newbie to inkjet printer and I bought Canon printer (MP258) about two weeks back and am still on the original carts.
I have printed only thrice and about 10/12 pages total. I notice many posts where it is mentioned about performing nozzle check, cleaning, deep cleaning cycles.

so far, I have not done any nozzle check, cleaning, deep cleaning cycles manually (Printer sometimes makes weird sound before starting print and I am assuming it is doing some self cleaning or something like that).

Should I be doing nozzle check etc at regular intervals and if so what and how often?

Thanks in advance.

 

[panos]

If you are happy with your prints you don't need to do anything. Your printer is cleaning itself automatically and you don't need to run cleaning cycles -- you just waste ink and hasten the waste pad full message (which normally occurs after some thousands of pages and requires a rather difficult disassembly). An occasional nozzle check won't hurt of course.

A light clog may occur, especially if you keep the printer turned off for a few months, but a simple cleaning will fix it.

Serious clogs occur due to low quality ink and bad refill procedures.

Very serious clogs / permanent printhead damage may occur when a thermal printer (Canon and HP) prints for long time with clogged printheads.

 

[inkoholic]

Actually I believe clogs will hardly ever happen if you use genuine Canon inks. That's why they're much more expensive isn't it?

 

[panos]

I agree. Genuine inks are always reliable (although the possibility of clogging is not too remote and that's why they include those cleaning functions) as the manufacturer has the advantage of knowing the exact properties of their printers and then designing patented ink/additive compositions.

Aftermarket inks can be reliable as well but the research for the right vendor can be tricky.

 

[sathyakala]

Thank you. I guess when I start refilling the orig cart with after market inks, I should probably do nozzle check (like once a week) to keep ink flowing. Getting the right aftermarket ink can be tricky but I will check whatever is best available locally. I do keep the printer switched off when not in use but I do use it couple of times in a week.

 

[stratman]

Actually I believe clogs will hardly ever happen if you use genuine Canon inks. That's why they're much more expensive isn't it?

This is patently false. OEM Canon inks will clog just like any other ink if you do not regularly use the printer. The difference may be OEM Canon inks may take longer to clog than certain aftermarket inks.

 

[stratman]

Thank you. I guess when I start refilling the orig cart with after market inks, I should probably do nozzle check (like once a week) to keep ink flowing. Getting the right aftermarket ink can be tricky but I will check whatever is best available locally. I do keep the printer switched off when not in use but I do use it couple of times in a week.

Regular printing is what decreases your risk of a print head clog. Print something that uses all the ink cartridges every week or so - there is no precise number of days agreed upon - is the best method for preventing clogs. A nozzle check uses all the cartridges with a minimal amount of ink and is therefore thought to be a good choice to maintain the print head. If you print something each week (or so) that uses all the cartridges then you will not need to print nozzle checks - unless you want to check for clogs on occasion.

The other component to decreasing your risk of a clog is to use high quality ink. Most aftermarket ink is not high quality. Most refillers in the forum purchase ink over the internet. If you provide your country you live in then forum members can advise you of sellers for you to consider.

 

[sathyakala]

@stratman - I live in India.

 

[stratman]

@stratman - I live in India.

I do not know where the closest seller of high quality inks is located with respect to your location. Forum member websnail sells Image Specialists ink from his Octoinkjet website in England. There are also highly regarded sellers/brands in Europe that I've found from reading Druckerchannel.de. I use Google to translate Druckerchannel web pages.

Maybe forum member panos who lives in Greece or another forum member like Pharmacist from Belgium can recommend reliable sources for high quality refill ink closer to you.

One added complexity for you is that your printer, the Canon MP258, uses cartridges that have the print head in them instead of a separate print head, specifically the tri-color cartridge. These multi-color cartridges require more finesse in refilling and, from what I've read, do not stand up to multiple refills the way single color cartridges do. The benefit of the cartridges with the built-in print head is that if the cartridge clogs, it is much less expensive to replace that cartridge than a separate print head. Also, your cartridges are probably available at stores near you while separate print heads usually are ordered off the internet.

 

[panos]

I believe Sathyakala's best bet are Indian sources. While overseas shipping is always an option (my first inks were shipped from the US and it was a great purchase), it comes at an increased cost. As Sathyakala is using a low cost machine, I doubt that she would be willing to pay for expensive shipping and, possibly, customs checks.

I would approach an ink vendor by asking them who is their supplier. If they refuse to do that, they may very well be mixing their stuff in a bathtub. I would also post their website to the forum and request opinions before purchasing.

While the MP258 has the disadvantages Stratman describes, it also has an incredible advantage to new refillers -- that a bad refill can always be fixed by getting a new cartridge (as these also include printheads).

Finally, once Sathyakala finds a good source of ink she may consider a CISS. It seems quite possible:

http://cgi.ebay.in/SR1351-EMPTY-CIS...4?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item2eb7fd5ce6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4reu4r_xrs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmcgp1TqydU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcEJ-8Z759E

etc...