Clogged print heads or cartridges issues?

floK said:

.....Is it anything wrong with flushing the print head as shown in this video?

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No nothing is wrong but it is very important that the print head is thoroughly dry before reinstalling. The smallest amount of water, where it does not belong especially behind the ribbon cable and the circuit board on the back of the print head, can cause a leakage current that can not only destroy the print head but the logic board as well. See this:



I suggest to test ink flow from the cartridges first and if necessary apply mikling's modification to the cartridges, before considering cleaning the print head outside the printer.

@The Hat - no problem with this question, I think this is always a good thing to check first (and to remind to others to do).
My model of refillable cartridges hasn't those orange caps, but came with a tape onto the air vents, that I removed before installing the cartridges in the printer.
Well, this is not a very good system, as it is possible that some glue (or even small fragments) of the tape to remain on the vents without be noticed and to partially obstruct the air flow.

And I think... that is exactly what happened with my yellow cartridge!
When I tried to blow into its vent - as @PeterBJ taught me - it was considerably harder than in the others and I didn't succeed to make it to drip. Then, with the help of a magnifier, I found a little strip of tape just over the air vent. I removed it and - voilà! - my printer is working now!
However, I can't find an explanation for the lack of magenta of yesterday, since today I couldn't find the same problem (as at the yellow one) with this cartridge.
By contrary, it expelled a drop of ink even before I could blow into it. But it was only one drop, then it behaved in the same way as the others (dripped only at a moderate blow)
Could that extra drop be an issue?

@mikling - I have all the confidence in your experience and I would apply the method from your video.
But I'm not very sure if my refillable cartridges are suitable for this, because they seem to have a problem with the sponge displacement - please have a look at my other topic, here: http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...able-cartridges-please-help.10978/#post-92067
I'm afraid that if I'll push the sponge as in your video, it would be possible to displace it and to experience the same problem as in that topic.
And I also noticed that the ink aperture at the 550/551 cartridges is not in the middle of the sponge (as at the cartridges from you video) but more in a lateral, so that the part of sponge that should be "V-shaped" is longer.
Do you think it will work?

Often when using refillable compatibles, they tend to suffer from ink starvation faster than normal carts do, that’s one of the reason why we always recommend the use of OEM’s where possible, and in your case it’s not very practical.

Most definitely try Miklings method first because it still can work on your type of cartridge and if your still not happy with the ink flow then suck out the ink and reuse it later and completely purge the cartridge of any remaining ink and start again...

floK said:

@The Hat
When I tried to blow into its vent - as @PeterBJ taught me - it was considerably harder than in the others and I didn't succeed to make it to drip. Then, with the help of a magnifier, I found a little strip of tape just over the air vent. I removed it and - voilà! - my printer is working now!
However, I can't find an explanation for the lack of magenta of yesterday, since today I couldn't find the same problem (as at the yellow one) with this cartridge.
By contrary, it expelled a drop of ink even before I could blow into it. But it was only one drop, then it behaved in the same way as the others (dripped only at a moderate blow)
Could that extra drop be an issue?

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Yes, it could. It might sound strange, but a leaking cartridge might give the same symptoms as ink starvation from a clogged cartridge. A leaked drop of ink might cover the nozzles and prevent them from firing. Leaked ink might also drip on the paper as shown in your image of the "partner" logo.

floK said:

@mikling - I have all the confidence in your experience and I would apply the method from your video.
But I'm not very sure if my refillable cartridges are suitable for this, because they seem to have a problem with the sponge displacement - please have a look at my other topic, here: http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...able-cartridges-please-help.10978/#post-92067
I'm afraid that if I'll push the sponge as in your video, it would be possible to displace it and to experience the same problem as in that topic.
And I also noticed that the ink aperture at the 550/551 cartridges is not in the middle of the sponge (as at the cartridges from you video) but more in a lateral, so that the part of sponge that should be "V-shaped" is longer.
Do you think it will work?

Click to expand...

When creating the groove, be very careful not to displace the sponge. If there is a gap between the sponge and the bottom of the cartridge the cartridge will leak as described in the post you linked to. Maybe these refillable cartridges are a bad batch and you can have the leaking magenta cartridge replaced if you contact the seller, like in the thread you linked to?

I too, am having ink starvation with my 250/251 compatible cartridges in my MX922. Searched and found this thread.

I haven't tried mikling's method yet but before I found this thread, I was wondering if making the air vent hole above the sponge slightly larger would help.

So I ask, would making the vent hole slightly larger help? Or would it invite too much flow?

Unless the vent hole is blocked making it bigger will make no difference. Making it bigger wont cause the cartridge to leak, but too big a vent hole could cause the cartridge to dry out due to evaporation of water/solvent. I think a hole size of 0.5 - 1 mm or around 1/32" is suitable.

there is always another reason why a Canon printhead may not function properly anymore besides clogs, the inks, the cartridges - the printhead has a limited operating time , measured by the ink passing through the nozzles, do not exclude the possibility that a printhead is reaching the end of the usable lifetime if clogs appear to be very persistent and cannot be cleaned away. It is wear on the resistive elements in the nozzle paths which create the bubbles by evaporating the ink - a very small amount

There are two factors ( revised more) to consider when using compatibles. First, the ink within the sponge dries out at a much faster rate than the OEM. So after a year or so, they must be flushed out and another cycle begins. Dried ink will change the characteristics of the ink sponge interface leading to starvation. At the same time, my other thread also described the shortcoming of compatibles in the ink exit as compared to the OEM. This can at times cause starvation as well. It is important to understand that refilling and saving some money also might entail some work to save that money as well. Finally some compatibles that initially came on the market had some design issues with sponge constriction in the area leading to the exit. Later designs fixed this. Final point is that it is important to find ink that will work on these compatibles as this can at times cause starvation as well...avoid any semblance of good for Epson as well as others.

The printheads on the newer 250/251/270/271 and other numbers in other regions are actually quite sturdy now and will take more abuse than earlier machines. I do not think it is the printhead as yet.

PeterBJ said:

Unless the vent hole is blocked making it bigger will make no difference. Making it bigger wont cause the cartridge to leak, but too big a vent hole could cause the cartridge to dry out due to evaporation of water/solvent. I think a hole size of 0.5 - 1 mm or around 1/32" is suitable.

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Adding more holes will make the drying out more acute. The compatibles already have a direct hole leading to the sponge....less than 1/4" separation. No serpentines and localized humidity buffers at all. The standard stock hole is more than large enough.

Thanks, I'll leave the hole as it is.

Will I regret trying this method with ink in the cartridge? What's the worst that can happen, ink dribbling down my arm?