MG5320 fatally ill?

[pvrbulls]

My MG5320 has been working great for about 18 months. It was printing a text article from the web yesterday when, about three inches down the page, it began to print no color and only about 40-50% of the pigment black text. By that I mean that the letters of text are perfectly formed, and very readable, but are very light in color(actually a very light gray.) I then printed a Nozzle Check which seemed to indicate that everything was badly/completely clogged. I immediately did several cleanings/deep cleanings, with absolutely no improvement in any of the colors. Because of the suddenness of the problem and the fact that cleaning has had no effect, I am pretty sure the problem is electronic, not clogged nozzles.

Does anyone have an idea as to how to proceed?

Thanks,

pvrbulls

 

[The Hat]

There is no need to panic at this stage so hopefully we can get your printer back working for you in as short a time as possible.

But don’t try and print anything further till you can get this issue resolved first, this is just to protect the print head from any further damage, nozzles checks are the exception.

Now tell us more about you set-up, what inks and carts are you using, compatible or OEM, are your refilling the carts and are you using the opaque cart if OEM, and do you use a resetter.

Last but not least can you post a printout of your last nozzle check foe examination please..

 

[pvrbulls]

View attachment 1869 View attachment 1870 View attachment 1869 View attachment 1870

There is no need to panic at this stage so hopefully we can get your printer back working for you in as short a time as possible.

But don’t try and print anything further till you can get this issue resolved first, this is just to protect the print head from any further damage, nozzles checks are the exception.

Now tell us more about you set-up, what inks and carts are you using, compatible or OEM, are your refilling the carts and are you using the opaque cart if OEM, and do you use a resetter.

Last but not least can you post a printout of your last nozzle check foe examination please..

I am not quite sure about posting images, but here goes....
This is the last Nozzle Check:

This is the page that was printing at the time everything "went south":

I am using OEM PGI-225/CLI-226 cartridges that I refill with Hobbicolors inks(since 2007) using the German method and a scale. Yes, I am using a resetter.

It should also be noted that, just to make sure, I changed the PGI cart that was in place when the problem developed; the Nozzle Check was identical.

 

[turbguy]

The nozzle check looks like an electrical issue is at cause to me. You can try removing the printhead and cleaning the contacts on the head with a pencil eraser, but that does not seem to resolve such issues very frequently...

Note, printing "from the web" may use dye inks rather than pigment black.

 

[pvrbulls]

Actually, I got the article from the web and pasted it into a blank Word document... which I then printed; sorry for the misstatement.

 

[PeterBJ]

I agree with turbguy, this also looks like an electronic failure to me. The picket fence pattern of the PGBK nozzle check is one typical symptom of a such failure. Normally problems with clogged nozzles, clogs in the ink passages in the print head or problems with ink flow from the cartridges would develop gradually, not abruptly like a switch was thrown and not affecting all colours simultaneously.

When a Canon print head fails electronically, there is a risk that the logic board is also damaged. A damaged logic board can damage a new print head, so replacing the print head is a gamble.

A new print head might bring the printer back to good working order, but might also be ruined by a possibly defective logic board. The cost of a new print head might be close to the cost of a new printer, so is it worth the gamble?

 

[pvrbulls]

I agree with turbguy, this also looks like an electronic failure to me. The picket fence pattern of the PGBK nozzle check is one typical symptom of a such failure. Normally problems with clogged nozzles, clogs in the ink passages in the print head or problems with ink flow from the cartridges would develop gradually, not abruptly like a switch was thrown and not affecting all colours simultaneously.

When a Canon print head fails electronically, there is a risk that the logic board is also damaged. A damaged logic board can damage a new print head, so replacing the print head is a gamble.

A new print head might bring the printer back to good working order, but might also be ruined by a possibly defective logic board. The cost of a new print head might be close to the cost of a new printer, so is it worth the gamble?

That's what I was afraid of. It was just like a "switch was thrown."

The problem now is finding a printer with the features I need that can be refilled. Canon seems to have abandoned the rear paper tray, which I use almost daily. I am looking right now at going over to the "dark side" and ditching inkjets altogether in favor of one of the laser AIO's. I hate to give up color, but operating costs would seem to dictate that monochrome would be the way to go. I have really enjoyed the CD and photo printing features of the MG5320, but office type printing accounts for, by a huge margin, the bulk of my printing. When I need to print a check, or other special form, I don't want to have to remove the paper cassette, take out the plain paper, then load a check or two, print, then have to reload the the cassette with plain paper.

Any good ideas on a replacement.... inkjet or laser?

 

[pearlhouse]

The MX922 has two paper trays both on the front side. The problem with this printer is the cartridges are tough to refill so Ive been told. But there are refillables out their with ARC chips so a resetter is not required. It wont print CDs though.....
A call to Canon might lead to something as they seem to want to back up their products to some extent.. I have had good success calling them two different times.

 

[stratman]

Have you considered both a monotone laser printer for office printing and a color inkjet for your CD's and photo output?

What about purchasing a print head for your current printer? (part # QY6-0080)

 

[pvrbulls]

The MX922 has two paper trays both on the front side. The problem with this printer is the cartridges are tough to refill so Ive been told. But there are refillables out their with ARC chips so a resetter is not required. It wont print CDs though.....
A call to Canon might lead to something as they seem to want to back up their products to some extent.. I have had good success calling them two different times.

I looked at the MX922 but ruled it out because it does not, as I understand it, have a second or rear paper path. It has a main(lower) paper cassette for large paper(i.e. letter size or 8x10 or envelopes) and a secondary(upper) cassette(same paper path) for small paper(4x6 or 5x7 only). So, unless I am missing something, any form(such as a check) would have to be placed in the lower cassette to be printed.

The MX922 does, however, come with a CD/DVD tray and will print to it directly.

I don't yet know which way I will go, but I am very discouraged with Canon at this point. My last three Canon printers have "died" prematurely of various ailments. I am beginning to suspect that is not accidental. For me to set up to refill the MX922 would require the purchase of three sets of refillable cartridges with the ARC chips at a cost of about $126 + the ink, which is considerably more than the purchase cost of the printer($98.95). That's probably justifiable, at my usage, if the printer would last more than 18 months; I'm finding it difficult to summon the confidence in that being the case.