With what you describe it sounds like a new print head should solve your problem.ganguy said:
Hi, I've made a clear and high quality scan of my nozzle check. You mentioned the print was abbreviated... so to be sure I'm posting the full check. Perhaps something wasn't showing clearly on the previous one, so perhaps you can have one more look on this check?stratman said:If you want to keep your MP610 running, then there are a few things you can try.inkoholic said:So the white stripes on my nozzle check print (see previous page) could also be caused by electrical issues? This thing is getting more complicated :/I don't want to mess up my brother's printer as well. Don't really know what to do now: repair my MP610 and risk spending a lot of money, or ditch the 610 (which is still working OK but not great) and get a new printer. I could get an MG5150, or an HP Officejet 8500 (seems to have the lowest OEM ink costs by far).
1) Buy new OEM Canon cartridges to replace the problem cartridges from your nozzle check. Alternatively, you could take your cartridges and put them in the other printer you mentioned to see if they work without issues. No harm should occur from cartridge swapping -- unless you let the printer print without ink in the print head, which would cause print head failure. From your abbreviated nozzle check images, I don't see complete ink starvation yet, so you should be safe for this test procedure. The idea is to isolate the problem(s). This test will help determine if the cartridges are wholly or partially at fault.
4) Whenever I see straight lines like yours on a nozzle check, I lean towards print head malfunction rather than clog. Nature doesn't do perfect straight lines. Clogs aren't usually perfectly spaced to cause such straight interspersed decreased ink output bands. But you never can be sure, so we try unclogging sometimes before spending $50 plus on a new print head. Then again, sometimes you just get the new print head and be done with it.
Let us know what happens.
Sorry for any confusion, I'm not too sure what to do now with my printer.
Follow the procedures/options I discussed to the best of your ability and desire. Do you have a specific question about my post?inkoholic said:
I thought my first post of the nozzle check print was of poor quality. I don't know if that made any difference, but to be sure I posted a proper scan of the check above. Does anything different show up on the scan? http://imgur.com/hyzIH.jpgstratman said:
No. By cropping the nozzle check image, you may have deleted data that would aid in further diagnosis of problems. Your latest image was complete and therefore the most beneficial in diagnosing your problem.inkoholic said:
Anything is theoretically possible given the proper variables. In the real world, there are people who use print heads for extended periods of time or print counts until there is a failure unrelated to an ink clog. For others, trouble occurs with ink clogs because of their habits. The way to minimize your risk of a clogged print head is to use respected aftermarket inks and print on a regular basis. One consensus view is to do at least a nozzle check per week. The idea is to use all the cartridges on a regular basis to decrease the risk of drying of ink within the print head eventually forming a mass large enough to block flow.
If you will not be able to use your printer regularly, or find the quality of your prints are better with a different printer, then it is entirely your prerogative to go that route. I doubt you'll find many on this forum desiring combi cartridges for a variety of reason. But, each to their own, representative of personal liberty and the freedom of choice printer manufacturers offer and the aftermarket and refilling community augment.
