Canon MP760 (same engine as ip4000) Last Inch of print ligher!!

d86cfv

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I don't know whets going on with my printer, when I print a full A4 page (particularly noticeable in dark blues) the last inch of the page is very slightly lighter, I've tried different photo's, from different sources.
Its not a massive difference, I didn't even notice at first until it caught the light, the rest of the print is fine, its just that last inch!

Regs,

D
 

d86cfv

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Update: Just printed a 4x6 and its doing it on that aswell!

Whats the deal?
 

fotofreek

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d86cfv - Are these borderless prints? Are you talking about the trailing edge as the print leaves the printer? Is there slight banding (faint white or lighter lines in the direction of the print head travel)? I had the same problem on my i960 printer. There was an FAQ on the Canon site about this issue. If there is a slight curve in the paper this will happen. They suggested pulling the paper over the edge of a table in the opposite direction as the curve to straighten the paper. This wasn't a suitable approach, in my estimation, as I print several pictures at once - sometimes a run of 50 or more - and I wasn't about to individually handle each piece of paper this way! I solved the problem by always storing all of my photo paper flat. Never leave any paper sitting in the top feed deck of the printer as it will take on a curve. Always remove any paper left in the feed area at the end of your printing session and store flat. I would also advise against using the cassette for photo paper if this printer has the cassette similar to the ip4000. The paper has to make a "u-turn" and will definitely take on a curve. If all this fails to solve the problem you can look in the driver software to see if there is a utility (like on my i960) for preventing abrasion on the surface of the prints. I guess that this increases the gap the paper goes through during the printing process.
 

d86cfv

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Hi, thanks for your swift response! It is the trailing edge of the paper, I have noticed it on the 4x6 i have in the cassette and on A4 i've stored flat.

So far, with your recomendation i have tried the following:

Changed the setting to prevent abbrasion (raise the head)
this makes the overall print lighter, and in the area that was lighter before, this now better, so i have a darker inch at the end, although i've noticed on all the prints, when it starts to go funny there is a small line, about 5mm wide with a few white bands in.

I've tried not on borderless, to no avail.

Just looked at the paper in the cassette (ilford) - it looks curved from long side to long side, just about to try some cheap kodak that is flat (its so thin and nasty gravity helps with that!)

Kodak, flat paper! - Still the same

Just about to try some random 4x6 in the normal sheet feeder - Same.

Done it on plain paper setting, using photo paper, terrible quality but same result.

Right, i'm paranoid now, i've just checked through all my old prints, they are all fine.

So this has happened today because i did some printing yesterday.

I haven't changed any ink carts, all i did that was different was change the type of paper (rock paper) to see what it printed like, its such a high gloss any defects stand right out and it did it on the first print.

So, it does it on all papers, regardless of curv and from both trays, and with the different head setting.

I'll order a new head tomorrow from canon as its still in warranty (helps to be a canon re-seller!!!)

Regs

Dan
 

fotofreek

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On the i960, as soon as I stopped leaving paper in the printer between print jobs and storing the paper flat the problem went away. May not work for the printer you have as the paper feed design is different. I personally didn't like the anti-abrasion setting on as a dialog box came up with each print telling the that the setting was on and that was a nuisance.

The curvature that seems to be a problem is not a side-to-side curve but a curve in the long dimension of the paper .
 

d86cfv

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Fotofreek,

Would it be ok if I e-mailed you a scan of what its doing so we can see if its doing the same thing? (I dont know how to post pics, or even if its possible)

Regs,

D
 

fotofreek

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Although I'd be glad to look at a scan, you would be better off to post a photo to the forum as others may be able to help you better than I can. By having this conversation on the forum you and I will possibly help others with a similar problem as well. There is a posting by our administrator that has a link with instructions on upoading a photo in a posting. Here is where you will find the posting with the link.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=36
 

d86cfv

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Ok, here goes!

POOR_PRINT.jpg



This was a 4x6, its not doing the usual thing of being lighter for the remaining bit, but you can see the banding on the page, and on some the print goes a few shades lighter after the lines.

Canon engineer is coming out tomorrow with a spare print head :)

Regs,

D
 

fotofreek

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Doesn't look like the typical printhead problem to me, and it looks different from what I experienced. I had the last 3/8 inch or so with very light but continuous banding at the trailing edge. I didn't mention that on some borderless prints I also had a bit of an ink smear right at the trailing edge. Both of these problems went away when I stopped keeping paper in the printer where it took on a slight curve in the long dimension. It will be interesting to see if the new print head cures the problem. Keep us posted! BTW, beautiful picture.
 

d86cfv

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Canon Engineer came out today, spent two hours using my ink and paper and ran off about 25-30 photo's. Then went away and spoke to some guy on his phone outside, came back and said turn to page 108 in your manual which will tell you canon doesn't guarantee print quality in the last inch of the print!!

So I went nuts, his manager is going to call me on Monday to discuss my options, apparently the 760 isn't made anymore so I'll be forced to have one of the new machines with the CLI 8 carts that aren't re-fillable, and are 50% more expensive! And that's only if he actually agrees to replace the machine!
 
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