Canon Pixma IP 4000 3eBK

[CarlosG]

Hello,

This is my first post here, so thank you in advance for any help!

I have a Canon Pixma IP4000, lately the printing of black text has been blurry.

I have done a Nozzle clean, and a deep nozzle clean using the Canon software (I'm using a Mac).. and tried the Print Head Alignment settings.. but without any luck.

My test print shows all inks working well except the 3eBK, which looks like a fuzzy bar code on the left, very uneven pattern on the right..

I will upload images when forum allows.

Thanks again for any input.

 

[Ron350]

Can you please give a little more information, especially about ink and ink cartridges you are using.

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7632

 

[PeterBJ]

There is a 24 hour waiting period before new members can upload images and post links. You are now allowed to use these features, so please post a scan of the nozzle check.

Instructions are here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=107#p107

 

[CarlosG]

Thanks for the input - I was aware of the 24 hour cooling off period for new post

Here are the print outs:





I am using Third Party brand inks. No obvious brand name except is says 'Replacement Series':





cheers,
Carlos

 

[PeterBJ]

From your uploaded nozzle check it is seen that the PGBK nozzles are badly clogged. But this is not the worst. The "picket fence" like pattern suggests an electronic failure in the printhead. Only a new printhead might help. I think that the printhead QY6-0049 will be hard to find and expensive.

It is risky to replace a defective Canon printhead, A defective printhead might damage the logic board, and a damaged logic board will damage the new printhead. So replacing the printhead is a gamble, and sadly I cannot give you odds for success.

Third party ink cartridges have damaged many Pixma 4000 printers, most often by clogging PGBK nozzles. I own four of these printers, which I got for free form friends and colleagues, after they were ruined by too cheap ink bought on Ebay, and only one is in working order, and that is because I bought a new printhead for it. The other three printers are only kept for spares.

But maybe your Pixma 4000 printhead just died from old age? It might be 10 years old. Canon printheads can and do also fail for no apparent reason, so the printhead failure needs not be connected to the clogged nozzles.

The sad experiences with 3'rd party cartridges is the reason for the advice to only use Canon OEM cartridges, either new or refilled with a quality brand refill ink.

 

[CarlosG]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the reply - that all makes sense.. I have had the printer for almost 10 years now, and generally had a very good experience with it. It wasn't particularly expensive when I originally bought it, so feel like I have had my money's worth.

I will take on board the advice regarding Third Party inks for future reference.. even if Canon OEM inks are a lot more pricey :/ - are there 'better' third-party inks thank others?

Also if anyone can recommend another printer in the 100-150 price range that would be great - but appreciate that it is going off-topic of this thread.

thanks,
Carlos

 

[PeterBJ]

One brand of refill ink that is very popular among forum members is Image Specialists. Here are two dealers one in UK and one in Canada : http://www.octoink.co.uk/ and http://www.precisioncolors.com/ . From your mention of prices in I guess that you are located in the UK?

Other popular brands of refill ink are Hobbicolors and OCP and possibly more. Maybe others have more suggestions and links to dealers?

Some third party cartridges work well, others cause a lot of problems, and even those that work well should not be refilled, as this could cause problems with inkflow. Only Canon OEM cartridges are recommended for refilling. There are some build quality differences that make Canon OEM superior for refilling.

You do not need to buy expensive new Canon OEM cartridges, the cost of refilling them with a good refill ink is only a fraction of the cost of new Canon OEM cartridges. You will find refill instructions for newer Canon cartridges on this forum.

For a new Canon printer I suggest to look for one using the PGI-525/CLI-526 cartridges. These cartridges can be refilled or you can transfer the chips to a set of PGI-520/CLI-521 cartridges which are windowed and easier to refill. A resetter is available for these cartridges.

I would avoid buying one of the newest Canon printers using the PGI-550/CLI-551 cartridges, as no resetter exists (yet?) for these cartridges, making refilling much more problematic. See this thread: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8463

And here you find a list of printers, notice different cartridges used: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8160

 

[The Hat]

Hi Carlos,
I wouldnt give up on your printer just yet, it is a real workhorse and theres probably lots of life let in yet.
The newer Canon printers are not a patch on the older models so if you can save yours then my advice it to do.

I know the print heads are expensive but once you got one then you have got yourself a new printer.
Here are a couple of sites that do print heads, check them out and then make your decision.

Good luck..

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Printhead-QY6-0049-IP4000-Printer/dp/B00198PH82
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/r...head&tag=lpo_ixdpamusukengl_office_product-21

 

[Ron350]

If that were my printer I would be trying to clean out the clog in the print head.

I have had test prints that looked worse than that and brought the print head back from the dead. I have also had several 3000 and 4000 print heads that never came back.

 

[Nokiaman]

Just installed a new printhead, but I still comes with the orange blink 5 times - is there anything to do ??


Edit: