My S9000 is now on the third printhead, @ $80.00+ a pop. The ink overflow tray was cleaned previously and it did not need cleaning then; the point being- the printer has very low mileage on it.
The machine works perfect accept for small sporatic ink blurps from the nozzles which add a lot of unwanted anomalies on to text and image prints - and patterned breaks in printed lines - colors appear and disappear. The head still appears to be good as there is no "secret" code blinking to indicate an internal problem.
I've (carefully) cleaned and recleaned the head and each time one row of nozzles will start putting out [its] color properly while another row will 'stop' working - its damned maddening.
I use canon ink as well as (a very good quality, and costly), second party ink. I am satisfied that 'ink' is not the main source of my grief. My principal application is for CAD work, printing out plans, (in color 13x19" superA3 size). Building departments seem to like this size as they are large enough to provide good detail yet compact enough not to be near so unweilding as 38 to 42" plotter sheets, nor as cumbersome to store.
Canon is aware of these touchy problems and they just damned-well refuse to discuss them with [their] consumers - and that's pretty shabby.
I've more experience with (my) problems than I like to boast about. When ink cartridges are first replaced, particularly if 're-filled', the printhead will ooze ink from the (printheads) nozzles, this seems a pretty good indicator that the printhead nozzles, (or their ink channels which attach the nozzles to the cartridges 'ink tanks' above), are not clogged.
The second clue: The lack of a proper mix and portion of ink colors, (which create thousands of shades and color tones in the proper makeup of a photo-quality picture), imply that the printhead nozzles are stuck open, (i'm sure "stuck" is not a proper term for what's happening, but unless there is 'back pressure buildup' inside the ink cartridges - ink should not be freely drooling out of the tiny printhead nozzles.
Printhead nozzles 101: There will be a row of tiny holes, (on the bottom), for each color your printer head puts out. Old to new; will have from 3 to 8 rows of nozzles - meaning 3 to 8 ink colors or cartridges feed them. Behind each tiny nozzle is a diaphram. When a, (computer chip controlled), electric charge is applied to (each) diaphram it heats up a micro-bubble of ink and 'pops' it out of its nozzle, and onto your paper, at very precise timing. Thousands of these tiny colored bubbles of ink, aimed down toward the page passing underneath, are popping out every second.
If the nozzles do not 'fire' in the exact programed sequence the finished page may look messy; be it a picture - or, letters making up words.
Armed with this knowledge it tells us that: 'NO color coming out'- implies a stopped-up or 'dead' nozzle, or row of nozzles. This could result in a fairly simple 'cleaning' job, or an expensive new printhead - "or", an electronics problem deeper down into the printer. Uniform breaks, or a pattern in a line or picture imply one or two nozzles in a row clogged or misfiring.
But, does Canon give us any support resolving how serious, or "what" our printer problem might be; so that we can decide as to which way we should proceed - Oh Hell NO they don't, nor do they intend to!
My printer should have a 'lot' of life left in it. It's simply come to a point where I must decide how much more money I'm going to sink into it. Stores like WalMart do not even stock BCI-6 ink cartridges any longer. My nearest Canon service center, (and they are 'good'), is a 180 mile, Naples, Fl., round trip from my home and office.
Right now I'm seeking better, or more, information to work with. I'm in the middle of a project, my 'big' printer has gone section-8 and I just don't quite know what to do - except get really mad at Canon. Help please.
Gerry H.
The machine works perfect accept for small sporatic ink blurps from the nozzles which add a lot of unwanted anomalies on to text and image prints - and patterned breaks in printed lines - colors appear and disappear. The head still appears to be good as there is no "secret" code blinking to indicate an internal problem.
I've (carefully) cleaned and recleaned the head and each time one row of nozzles will start putting out [its] color properly while another row will 'stop' working - its damned maddening.
I use canon ink as well as (a very good quality, and costly), second party ink. I am satisfied that 'ink' is not the main source of my grief. My principal application is for CAD work, printing out plans, (in color 13x19" superA3 size). Building departments seem to like this size as they are large enough to provide good detail yet compact enough not to be near so unweilding as 38 to 42" plotter sheets, nor as cumbersome to store.
Canon is aware of these touchy problems and they just damned-well refuse to discuss them with [their] consumers - and that's pretty shabby.
I've more experience with (my) problems than I like to boast about. When ink cartridges are first replaced, particularly if 're-filled', the printhead will ooze ink from the (printheads) nozzles, this seems a pretty good indicator that the printhead nozzles, (or their ink channels which attach the nozzles to the cartridges 'ink tanks' above), are not clogged.
The second clue: The lack of a proper mix and portion of ink colors, (which create thousands of shades and color tones in the proper makeup of a photo-quality picture), imply that the printhead nozzles are stuck open, (i'm sure "stuck" is not a proper term for what's happening, but unless there is 'back pressure buildup' inside the ink cartridges - ink should not be freely drooling out of the tiny printhead nozzles.
Printhead nozzles 101: There will be a row of tiny holes, (on the bottom), for each color your printer head puts out. Old to new; will have from 3 to 8 rows of nozzles - meaning 3 to 8 ink colors or cartridges feed them. Behind each tiny nozzle is a diaphram. When a, (computer chip controlled), electric charge is applied to (each) diaphram it heats up a micro-bubble of ink and 'pops' it out of its nozzle, and onto your paper, at very precise timing. Thousands of these tiny colored bubbles of ink, aimed down toward the page passing underneath, are popping out every second.
If the nozzles do not 'fire' in the exact programed sequence the finished page may look messy; be it a picture - or, letters making up words.
Armed with this knowledge it tells us that: 'NO color coming out'- implies a stopped-up or 'dead' nozzle, or row of nozzles. This could result in a fairly simple 'cleaning' job, or an expensive new printhead - "or", an electronics problem deeper down into the printer. Uniform breaks, or a pattern in a line or picture imply one or two nozzles in a row clogged or misfiring.
But, does Canon give us any support resolving how serious, or "what" our printer problem might be; so that we can decide as to which way we should proceed - Oh Hell NO they don't, nor do they intend to!
My printer should have a 'lot' of life left in it. It's simply come to a point where I must decide how much more money I'm going to sink into it. Stores like WalMart do not even stock BCI-6 ink cartridges any longer. My nearest Canon service center, (and they are 'good'), is a 180 mile, Naples, Fl., round trip from my home and office.
Right now I'm seeking better, or more, information to work with. I'm in the middle of a project, my 'big' printer has gone section-8 and I just don't quite know what to do - except get really mad at Canon. Help please.
Gerry H.
