Help needed for Canon IP6000 printer---- Ink problem

[john cox]

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I bought a Canon IP6000 printer 9 months ago. I have always used reliable third party ink for refilling my cartridges. My Photo Cyan is now coming out far too strong and is causing a very blue cast over my photos. I think it is this cartridge because when I put the setting to normal print quality the colours are fine and I am assuming that is because it is not using the Photo Cyan cartridge.

I bought a cleaning kit as well and when I put in a blank cartridge in place of the PCyan one the quality becomes much better because it is using the clear Cleaning fluid instead of the photo Cyan ink. I filled up a new empty cartridge with the PCyan after this and the problem with the blue cast comes back. I have tried all the usual maintenance options from the Canon software, "Cleaning", deep head" cleaning etc but no joy.

Can anyone suggest where I go from here?

Here is some advice I got from another forum (photography) but a number of people have recommended me trying here as there are meant to be some great experts here.
This is some advice I got yesterday on the other forum and my replies:
I still cannot resolved the problem:

"First, in normal quality mode, both the photo cyan and photo magenta are not used.
So, if you are not having problems in normal mode, you have narrowed the problem to those two cartridges. But you could be barking up the wrong tree even then, your blue cast could be due to a poorly feeding photo magenta cartridge. Not enough red = blue cast.

If this problem is fairly new and you were having no problem with the same ink before,
you have eliminated the ink as the problem unless the ink has gotten old and has chemically changed. Also missing in your post was anything regarding nozzle checks
which should tell you if you have problem with either your prinhead or in the way a cartridge is feeding.

But my guess is the next step is to examine how your photo magenta cartridge is feeding through the printhead. You may also want to give the nifty stuff forums a try since they cover printhead cleaning in depth.

Its still a guess an my take on the matter given information at hand. But I hope that helps."

"Have you considered the possibility your photo cyan is mislabeled? Grab a white plastic bottle and a couple of Q-Tips. Paint a strip of both on the white plastic. There should be a dramatic difference on white plastic. There is also a difference on paper but it is more subtle."

My reply to these suggestions was:
"Thanks for your speedy replies.
Believe it or not i have not done a nozzle check from the maintenance software. I will do this this evening when I get home.

A good idea about it maybe being the Photo Magenta. I will concentrate on these two and see how I get on. Part of my cleaning kit inncludes a syringe with a flexible plastic nozzle attachment for injecting the cleaning fluid direct into the print head. I had a problem with black earlier this year and that solved the problem. So if the nozzle check does not work I will try this.

I have checked the labeling of the bottle and the cartridge and I refilled them recently and they were ok, so I dont think that is the problem but thanks for the suggestion anyway."

Having checked this out here is the current state of affairs:

OK,

The news is not good,

You were right about it being the Photo Magenta cartridge rather than the PhotoCyan. I ran a nozzle check and there was no printout line for this cartridge (PM).

I uninstalled the Canon software and reinstalled it but no change.

I put a cleaning cartridge in that slot and put back in th PM cartridge and no change.

I did a head cleaning three times and a deep clean and still no change.

Has anyone anymore ideas or am I looking at a new print head or printer?

Kind Regards,

John

 

[john cox]

I might try these suggestions on Neils Inkjet page.

Have any of you tried these cures and how did you get on.?

The MIRACLE AIR CLEANING CURE
for CLOGGED PRINT HEADS.
This is how I do it on my Canon. You might be able to pull this off on an Epson. You can't on an HP.
If you've put in a new cartridge and cleaned the nozzles several times, and the nozzle check STILL shows a clogged nozzle- I have found that after THOUSANDS (okay, maybe HUNDREDS) of prints, it may be necessary to spray compressed air through the WHITE flow-through delivery sponge. This is the little circular inlet that sits directly under the bottom ink cartridge hole in the print head. I.e.: Take out the ink cartridges and remove the print head.

You'll see 6 1/4" holes into which the ink is delivered from the cartridge. Get a can of compressed air and spray from the cartridge side a few short bursts. HOLD A KLEENEX or toilet paper on the outside of the print head where the copper nozzles are- otherwise, you will get ink all over everything as the air cleans out the sponge inlets. Wipe off the outside copper nozzles, because ink will have poured out. No need to use any solvent, just a dry lint free paper. I've used 100% denatured alcohol at times- I don't suggest any other solvent for printer cleaning. Clorox, however, is the only thing that will remove totally inkjet ink stains from plastic housing, counter tops, your fingers- but don't use on important printer parts.
Put your cartridges back in, run a clean cycle to get the ink running again, realign the nozzles, and VOILA- your printer will magically work again.
After two years of printing THOUSANDS of prints with my Canon printers, I have never ever ever replaced a printer head, or had to soak the cartridges or the print head as described below. Air does wonders.
But I pass on the info below just as a matter of options....

Unclog your Brain and your printer head will flow too
Click link to FLOW the printer part of your brain


ANOTHER SOLUTION FOR STUBBORN CARTS AND CLOGGED PRINTER HEAD
Okay- I do not personally recommend using any solution to clean your Canon nozzle head-- if you have paid attention to all the info on this page, it just should be necessary. However, once in a while if you leave your printer sitting for a long time, a cart may dry out, and will no longer work. One visitor sent me this email and swears by it-- so, if you want to give it a shot if it ever comes up- it's possibly an option. Save it till last however in my opinion:

Subject: Canon cartridges I have found that I can revive a "dead" Canon cartridge by capping the output orifice with the orange cap and placing the cartridge in a glass of very hot water (just under boiling) for about 20 minutes. When the cartridge cools off, the ink seems to re-enter the sponge material. Also, I have found that I have been able to clear a clogged print head on S-900 and I-9900 printers by soaking the printhead in very hot water coming out of my kitchen sink for about 20 minutes until all of the water coming out of the print head is clean.

 

[panos]

I ran a nozzle check and there was no printout line for this cartridge (PM)

Replace your photo magenta cartridge with an original canon cartridge and report back

 

[hpnetserver]

If you are getting a blue tint it should be the yelloe that is lacking. If your PM is lacking you should get a green tint not blue tint. Take a look at your yellow nozzle test pattern. Is your yellow fairly saturated? Or is it ligh?

 

[john cox]

If you are getting a blue tint it should be the yelloe that is lacking. If your PM is lacking you should get a green tint not blue tint. Take a look at your yellow nozzle test pattern. Is your yellow fairly saturated? Or is it ligh?

Hi hpnetserver

If I print a photo using a low resolution setting the colours are fine.It is when I print on high resolution setting that the strong blue hue occurs.
This would seem to indicate that it is either the PhotoCya or PhotoMagenta is the problem as these are only used at this setting.
Also, when I run the nozzle check the PM line prints nothing, all the others print at the same strength although they are not too saturated.

What do you think?

 

[john cox]

Hi panos,

I already filled a blank cartridge with refill ink.
Would a new Canon cartridge mke that much a difference going from no PM to it working correctly?

 

[panos]

Considering all you've written, and my experience with 3rd party cartridges, yes.

While I use 3rd party ink all the time, the cartridges are simply not up to the original manufacturer quality. They often don't have dual sponges, sometimes they are cut out of proper specifications, etc.

 

[Osage]

To John Cox,

You can try the refilled PM cartridge, but if does not work a Canon OEM PM cartridge
not showing on a nozzle check would rule out the PM cartridge and isolate the problem to somewhere on the printhead.

 

[hpnetserver]

John Cox, if you mix equal quantity of C, M and Y ink it produces black as a result. If you mix only C and Y you will get green. However, if you mix C and M you will get blue. That's why if you get a strong blue tint you are more likely missing Y.

Are you sure it is a strong blue tint? If your PM is not printing you will see a greenish skin tone. If it is Y that is missing you will see a blue skin tone. Try to look at the nozzle check print, especially at Y, again. If you Y is light you will get a blue tint in your print. It looks like you already missed PM. You should already see a greenish tint
on lightly colored area. If your printer is lack of yellow too (no need to be totally clogged) you should see a blue tint. That's physics. I believe in that.

 

[panos]

hpnetserver is right in his initial assertion, but we should consider the fact that it is PM and not M that fails. Considering that there is not a "PY" color but there is a PC, the equation could very well lead to what john cox describes as a "blue cast".