MP610 clogged AND out of ink - how to proceed?

[RFarmer]

2009 11 13
My wife and I went on a two week vacation and when we came back the magenta inkjet on her not-too-old Canon MP610 at work had clogged. I removed the printhead and tried to unclog it with alcohol but that didnt work (its the first time I have tried to do this). Since the black printhead still worked, my wife took the printer back to work and used it until the black ink ran out, so now the printer is junk I guess. But I am sufficiently irritated at the whole situation that I would like to try to resurrect this printer. So now the red light on the CLI-BK8 and CLI-8Y cartridge are lit, but PG-5BK, CLI-8M, and CLI-8C are all dark, so Im guessing that all three of these cartridges are out of ink. I have read a lot of the threads here and there is so much information that Im not sure how to proceed.

I think my question is: do I have to try and fill the empty cartridges before trying to unclog the print heads?

If so, then is the Durchstich method described at:
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/the-german-durchstich-refill-method.php
the obvious way to try to do that?

Finally, whats the cheapest way to get a refill kit that wont cost too much if it doesnt work?

And last but not least, is there an illustrated guide to unclogging the printhead that is similar to the excellent durchstich guide ?

Obviously, I am just beginning to investigate all this. Thanks for any additional help (besides threads that are already available.)

Or do you think its just not worth the effort to try to fix this situation?

 

[ghwellsjr]

The first step in dealing with a Canon printer that won't print is to make sure the purge unit is working. The easiest way to do this is to put some Windex (or other window cleaner or just plain water if you can't get window cleaner) on the two pads off to the right where the print head parks. Make sure the liquid stays there for a minute, then close the cover and wait until the activity stops, and finally open the printer cover again and see if the liquid has now been sucked away. Please do this and report what happens.

 

[RFarmer]

Thank you, ghwells, for your response. I did in fact find two small ink pads on the right hand side, almost completely obscured by the plastic housing of the printer. I managed to use two pieces of plastic tubing to get some Windex on the pads. It was difficult to tell how much actually got on the pads. Plus, the first time I did it I apparently took too long because the printer heads tried to return to the right hand side of the printer while I was still working on it. Nevertheless, I did it two more times so I think I got some Windex on the pads. After opening and closing the printer, and waiting for it to finish its internal processing, a U163 message came on the screen saying that "Following ink has run out; replace the ink tanks" and three of the tanks were flashing red: the PGBK, M, and C tanks so the printer seems to clearly believe that these tanks are out of ink.

If necessary, I will try to do this again tomorrow, as it was difficult to tell if the liquid actually stayed there or not, since I couldn't see very well. I will get a stronger light tomorrow if you think I should do it again. Thanks again for your response, and I appreciate any further instructions.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Yes, it is important to know the result of the test before you attempt any other fix. However, I don't use any printers that have cartriges with chips in them so I don't know if your printer is behaving differently than mine would with cartridges (tanks) that the printer thinks are empty. But if you see the the liquid is sucked away, then we know your purge system is working.

Also, are the three tanks that the printer claims are empty really empty?

 

[embguy]

agree that it is difficult to get at the purge pads in the Canon AIO printer. I use a small flash light so that it can get in the tight space without blocking the view while I use a syringe to deliver the Windex to the purge pads.

Since the black printhead still worked, my wife took the printer back to work and used it until the black ink ran out

I hope that your wife configured the MP610 to print gray-scale instead of color. Otherwise, the color nozzles may be overheated due to no ink.

Meaning of the PGI-5 and CLI-8 ink cartridge light:
solid red - cartridge with ink
flashing red - almost out of ink - if you ignore it, it will give you the error eventually. You need to replace the cartridge or disable the ink level monitor before it let you print.
no light at all - ink level monitor for that cartridge was disabled

You need to refill your cartridges or buy new ones after confirming the purge system is working. You need ink to do the nozzle check and cleaning.

 

[RFarmer]

Thanks to both ghwellsjr and embguy for your continued advice. I didnt know what a purge system was and I found the explanation below in one of your other posts. I repeat it here for the benefit of anyone else reading this:

The purge system is used to suck ink out of the cartridges through the nozzles. If the purge system is not working, air may be trapped inside the nozzles to prevent ink going through the nozzles. The purge system is on the right hand side of your printer. The printer parks the print head over it. On top of the purge system, there are two pads - one for the colors and one for the black. Flood these two purge pads with Windex or water. Close the cover and wait until the noise stops. Open the cover again. Is the Windex or water still on the pads? Your purge system is not working if liquid did not go away.

Also, I found a syringe at the local Ace Hardware Veterinary Supply section. I bought a 35 CC disposable syringe and five 16 gauge 1.5 inch disposable needles for a total of $1.28, so the price was right !!

Using a stronger flashlight and my new syringe, I repeated the application of Windex and water to the two pads on the right side of the printer. The pads were visibly flooded and full of liquid before I closed the cover. Sure enough, after closing the cover, waiting for a few seconds for the printer to do its processing and then opening the cover again, the liquid was gone from the two pads. I did this twice to make sure of what I was seeing. So I think it is clear that the purge system is working on this printer.

I also checked the ink tanks. Sure enough the PG-5BK (Black), CLI-8M (Magenta), and CLI-8C (Cyan) ink tanks were in fact empty and the printer reported them empty with the flashing red light. In addition, the CLI-BK8 (Black) and CLI-8Y (Yellow) tanks were in fact NOT empty, and the printer reported them correctly since the lights were solid red.

Also, I am quite sure that my wife did NOT print gray-scale since she would not know what that was.

Finally, if my next step is to get a refill kit, do you have any recommendations on which one to get and which supplier to use ? At least one of these suppliers has a lot of negative comments. The following suppliers are listed in the FAQ section at: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=316
I could of course look through all of them but if you would like to make a recommendation, that would be even better. Heres the list of suppliers :

Alotofthings -
HobbiColors -
Image Specialists -
Inkgrabber -
Inktec -
MIS -
Sensient Formulabs -
Wiredbeans - (AcuJet)

Thanks again for your responses.

 

[pebe]

I've used Hobbicolors for about 3years now. First for an IP4000 and now with my MP600.
Obsolutely first class product and service. I Use the printer about once a day, on average, and I have never needed to do a head clean on the MP600. Nozzle check is always OK.

 

[fotofreek]

Some of the suppliers you listed sell bulk ink for refilling and some sell prefilled aftermarket cartridges. By refilling original Canon carts you can control the ink quality by purchasing from known quality vendors, and the Canon carts are far better than the aftermarket carts.

From what I've read, alotofthings no longer is in business. They used to sell Sensient Formulabs inks, but I don't know where formulabs inks are now available. We do have participants who use that ink and they may be able to tell you where they are now available. hobbicolors has an excellent reputation and is priced well. I use Image Specialist (IS) inks that I purchase from Precision Colors at the following site: http://home.eol.ca/~mikling/ . MIS is reputed to sell IS inks as well. I used to buy IS inks from MIS, but Precision Colors is less expensive, does positively identify his inks as IS, and is an active participant in this Forum. We also have some participants who like Inktek inks.

As far as aftermarket prefilled carts are concerned, cart manufacturers have been known to change ink manufacturers, so you don't have control over the quality or color response of inks like you do when buying a known brand of ink. In addition, many of the carts don't perform as well as the Canon carts that you refill. Wiredbeans was a prefilled cartridge that some of us checked out years ago. I don't know if they still exist. Acujet does sell prefilled carts and some ink refill kits as well, but I don't see wiredbeans carts listed on their web site. Inkgrabber sells compatable carts filled with an unknown manufacturer's inks.

For cost and quality considerations I would refill and stay with IS or Hobbicolors inks, and some would also recommend Inktek. Sensient Formulabs is a good choice also if it is still easily available. STAY AWAY from generic ink refill kits you might find at a retail store.

 

[RFarmer]

I am quite surprised that it is so confusing to find a supplier of inkjet refill inks. I began with the list in FAQ section at: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=316

Here is the result of my research so far:

Image Specialists - http://www.image-specialists.com/
This website, amazingly, appears to offer free samples. I requested samples of refill ink for the Canon MP610 and received an email saying that the ink will be sent in a few days. If I actually receive these sample inks, I will be more than astounded.

Alotofthings - this website/company apparently has gone out of business or no longer exists.

HobbiColors - http://www.hobbicolors.com/
Their website does not offer Canon MP610 inks, but I received an email from the company saying that they sell refill kits on ebay for about $24.

Inkgrabber - http://www.inkgrabber.com/models/CANON_PIXMA_MP610.html
Inkjet cartridges only - apparently no bulk refill ink
Excellent printer model chart - Cartridges $7 each; 6 pack of all colors for $40

Inktec - Inks sold at: http://www.inkjetcartridge.com/bki9080bundle.html
$2.95 for single bottle - but I couldnt find the bottle weight

MIS - http://www.inksupply.com/prodbyprinter.cfm?printerID=949
$7.50 for 2 oz bottle

Sensient Formulabs - http://www.sensient-tech.com/solutions/inks_inkjet.htm
appears to be a manufacturer, not a seller to endusers. I dont know where you can buy these inks.
However, the following message is contained in: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3705
My name is Rick Wallin. I am the Inkjet Sales rep for Sensient Imaging Technologies. I have been contacted by a number of people who used to buy their ink from A Whole Lot of Things. I have a couple of solutions if you are interested. Line Cards and Samples are available along with tech support to help you with any problems that may arise. Please feel free to contact me at 800-642-2345 ext. 1617 or 760-930-1617 direct line or email me at rick.wallin@sensient-tech.com

Wiredbeans - (AcuJet) I could not find a website for this supplier.

So I guess I will wait for the samples from Image Specialists to see if they work. I would welcome any further recommendations or suggestions as well as further instructions on how to proceed if I DO receive the ink samples.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I am quite surprised that it is so confusing to find a supplier of inkjet refill inks. I began with the list in FAQ section at: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=316

The FAQs really need to be brought up to date. It would make life so much easier for all of us.

Here is the result of my research so far:

Image Specialists - http://www.image-specialists.com/
This website, amazingly, appears to offer free samples. I requested samples of refill ink for the Canon MP610 and received an email saying that the ink will be sent in a few days. If I actually receive these sample inks, I will be more than astounded.

You won't be astounded. I did the same thing and the same thing happened and then I got another email stating, "Since we do not sell to end users you need to contact our distributor www.inksupply.com." At this point I asked them about Precision Colors and got back another email stating, "Yes Precision Colors is also a distributor of ours." I don't know why they didn't point that out in the previous email.

Alotofthings - this website/company apparently has gone out of business or no longer exists.

HobbiColors - http://www.hobbicolors.com/
Their website does not offer Canon MP610 inks, but I received an email from the company saying that they sell refill kits on ebay for about $24.

Inkgrabber - http://www.inkgrabber.com/models/CANON_PIXMA_MP610.html
Inkjet cartridges only - apparently no bulk refill ink
Excellent printer model chart - Cartridges $7 each; 6 pack of all colors for $40

All correct.

Inktec - Inks sold at: http://www.inkjetcartridge.com/bki9080bundle.html
$2.95 for single bottle - but I couldnt find the bottle weight

The small bottles contain 20 ml of ink, enough for about two refills for the dye inks. This the ink I recommend bacause it had the best result in a fade test done a long time ago. The bottles are actually fat syringes on which you can attach a needle and use immediately with no pouring or sucking up of ink from a bottle to a regular syringe. If you leave the needle on the bottle, you only have to wipe the needle and put a cap on it. I made a video showing the whole process. The needles you already bought will not work because they are not two inches long. I use the ones that came with my refill kit from Computer Friends (scroll to bottom of page).

MIS - http://www.inksupply.com/prodbyprinter.cfm?printerID=949
$7.50 for 2 oz bottle

This is one of the two distributors for image-specialists inks as pointed out above.

Sensient Formulabs - http://www.sensient-tech.com/solutions/inks_inkjet.htm
appears to be a manufacturer, not a seller to endusers. I dont know where you can buy these inks.
However, the following message is contained in: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3705
My name is Rick Wallin. I am the Inkjet Sales rep for Sensient Imaging Technologies. I have been contacted by a number of people who used to buy their ink from A Whole Lot of Things. I have a couple of solutions if you are interested. Line Cards and Samples are available along with tech support to help you with any problems that may arise. Please feel free to contact me at 800-642-2345 ext. 1617 or 760-930-1617 direct line or email me at rick.wallin@sensient-tech.com

Wiredbeans - (AcuJet) I could not find a website for this supplier.

Correct, but it still sounds like the Formulabs ink will not be available.

So I guess I will wait for the samples from Image Specialists to see if they work. I would welcome any further recommendations or suggestions as well as further instructions on how to proceed if I DO receive the ink samples.

Since you are not going to get the samples I think you need to take stock of where you are:

In your first post, you stated that the magenta ink had clogged. You did not indicate that at that time it was out of ink--you imply that it ran out of magenta later after your wife used up your pigment black ink. Is this correct?

If so, then based on your further statements, you believe that the magenta ink nozzles are still clogged and the pigment black and cyan are merely out of ink, correct?

So you may have three things you need to learn about:
1. How to refill your cartridges.
2. How to reset your cartridges.
3. How to unclog your magenta nozzles.

Personally, I think this is a bit much for a novice to try to master all at the same time. I would strongly recommend that you purchase three new OEM Canon cartridges to eliminate the first two things in the above list and go immediately to item 3. I know this will probably cost you over $50 and so you probably will be reluctant to go this route but I see you still trying to resolve this problem two weeks from now and wishing you had gone this route.

In the best world, if you replace the three empty cartridges, your printer may start working correctly. However there is probably a much greater chance that you get no printout on magenta. Then there are three possiblities:
1. The magenta is defective and no amount of work can correct it.
2. The magenta is not defective but merely clogged but after some amount of work, you end up damaging it.
3. The magenta is not defective and you are able to clear up the clog.

I'm doing this exercise for you so that you can assess your situation and help you make a good decision about your next step.