My trusty ip4000 still lives on!

[Music Image]

Hey guys! Its a loooong time since Ive been here. Just been perusing the boards last couple of days because I wanted to look up stuff on cleaning printheads. This was always a neat place to come and it looks like that hasn't changed. What a great resource

A week or two ago my printer started giving bad nozzle tests with the Magenta not coming through. I did a cleaning cycle then it was OK. I had also just not long changed the Magenta. Then a couple of days ago I tried to do another printout of a photo but did a nozzle test 1st and Magenta was acting up again. This time I did a couple of cleans; a couple of deep cleans; and about 12 nozzle tests. Nothing fixed the magenta.

I came to the conclusion the printhead was probably blocked or fried from all the testing. Of course I know all this is because I simply DONT use my printer enough. BUT, the rub is what we all know.... USe it or lose it. For me then, the pain of doing little printouts (nozzle checks) once a week FAR outweighs not having a printer at all. When I do want to use it, if it aint working, then its a royal pain up the butt. PERIOD!

The person I get my ink off, told me to check the cart and the little breather hole up the top and that I had indeed pulled the tape off. I assured him I always make sure I pull the tape off. SO, I went and checked, and lo and behold a little piece of tape came away from the rest and was still stuck over that hole! Obviously it pays to use glasses when your eyes are anything less than stellar. Once I removed it, and did a nozzle test it was all good. I wonder how many people have had this happen.

Just thought I post that if it helps anyone.

 

[dvdit]

Thanks for sharing. This would help a lot of people faced with similar situations.

 

[Music Image]

Its a pleasure dvdit

BTW, Im using 3rd party ink carts these days so I need to update my profile. I do try and make sure at least ONE Canon Ink is installed so I get the low ink tank warnings.

 

[The Hat]

Music Image

If you used OEM cartridges then tape on these always comes off in one piece (No residue left),
but thank you for reminding us that this can happen when using aftermarket cartridges.

Question: - this bit intrigued me, so can you explain what you meant by ?

" I do try and make sure at least ONE Canon Ink is installed so I get the low ink tank warnings "

 

[dvdit]

Music Image


Question: - this bit intrigued me, so can you explain what you meant by ?

" I do try and make sure at least ONE Canon Ink is installed so I get the low ink tank warnings "

Humm...That makes two of us.

 

[PeterBJ]

Music Image wrote:

...I do try and make sure at least ONE Canon Ink is installed so I get the low ink tank warnings.

Neither do I understand this, but I think I have an explanation: This does not apply to the Pixma 4000, which uses unchipped cartridges, but may apply to subsequent printers which use chipped cartridges.

When the Pixma 4200 and other printers using the chipped PGI-5/CLI-8 cartridges were introduced, no resetters were available, but you could disable ink level monitoring, so you could continue printing with refilled cartridges or with 3rd party cartridges with the OEM chips attached. You had to visually monitor ink levels yourself, not to risk burning out the print head. The resetter changed the situation when it became available. A resat and refilled cartridge is seen by the printer as a new cartridge.

I remember reports on the forum, that the printer would stop working when the ink level monitoring was disabled for all cartridges. Installing one new OEM cartridge and thus restoring ink level monitoring for that colour would bring the printer back to life.

The Pixma 4000 relies on the prisms at the bottoms of the cartridges to monitor ink levels. A prism that is covered with ink does not reflect light, but a prism that is not covered in ink does. A sensor checks the prisms, and a reflecting prism triggers the low ink warning for that cartridge. See this post for a picture showing the function of the prism: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=59729#p59729

So if the printer works with four 3rd party cartridges, it should also work with five. But I would recommend refilling OEM cartridges with a good quality brand name ink.

 

[Music Image]

Hey guys, sorry for the delay...Im from NZ so my time zone will probably be way out of whack to most of you. Thankyou for your comments.

WOW thankyou Peter for your post. A quick glance at your link will have me needing to go back and take a closer look when I can.

In the meantime, I'm certainly not a techo in all this so I may have had this wrong in that all 5 carts can be 3rd party and still give a low warning. I'm not game to try though unless someone else with an ip4000 can verify they still get the low ink warning with 5x3rd party carts. Also, Ive always tended to have Canons own big Cart of pigment black because I'm dubious about that pigment black not being pigment at all as the case can be with some 3rd party inks. Certainly in my country anyway.

Also it is my understanding the ip4000 was one of the last unchipped printers and I thought this somehow had something to do with it but wasn't clear on the exact details.

I really like my ip4000 and I never cease to be amazed how these things actually work !

Just a quick edit to say...great tip on that little lug/protrusion that can be left when you take the clip off.

 

[PeterBJ]

Compare the undersides of your compatible cartridges to the underside of the Canon OEM cartridges. If the prisms are same size and position, they should work. If they don't, then having one OEM cartridge installed will only give a low ink warning for that cartridge.

If you have only one OEM cartridge installed, I think it is a good idea that it is the pigment black. The Pixma 4000 was a very popular and unchipped printer, as cheap compatible cartridges were available. Some of those cartridges were too cheap and ruined the printer. Most often the pigment black was the culprit, it clogged the printhead, sometimes the printhead would burn out from lack cooling from the ink. Sometimes the burned out printhead ruined the logic board in the printer, making the printer a total loss. Later some 3rd party cartridge manufacturers solved the problem simply by replacing the pigment black with dye black in the large black cartridge. This often worked well, but you lose the sharper and more waterproof print from the pigment ink.

The purpose of trimming the underside of the OEM cartridge and orange clip is to get a good seal when you use rubber bands to reattach the orange clip to the cartridge for topfilling. If you don't get a good seal, the cartridge will leak during refill.

 

[Music Image]

Thankyou Peter for your response.

The 3rd parties must have that prism in them because I always get individual low warnings. The only brand Ive used for years is Q Image. Dont know if you guys would have heard about those, but the person who gets my ink carts for me is local and has been extremely helpful.

I was just recently reading somewhere about the different viscosity between the pigment black and dye black. I had got the feeling it was not good to use the dye black in place of the pigment. From memory I think the size of the nozzles had something to do with it.

I love that I can not only change out individual carts but put 3rd parties in as well without mucking around with chipped carts. Ages ago I got a Service manual online, which were not easy to get at the time for ordinary folks. That sure has some interesting things in it.

Ive got a set of Canons carts in the fridge. I wonder how long they keep for. Ive got rubber bands around the clips and have them in sealed bags.

 

[The Hat]

Thankyou Peter for your response.

The 3rd parties must have that prism in them because I always get individual low warnings. The only brand Ive used for years is Q Image. Dont know if you guys would have heard about those, but the person who gets my ink carts for me is local and has been extremely helpful.

I was just recently reading somewhere about the different viscosity between the pigment black and dye black. I had got the feeling it was not good to use the dye black in place of the pigment. From memory I think the size of the nozzles had something to do with it.

You can put photo black ink into your pigment cartridge as it works extremely well and it wont harm your print head in any way,
but you would have to purge the cartridge if you wish to revert back to using pigment inks again later.

The only reason to do this is, if your print head suffers from regular clogs due to poor quality ink and needs head cleans
before commencing any printing or you think its a hassle having to buy two separate black inks.

Aftermarket cartridges are a great way to save on ink costs but you should never try to refill them again when empty,
only OEM cartridges are recommended for refilling..