[Problem fixed] Please help me diagnost my MP760 (nozzle check)

[chilicoke]

I have a MP760 that I've purchased new many years ago that gets regularly used, mostly for B/W printing (homework, shipping labels, etc).

A week ago it started to show white lines across my prints. Nozzle check shows consistent missing columns, multiple cleaning and deep cleaning don't seem to help at all.

I assumed it just needs a new print head. While browsing around for prices I randomly stumbled onto this forum and was surprised (and a little bit overwhelmed) by the amount of information.
After a little bit of reading I realized the missing columns might be caused by an electrical problem, but because I am a complete novice when it comes to trouble shoot printers I would really appreciate it if I could get some feedback.

Please ignore the color pattern as I believe some color tanks are empty (again, almost exclusively used as a B/W printer)

Also, is there a sticky guide/tutorial somewhere that shows the basic steps of cleaning/maintance/to-do, not-to-do/de-clogging guide for newbies?

Thank you guys very much.

 

[ghwellsjr]

You're not a novice anymore. You have correctly analyzed your print head problem. Great work! You can step to the head of the class.

And you are right, we should have some stickies here that summarize some of the best solutions to the more common problems. Some of these are already summarized on the FAQ's link at the top of this page but there is much room for improvement. Maybe you could suggest some threads that you think are particularly helpful and we can see about getting them added.

 

[chilicoke]

Thanks for your respond ghwellsjr. I really like this printer and it has served me well, would like to take a gamble and order a new print head in the following days. Before then, just a few quick questions:

The printer head had clogged many months before which I was able to bring back to life with warm distilled water, then one day out of nowhere this (gray/white lines) happened.

1. What are the chances that the electrical problem is within the printer head instead of the printer itself?
2. Should I remove the questionable printer head ASAP?
3. What would be the likely cause of such problem? (what should I avoid doing with a new print head?)
4. Is it safe to print only B/W if the color ink tanks are empty with greyscale printing enabled? Is it safe to print without color tanks?
5. What is the life expectancy of a print head if properly cared for?

Thanks once again.

 

[ghwellsjr]

1) Usually, electrical problems that are in the printer result in nothing printing. In your case, I would buy a new print head. There is an excellent chance it will solve your problem.

2) Usually, it won't matter when you remove the print head but I had one case where there was an electrical problem in one of the colors of an MP780 and continued to use the printer, then one day the printer turned itself off and would never turn back on again. I don't think the two problems were related but it certainly can't hurt to remove the print head right away. If you do, you should clean the ink out of it by removing all the ink tanks, then doing several cycles of a deep cleaning followed by a nozzle check until nothing prints. Save your print head because it can be used to test a suspicious printer that has a problem and you want to see if a new print head will solve the problem without risking buying a new one that ends up not solving the problem.

3) Aside from cleaning the print head outside the printer and not giving it a couple days to dry out before putting it back in the printer, I have no idea why these print heads develop electrical problems. I think it is just old age.

4) As long as you print only on plain paper, no duplex, no borderless, the color ink will not be used if you specify greyscale. But you don't really want a totally empty color ink tank and you don't want to remove the color tanks because the print head can develop a clog from dried ink. At least once a week, you should do a nozzle check and don't use the printer if any nozzles show clogs. If you are not going to refill a cartridge and you just don't have time to buy a new ink tank, you can turn the empty tanks over and dribble some Windex or other window cleaner into the outlet port until the sponge is saturated and it will keep a clog from developing. Close the cover with the ink tank out of the printer and this will make the printer think it has a full ink tank. Then when you put the rejuvenated ink tank back in the printer, it will thnk the reservoir has just become empty and it will then keep track of when it thinks the sponge is almost dry.

5) A new print head should last many years, maybe five or more.

 

[chilicoke]

Awesome! Thank you very much for your reply ghwellsjr.

 

[ghwellsjr]

You're very welcome.

 

[chilicoke]

A little update as I'm sure some might find this thread useful.

Ordered a replacement print head directly from Canon (1-800-828-4040) and the customer service was excellent, asked for my printer model and order was placed within minutes. My MP760 replacement print head came out to $48.26 + $6 shipping + sales tax and UPS dropped it off 2 days later.

Popped it into my MP760 and the printer prints like new again. Thanks ghwellsjr again for your assistance and others for all the information available on this forum.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Again, you're very welcome. I'm glad everything is working out OK.

Now I have a suggestion: Do an extended nozzle check. At the top of the page you will see D=XXX.X where the X's are the percentage ink in the waste ink pads. This will give you an idea of how much longer you can use your printer before you will have to change out the waste ink pads. I'd be curious to know.