problem with canon i950, half of yellow columns stopped printing

[philliptiongson]

I have been printing out a flyer, and on my last run, I noticed that there was some banding going on. I did a nozzle check, and if you look at the yellow portion, on the bottom half of the test rectangle, every other column is not printing. It looks something like this:

||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |


I have tried a cleaning, and a deep cleaning (once each), and no change. I have removed the cartridges and the print head, and reseated them into the printer, no change...

Because the printer just 6 sheets ago was not having this problem, I don't think it is a head clogging issue, but maybe I am wrong... Can someone advse me?

The other colors seem to be fine, though each one seems to have at least one clogged nozzle.

thanks,
-phillip tiongson

 

[Nifty]

phillip, welcome to the forum.

What inks are you using? Are they OEM / Canon inks? So, you are saying that these lines are vertical lines not horizontal (horizontal = running in the direction the printhead travels)?

I was always under the impression that horizontal lines was a ink / printhead issue and vertical lines were always an alignment issue. I've since been experiencing some vertical lines no matter what I do to align the cartridges, so I'm wondering if ink issues can contribute to vertical lines.

Post some more info on your inks / cartridges and maybe some of the experts here can help!

 

[philliptiongson]

actually it is the horizontal lines that are missing, I was just trying to be clear with the picture

here is a more accurate pic of the yellow test pattern (vertical lines omitted for clarity)
__________________
|_________________|
|_________________|
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |

Basically, every other column in the bottom half of yellow pattern has stopped printing.

I am using Canon Inks, in the Canon cartridges.


-phillip

 

[brianl]

I just found this message board after trying to find a remedy for a similar problem I've been having with my Canon i850. I've tried regular and deep cleaning sequences, along with shooting compressed air through the head assembly (from the intakes out to the heads), as well as injecting and soaking with windex that contains ammonia. My test prints always come out like this:

I tried injecting Windex into the individual screens and watching the heads to see if it came back out. Looked like all the heads were flowing, but of course it's hard to tell if segments of the head are clogged.

I was about to unscrew the head assembly from the carrier to take a look at the ink channels, but didn't have a jeweler's screwdriver set so I couldn't proceed. Does this look like a typical clog, or is something else the cause?

Brian

 

[bobglen97]

I was about to unscrew the head assembly from the carrier to take a look at the ink channels, but didn't have a jeweler's screwdriver set so I couldn't proceed. Does this look like a typical clog, or is something else the cause?

Brian

Set up a Test print page with just the color that matches the cyan, which looks clogged. Fill an empty cart with cleaning fluid and print a number of pages, replace the cyan cart, print the cyan test page several times , test again, repaet as needed.....if the clog is tough, let the cleaning cart sit overnight.

 

[brianl]

I'll try that - my yellow tank is basically empty now. Is Windex ok? I don't have anything else handy at the moment.

Oops, forgot to include that I use Canon ink (BCI-3e) exclusively in case that matters.

Brian

 

[fotofreek]

Be sure the windex is either the original or the one with "ammonia D". They also make one that they call dripless. Original is supposed to be the best. You can add a little isopropyl alcohol to it as well.

 

[Endmukbud]

One suggestion !
don't push an air through the inlet part, instead do it at the inkjet ports ( head ), cause according to each inkjet schematic that from up to the bottom ( ink catridge to the ink head ) the diameter of the pipe seems getting smaller.. so if you had some large clog particle at the top then you push them to the bottom it will make the particle getting deeper.....and block the port...try to drop some isopropyl on the head with catridge upside down position....and instead push....you better suck it....and the better one...according to me....put your head catridge on a bowl of ink solvent ( whatever, you could use alcohol...windex..ammonia....etc..) with height about 1 cm ( just to cover the jet ) and put a syringe ( which the head already changed with a hose which the diameter is fit to plug into your ink inlet )....then suck it out....
It's work to me.....another problems is when the sponge on your catridge is " dead ". that the part of the dead sponge will block the ink to flow to your ink inlet.....so i can say that the ink catridge not sufficient enough to feed the Ink jet head.....
in that case i would buy another catridge..........
Did somebody succeed to bring " them " back alive ????

 

[brianl]

Well, so far no luck with the cartridge filled with Windex (with Ammonia D). I even left it sitting in the printer for three days and tried the
four color test prints again. Here is how they look:

I haven't tried blowing from the outlets to the inlet yet, will do that soon. Bought a set of jewelers screwdrivers in case...

Brian

 

[Nifty]

Brian,

Things aren't looking too good. Keep at it and don't give up. Remember to keep the "taking it apart" as your last option. I'd continue to do more soakings with very warm alcohol and try Grandad's idea of using a syringe and part of a drinking straw to force the mixture through the nozzles. I'd first try in the direction the ink flows, and if that doesn't work maybe in the opposite direction? In my opinion, the key is using very warm alcohol and getting it into the tight recesses of the nozzles.'

Speaking of this, it seems that people keep talking about "permanently plugged" nozzles. In other printers you can kill nozzles with head by letting them run dry since many printheads use ink as a cooling agent. For example, let's say you had a clog in a nozzle and the cyan wasn't getting ink while you kept printing. Things really heated up and fried the nozzles. Even after you've completely removed the clog with all the nifty procedures on this site, it may be that there is permanent nozzle damage.