Problems with CYAN, Ink starvation??? -ip4300

[narmenia]

Can any one help me? This is my first time posting on this forum but i've been reading around here when i WAS still using EPSON printers. Now im using only CANONS printers.

INFORMATION
Printer: ip4300
C.I.S.: Multicolors C.I.S. (LOCAL - PHILIPPINEShttp://www.continuousink.com.ph/) (sponged) (working perfectly until now)
Printer age: around 7 months
Usage: Text - Heavy
Colored - Moderate
Photo - Light

Problem (NOW)
After a cleaning cycle, nozzle checks are OK.
but printing large pictures/text with cyan has problems
example

(printing whole cyan page)
doing a nozzle check after having problems shows CYAN with clogged nozzles
after a new cleaning cycle, nozzle check are OK again
NOTE:
1. ALL colores Except CYAN are OK.
2. I have bought a new replacement sponge cartridge and replaced the OLD cyan cartridge - still the same problem
3. I switched back to the original CYAN cartridge - still the same problem

NEED HELP
Thanks in Advanced

UPDATE:
1. Problem is worsening - Before i can print a whole cyan page and the problem only shows at the last part of the page. Now the problems starts right away.

2. This is what the Nozzle Check looks like after a good cleaning cycle.

(NOTE:Both light CYAN and light MAGENTAs 2 "vertical bars" should be gray and not brownish in color. Correct?)

3. Purging

 

[tyamada]

Have you tried a new OEM cartridge without the CIS installed? If it still does the same thing contact Canon tech support and get a new head, the printer head is warranted for a year after purchase. Don't mention you have a CIS installed.

 

[narmenia]

i have tried an ORIGINAL CYAN cart (barely used) from another printer - same problem

 

[canonfodder]

Narmenia,

You may be having an issue with the seal that fits around the printhead ink input tube and seals the cartridge ink output port to the printhead.

Did the CIS come with any replacement seals? If so, be aware that they don't always help. Some have proved too stiff or the wrong thickness.

I have looked carefully at the supplier's website and at the photos of the ink tanks. I cannot tell exactly where the ink tubes connect to the external tanks. Does it look like the tubes enter the lower tank sections that are in front of the tall tanks? I think they do. If you can see just where they enter, please tell me or take a photo.

What is the elevation of the ink in the lower tanks in front of the tall tanks? I mean the distance from the table top to the top of the ink in those lower tanks.

A simple thing to try is to raise the ink tanks by 3/4 or 1 inch. Just put them up on top of a book or something that is fairly solid. Don't have them unstable and likely to topple over. When you try that, run the neilslade purge pattern or the full page cyan print to force a fair amount of ink usage and see if any clearing occurs.

One last thing. You said that you tried putting a regular cyan cartridge back in, but still had the problem. Did you run a purge page when you tried that? One normal cleaning cycle might not be enough to get back to normal. When a problem such as yours occurs, it can take as much as half a full color purge page to clear up, so you have to give it a good try in those cases before you can really determine if a change occurred.

 

[narmenia]

You may be having an issue with the seal that fits around the printhead ink input tube and seals the cartridge ink output port to the printhead.

Did the CIS come with any replacement seals? If so, be aware that they don't always help. Some have proved too stiff or the wrong thickness.

no. they only come with an added seal (soft - maybe silicon). the added seal is placed directly to rubber seal that comes with the cartridge.
i have 2 more printers with the same CIS but don't have problems.

I have looked carefully at the supplier's website and at the photos of the ink tanks. I cannot tell exactly where the ink tubes connect to the external tanks. Does it look like the tubes enter the lower tank sections that are in front of the tall tanks? I think they do. If you can see just where they enter, please tell me or take a photo.

the tubes connects at the bottom right below the taller tank. the short and tall portion of the tanks are connected. ink is poured on the shorter tank and will be tilted to transfer to the taller tank. the shorter tank also serves as the air vent/filter.
BTW i consider them (the local CIS supplier) the BEST (locally of course) among the rest.
They also supply inks from germany (from BAYER and/or BASF)

What is the elevation of the ink in the lower tanks in front of the tall tanks? I mean the distance from the table top to the top of the ink in those lower tanks.

i don't understand. sorry
i'll try to find a working digicam coz both my canon cameras are dead (law of use and DISUSE).

A simple thing to try is to raise the ink tanks by 3/4 or 1 inch. Just put them up on top of a book or something that is fairly solid. Don't have them unstable and likely to topple over. When you try that, run the neilslade purge pattern or the full page cyan print to force a fair amount of ink usage and see if any clearing occurs.

will try

One last thing. You said that you tried putting a regular cyan cartridge back in, but still had the problem. Did you run a purge page when you tried that? One normal cleaning cycle might not be enough to get back to normal. When a problem such as yours occurs, it can take as much as half a full color purge page to clear up, so you have to give it a good try in those cases before you can really determine if a change occurred.

YEP. YEP. i tried around 10 normal and 5 deep cleanings - same problem.
i'm afraid of printing a whole page with ink problems. it may burn the printhead.

********************************************************************************************
i have tried using ALCOHOL (but i only managed to use ETHYL alcohol - due to availability) in fixing the problem
soaking the printhead and dripping some on the metal intake filters.
NO improvement

*the best way i can think of is to ask for a WARRANTY from canon. and have them replace my printhead.
my main concern now is - if they will ask to send the whole unit and discover that i have disabled the ink monitoring rendering my warranty void.

HELP

 

[canonfodder]

Some have said that if you have OEM cartridges to put in the printer, doing that will restore the ink monitor and may make the printer appear to be in proper condition for warrantee work. This may not be true. I don't really know.

When I asked, "What is the elevation of the ink in the lower tanks in front of the tall tanks? I mean the distance from the table top to the top of the ink in those lower tanks." I was talking about just how high the ink is in the shorter, front tanks. In other words, if you put a ruler standing on the table and held it near one of the short tanks, how high would the ink in the tank appear to reach. Like 1/2 inch or 1 inch or just how high? Click on the picture.




I am assuming that the ink in all the short tanks would be at very near the same height above the table, unless some were over-filled. If the cyan is higher than others, tell me so.

I have asked your CIS supplier to send me more info and the instructions, but I don't expect to hear from them until after Monday.

 

[jru]

narmenia,

If this is useful, here is what my nozzle check looks like on my ip4300 today:

 

[leo8088]

Your Cyan appears to have a clog in the print head. I suspect that your CISS at one time was not feeding sufficient amount of ink to the print head. It eventually developed a clog. Starving from ink is a known cause of print head clogging. You may be able to unclog it but it is very likely the print head is alreay toast. You may need a new print head soon even you can unclog it now. The problem of CISS for Canon is that ink feeding problems can result in print head damage. No matter how robust a CISS is there is always a potential threat there. Unfortunately most CISS made in China are produced in large volume and lack quality control. Most of them are not robust enough to be worth taking the risk in using them.

 

[websnail]

The other thing to try is this:
- put the ink reservoirs at table height and then raise the printer by an inch...
- Run a purge pattern (solid colour) through the system at high quality on all colours
- try printing a purge patter at normal quality
- if that doesn't work try repeating with an additional half an inch increase in height (for the printer)

You may have an overpressure issue which looks like an ink starvation one...

That said, I'm seeing the exact same situation with yellow on a printer that has been working just fine too so I'm thinking it's an air pressure/temperature related variable as the only thing that's changed is the weather.

 

[canonfodder]

Websnail,

Look at my reply, #6 12/01/2007 3:59:03 pm with the picture of the unique ink tanks. Narminea has not answered my question about the ink height in the short bottle, but I think I know how the system is supposed to be working, and I think (don't really know) that the effective ink level is that seen in the short bottles. Scaled from the photo, the ink level looks to be only 1 inch above the table. IF my assumptions are true, the ink is not too high, rather it could be too low and forcing air-leak-at-the-seal problems. Narminea did say his CIS came with soft silicone seals to add to the original seals.

Of course all my assumptions about how this CIS operates could be totally wrong. I just hope Narmenia tries my elevation suggestion and your elevation suggestion. I am troubled by his report that an OEM cyan cartridge did not bring the printer back to proper function. Perhaps that means the suggestions of bad print head are really true.