Stand alone nozzle check on MP780??

[ehuesman]

I am thinking of purchasing a used MP780 and would like to know if it is possible to do a nozzle check if the printer is not hooked up to a computer? Can it just be powered up and done through the onboard menu? What's the norm for other models? Thanks.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Yes, you can do a nozzle check from the front panel but you really should do an extended nozzle check following these instructions. It will also tell you how full the waste ink tank is which is the best indicator of how much life is left in the printer. The number after the "D=" on the first line is the percentage that the waste ink tank is used.

I highly recommend that you find a used printer on craigslist where you can evalutate it before you commit to buy and also where you can pick it up. If you get one off eBay, it may be damaged in shipping and you never know its condition. If you do decide to get one on eBay, have the seller do the extended nozzle check for you to see, and then require the seller to remove the cartridges and do two deep head cleanings to remove ink from the print head. I believe a fair price for a perfectly working MP780 is $75. A new print head will cost $55 so if it has any clogged nozzles, don't assume that you can get them working, just offer $20 or look elsewhere.

 

[ehuesman]

Thanks, I just inquired on a couple MP780's on Craigslist for $70 and $50 each. I might be checking them out tomorrow. I also inquired on an MP750 for $40. From what I can tell, the only difference between the two models is the MP780 has fax capability.

I read your instructions on the extended nozzle check, just to clarify, the extended check can also be done from the service panel?

All my time on the forum so far hasn't led me to any info on dealing with the waste ink tank. Can you tell me the Cliff's Notes version of what that is? I guess I'm mainly interested in your comment

It will also tell you how full the waste ink tank is which is the best indicator of how much life is left in the printer. The number after the "D=" on the first line is the percentage that the waste ink tank is used.

If the number after the "D" is 100, does that mean there is no life left in the printer? Can't the tank just be emptied/cleaned out? Of course, if I didn't want to go through the problem of cleaning the purge system on the MP620, maybe I wouldn't want to clean/empty the waste ink tank. Or is it an easier process?

Thanks.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Yes, the MP750 is identical to the MP780 without the fax capability.

Yes, you can do the extended nozzle check from the panel on the printer without being connected to a computer. Better take some paper, just in case the seller doesn't have any on hand.

The so-called waste ink tank is not really a tank at all, it is a bunch of absorbent pads lining the entire bottom of the printer going from one side of the printer to the other. Here is a post showing the waste ink absorber pads in the MP780.

If the number after the D is 100, that means the printer won't work any more until the number is reset but you really don't want to do that without also replacing the absorbent pads which only cost $7 from Canon. I don't recommend cleaning them--it is very messy and they don't spring back to their original shape.

It takes me about three hours to replace the waste pads in an MP780 but this is after having done it several times and having good instructions. I don't know what is involved in essentially doing the same work on your MP620 to clean the purge system but without clear instructions, you can damage the printer. That's what happened to me with my first two MP780/760 printers.

 

[l_d_allan]

Yes, you can do the extended nozzle check from the panel on the printer without being connected to a computer.

Great ... but exactly how?

It isn't the same as a stand-alone printer like the iP4500 or 9000-2 with an "Over-ride" button that you push in a specific pattern with the power button. When I push just the Stop/Reset button for the MX850 All-In-One, all I get is a "Three Beep Indicator" that the action is invalid.

PEBKAC?

 

[ghwellsjr]

There's a link in post #2.

 

[l_d_allan]

There's a link in post #2.

Thanks, and sorry I missed it. I did a Search for "extended nozzle check" and got 200+ hits and overlooked the ones that described how-to actually do the extended nozzle check on an All-in-one.

Hmmmm ... I tried this with my MX850, but apparently did something wrong or the procedure has changed. PEBKAC?

Sometimes the 7xx procedure just got me to Scan, and sometimes it did the 3-beep error indicator. I think I tried all places where paper can be loaded, if that matters.

We both know for a fact it can be done with the MX850, but further help appreciated. Perhaps I should start a new thread? Done.

Mea culpa ... I should have been specific that I was interested in the extended nozzle check for the MX850, not the 7xx family.

BTW, at some point you might get around to removing the MX850 from your signature.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Here are the instructions for doing the extended nozzle check for the MX850 (and MX700).

Thanks for reminding me to remove the MX850 from my signature.