Ink problem - Canon IP 4000

Lou wrote:

"MaryT" wrote in message ...



"Stuart" wrote in message ...



In article , MaryT wrote:



to water is and if the water has to be hot. I've never done this before, but I have some ammonia, so I will mix maybe 1 tablespoon of ammonia with 4 tablespoon of hot water and put it on the print head holes and see if that helps..



Ouch! Just the thought of it makes my eyes water. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation or a respirator.



Maybe that amount of ammonia is too strong? Someone else said 4:1 with ammonia being the 1 Mary



I never follow directions carefully and I'm sure I'll be told that this is not the way to do it, but I take a shallow bowl and a small amount of tap water (I know you're supposed to use distilled) and heat it in the microwave. Then fold a small amount of paper towel and sit the printhead on that inside the bowl. I then use an eyedropper to drip hot water through those holes that the ink feeds through on top of the cartridge sometimes placing it on a dry paper towel so that I can tell if ink is still coming out of the printer. I blot the printhead on the hot towel then the dry towel a few times. I then repeat the process with fresh hot water until all the jets are clean. Then, as I am not a patient person I get the hair dryer out and dry the printhead thoroughly and put it back in the printer right away. If it didn't work quite right, then try it again. I do a test pattern right away after putting it back in the printer and sometimes run a cleaning cycle in the printer to get it started flowing right again. I've only had to replace a printhead in each of two printers once over several years of using aftermarket ink.


If you used mfg ink you would not have had to spend that money that represents over 50% the price of a new printer plus you could have enjoyed the benefits of higher quality.


The first was because of a bad paper jam that must have left a small fragment in the printhead. I never could get it to work right after that, and the 2nd was because my son let his/my printer set for long periods of time without use. Both of those were more user error than anything else.


I have let my printer set for 3 to 4 weeks and have had no problem.


I know this is not the recommended method but I have done it several times with various Canon printers and it seems to work well. I wouldn't be anxious to replace the printer yet because if memory is correct it is one that you can easily use aftermarket ink in. I'd buy a new printhead first even if it cost as much or more than a new printer.

Poor decision to spend all that money and get 3 generations old technology.  And when you do not print much the decision is even more foolish.


Of course if you only use OEM ink that might not be an option for you that you would want to do.

I am not sure if you mean holes in the cartridge or holes in the
printhead.
I don't see any holes on the top of the cartridge. One is on the back of
cartridge and one on opposite side (front of the cartridge before you put
it
into the printhead. When I take the printhead out and look at it, I will
know more what you mean. I've only put new carts in and taken out and
thats
about it.


I'm sorry because sometimes my mind and my fingers and mouth don't work in
perfect sync. I know what I mean but don't make it clear, so sorry for any
confusion. I also don't know the technical names for some of the things I
am trying to say.

I did mean that the printhead has little screen filtered holes in the top of
it where each of the ink cartridges set. There is one filtered hole that is
bigger than the rest and that is the one the pigment black cartridge sets
on. The smaller ones are where the colored cartridges set. I just use an
eyedropper and put hot water on top of these and let it drain down through
the printhead. You can tell when the ink is out because it doesn't leave a
stain on the paper towel anymore. It's really quite easy. Sorry if I made
it sound hard.

I like the hot water because I'm kind of afraid of using chemicals that
would corrode something inside the printhead or harm the contact points. It
may be that there is nothing to be harmed inside the printhead but I've
never taken one apart to see how it's made. Caution is good. I've really
had minimal clogging issues anyway, so I've only removed the printhead a few
times over several years use.

I don't like using repeated cleaning cycles via the printer because from
what I've read it can burn the printhead up if some of the nozzles are
clogged. I had a piece of paper feed wrong this morning because I had too
much paper in the paper tray of the printer which is my fault. It crinkled
the edge of the paper and when I ran a nozzle check later a couple of my
pigment black nozzles appeared to be plugged, so I ran a cleaning cycle (via
the printer) on the black pigment alone and it fixed the problem. Sometimes
I don't think all clogged nozzles are due to dried ink. If you don't get a
cartridge seated right or something like that then the ink doesn't feed into
the printhead. There are other things besides generic ink that cause
problems. I love generic ink! I've had really good luck with it although I
generally refill my cartridges. I don't know anything about Staples ink.

I use Staples compatible carts, so shouldn't matter if I was to buy a new
printhead. But would have to be sure that would solve the problem.

Thanks for your suggestions Lou. I think I will try Burt's suggestions for
now. Yours sounds like a bit more things to do
though seems to work for you. I don't know enough about the problem I have
or what exactly the cause is. I have used Staples brand ink for last
1.5 -2
years I've had the printer. (I'll have to look at my receipt to see when I
bought it) but its over a year anyway. Staples ink has worked fine before,
so far at least and I used is also in my Canon IP1500.

Mary


Bingo!! You need to toss them out and get some Canon tanks. The Staples
inks are serious crap. They may be clogged inside the tank itself, or have
clogged the head. I'm a user and believer in compatible inks, but not
Staples. You should start by replacing all these tanks, and hope the head is
salvageable.

I just placed the cartridge in the printhead the same as I always do.
There
is a yellow sticker on top of the ink tank, but its always there. it just
says the name of the printer the cart is for and the color of the ink. It
doesn't cover an air hole. Its meant to be left as it is. Its stuck on
there. There is a small hole at the bottom of the side with the label. I
don't know what its for. Its on all cars. Its at the opposite site from a
bigger hole at the back of the carts which is where the ink comes out.

May be a good idea to run a deep cleaning cycle with new cartridges,
bubble jet print heads should never be ran without a ink supply as it
acts as a coolant... a bit like boiling the kettle but here we are
boiling ink.

I already did a cleaning cycle several times. The cartridges are not new.
I've had all of them for a few months and till this week, they all had ink
in them and worked fine. When carts are getting empty, usually a warning
comes up, but I didn't get any warning with this problem, because the
carts
are not empty. I printed about 20 pages a few days ago , a fews of the
pages
had color pictures and colors were OK. I am going to try Burt's
suggestions
and see if I can get problem solved. Thanks for your input..

Mary

I agree with putting new cartridges in and trying them. I've had a couple
of new cartridges over the years that wouldn't feed ink through them right.
I threw them away and installed new ones and everything worked right. I buy
non OEM, use the ink in them and then refill the cartridge myself. If they
have been in the printer several months you could buy a complete new set of
cartridges for around $10. If that didn't fix the problem, save the caps
from the new cartridges and put the caps back on the cartridges. Depending
on what kind of caps they are you might have to fasten them to the cartridge
with a rubberband. I would also put scotch tape over the top of the
cartridges to cover the vent hole and then store them in ziplock bags. You
wouldn't be out any money because you could always use those cartridges
later when you get your problem fixed.

Also, I've never had a cartridge that didn't have to have a small piece of
seal/tape (whatever you want to call it) removed at the top end of the
cartridge. The cartridge has instructions on it. Mine says, "Please remove
the packing tape." It has an arrow on the tape and says, "Pull." That
removes tape on the top end of the cartridge and uncovers a small vent hole.
It has to have the hole uncovered for the ink to flow through the cartridge
right.

I haven't looked lately but I think you can buy a new Canon printhead for
around $40 off of EBAY. Just do a search for it if you can't get your
printhead to print right.

"CJK" wrote in message
et...

"MaryT" wrote in message
...
"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
MaryT wrote:

"DanG" wrote in message
. ..

"Mary" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have a Canon IP4000 for the last 1.5 - 2 years. Its worked
perfectly
till now.When I print a color picture, magenta doesn't show up.
Black
cart.
shows some black on some part of the picture but not enough black
on
other
parts where there should be. Green and yellow are OK. I checked
magenta
cart. and sponge part at the side seems to be dry, but there is
lots
of
ink
in the cart. Black cart ink is ok too. I did cleaning and deep
cleaning
a
few times, but on Nozzle check page, red and pink don't show up
and
black
shows is gray.No errors show on screen and Status monitor shows
all
carts
as
having enough ink. How can I correct this problem?

Mary


Replace affected ink tanks with new tanks. If that doesn't solve
it,
remove
the head assembly and clean it with hot water and ammonia. (careful
not to
dirty the electrical contacts on the back side). Do not leave the
head
assembly out to dry, wipe if off and immediately reinsert and
replace
tanks.

The ink tanks all have plenty ink so I don't want to buy new ones. I
will
try the hot water and ammonia, though I am not sure what ratio the
ammonia
to water is and if the water has to be hot. I've never done this
before,
but
I have some ammonia, so I will mix maybe 1 tablespoon of ammonia with
4
tablespoon of hot water and put it on the print head holes and see if
that
helps..

NO NOT continue to use the printer in this condition or you'll
burn
out
the
head. If you can't get it running again, a new head assembly might
be
needed, although it's not a certainty that this will fix it.

Ok, thanks. Its not under warranty so it might be cheaper to buy
another
one
if this one can't be fixed. Its only 1.5 or 2 years old so should
have
lasted longer I would think. I haven't over-used it but I print 2
times
a
week or sometimes more.

Mary

the 4000 is a well liked machine Mary. It seems that some would rather
have it than many of the newer models.

I agree with that. I had a hard time finding the Canon IP 4000 when I
bought
it new, as it was being discontinued and several people had said it was
a
good printer. It prints very nicely. any people liked it. When I have to
print something to give to someone, many times people ask what kind of
printer do you have? I am going to try the ammonia/water solution when I
get
a chance. If that doesn't work, I suspect it could be the printhead,
but
after 1.5-2 years?

Mary


Mary,

If you are in the UK (which from the reference to Staples I assume you
are),
and you
have no joy with the cleaning, let me know and I'll send you a spare
IP4000
head. My IP4000
had an unfortunate encounter with a bowl of paperclips and had to be
replaced. It had little
use so I packed the head away in foil in a plastic box with a damp pad so
it
should not have dried up.

Chris K (cjketle)

Chris, actually I am in Canada. I am following Burt's instructions today and
so far have checked all the carts and now am soaking the printer head in
water and I understand more about the printer head now that I took it out of
the printer.
Your offer is very kind, and I may need to take you up on it yet. I will
have to see if my cleaning will solve the problem.
By the way, Staples is an American company but has many stores in Canada.
I'm in Toronto and a lot of Staples stores near me. So I wasn't sure what
you meant about the UK and Staples. I didn't know that Staples had stores in
the UK.
Of course, I would pay you if I got the print head from you for postage and
whatever else. Thanks.

Mary

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
Mary wrote:


I already did a cleaning cycle several times. The cartridges are not
new.
I've had all of them for a few months and till this week, they all had
ink
in them and worked fine. When carts are getting empty, usually a warning
comes up, but I didn't get any warning with this problem, because the
carts
are not empty. I printed about 20 pages a few days ago , a fews of the
pages
had color pictures and colors were OK. I am going to try Burt's
suggestions
and see if I can get problem solved. Thanks for your input..

Mary

It does actually sound temporary, frustrating but hopefully a little
work will get you back up and running.

I'm working on it.

Mary

"Howard" wrote in message
...

"Mary" wrote in message ...
Hi, I have a Canon IP4000 for the last 1.5 - 2 years. Its worked
perfectly
till now.When I print a color picture, magenta doesn't show up. Black
cart.
shows some black on some part of the picture but not enough black on
other
parts where there should be. Green and yellow are OK. I checked magenta
cart. and sponge part at the side seems to be dry, but there is lots of
ink
in the cart. Black cart ink is ok too. I did cleaning and deep cleaning
a
few times, but on Nozzle check page, red and pink don't show up and
black
shows is gray.No errors show on screen and Status monitor shows all
carts
as
having enough ink. How can I correct this problem?

Mary

What has worked for me on BJC 6000 and pixma 4200. Small bowel that
printhead can balance on its face in. Add about 2 inches of near boiling
water and ammonia (3-4:1). after rinsing printhead nozzles through the
inside sponge under briskly flowing hot water from faucet until existing
ink is rinsed out (maybe 5-10 minutes), set nozzle part of printhead into
ammonia solution (it will well up to where sponges are on the inside of
the
head. Let sit overnight. Rinse well with fresh water. Pat dry with paper
towel, insert promptly into printer with ink cartridges and "deep clean" a
couple of cycles. Check nozzle pattern.

I will keep your suggestions in mind if my present problem doesn't get
solved. I'm working on it today and the print head is soaking in about 1/2
inch hot water.

This worked for me. I did not let electrical contacts sit overnight in the
ammonia but did not work about getting them wet when rinsing the
printhead.
They dry off easily.

I think you meant to say above "did not worry about getting them wet"?
instead of "did not work".

Mary

"Burt" wrote in message
...

Mary - I responded to several of your posts before you bought the ip4000.
The dry outlet sponge is a clue! Have you left the printer idle for a
while? Take that cart out and gently blow into the air vent while holding
the cart over a sink or wastebasket with old papers in it. You should
only
have to blow gently to get it to drip from the outlet. If you have to
blow
on it very hard to make it drip the cart is not feeding properly. As I
recall, you were using aftermarket carts from Staples(?). I don't know
the
quality of these carts, but you can get a bad one. I've even seen posts
about an occasional defective Canon OEM cart. If you have to blow more
than
gently to get the cart to drip you need to replace the cart. You may have
clogged or damaged the printhead while trying to print with a poorly
feeding
cart. As far as the cleaning is concerned, you can start with just
sitting
your printhead in a small container of hot water from the tap with some
toweling paper at the bottom of the container. You don't want to drowned
the printhead - just a quarter inch of water over the paper will do.

snipped)

Burt, but just to let you know, I took out all the carts and blew into each
one gently. (Now I know what the small hole is at the other side of the
cart. where the bigger ink hole is). The small hole is an air hole I found
out. I didn't know what it was for. When I blew into the magenta cart. I had
to blow a little bit harder to get ink to come out, but ink did come out. I
blew into the small black cart and the double size one (the IP 4000 has two
blacks), and had to blow into the small one a bit harder also like the
magenta one. I could blow more gently into the yellow and blue carts to get
the ink out. In all cases, ink did come out, but magenta and small black
were ones I had to blow slightly harder. Its hard to judge what is a gentle
blow and what is blowing a lot

I took the print head out and put it in a small plastic bowl I don't need
and put a part of a paper towel at the bottom and put hot water into the
bowl covering the paper towel about 1/2 inch which is well below the
contacts. I will keep changing the water a few times this afternoon and do
the rest of your suggestions. If that doesnt work when I put the print head
and carts back in, I could try the ammonia/windex you mentioned. How much
ammonia and windex? I asked you some other things in my last message, but
you can ignore most of them as I found out things myself once I took the
carts and print head out.

Mary

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
MaryT wrote:

"Paul Heslop" wrote in message
...
MaryT wrote:

"DanG" wrote in message
. ..

"Mary" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have a Canon IP4000 for the last 1.5 - 2 years. Its worked
perfectly
till now.When I print a color picture, magenta doesn't show up.
Black
cart.
shows some black on some part of the picture but not enough
black on
other
parts where there should be. Green and yellow are OK. I checked
magenta
cart. and sponge part at the side seems to be dry, but there is
lots
of
ink
in the cart. Black cart ink is ok too. I did cleaning and deep
cleaning
a
few times, but on Nozzle check page, red and pink don't show up
and
black
shows is gray.No errors show on screen and Status monitor shows
all
carts
as
having enough ink. How can I correct this problem?

Mary


Replace affected ink tanks with new tanks. If that doesn't solve
it,
remove
the head assembly and clean it with hot water and ammonia.
(careful
not to
dirty the electrical contacts on the back side). Do not leave the
head
assembly out to dry, wipe if off and immediately reinsert and
replace
tanks.

The ink tanks all have plenty ink so I don't want to buy new ones. I
will
try the hot water and ammonia, though I am not sure what ratio the
ammonia
to water is and if the water has to be hot. I've never done this
before,
but
I have some ammonia, so I will mix maybe 1 tablespoon of ammonia
with 4
tablespoon of hot water and put it on the print head holes and see
if
that
helps..

NO NOT continue to use the printer in this condition or you'll
burn
out
the
head. If you can't get it running again, a new head assembly might
be
needed, although it's not a certainty that this will fix it.

Ok, thanks. Its not under warranty so it might be cheaper to buy
another
one
if this one can't be fixed. Its only 1.5 or 2 years old so should
have
lasted longer I would think. I haven't over-used it but I print 2
times
a
week or sometimes more.

Mary

the 4000 is a well liked machine Mary. It seems that some would rather
have it than many of the newer models.

I agree with that. I had a hard time finding the Canon IP 4000 when I
bought
it new, as it was being discontinued and several people had said it was
a
good printer. It prints very nicely. any people liked it. When I have to
print something to give to someone, many times people ask what kind of
printer do you have? I am going to try the ammonia/water solution when I
get
a chance. If that doesn't work, I suspect it could be the printhead,
but
after 1.5-2 years?

Mary

You never know, it can sometimes be that simple. good luck anyway. BTW
I am assuming you're using Canon carts? After using some compatibles I
started getting that sort of problem and went back to the real thing,
it was just better than going through the hassle.

I've always used STaples compatibles for the IP4000 and also an IP 1500
Canon I had before this which I gave to my daughter, and this is the first
problem I've had so far. So unless I never saw a need to change when the
Staples brand carts worked OK. But if I continue to have problems, I may
need to think about using Canon brand.

Mary

"DanG" wrote in message
. ..

I use Staples compatible carts, so shouldn't matter if I was to buy a
new
printhead. But would have to be sure that would solve the problem.

Thanks for your suggestions Lou. I think I will try Burt's suggestions
for
now. Yours sounds like a bit more things to do
though seems to work for you. I don't know enough about the problem I
have
or what exactly the cause is. I have used Staples brand ink for last
1.5 -2
years I've had the printer. (I'll have to look at my receipt to see when
I
bought it) but its over a year anyway. Staples ink has worked fine
before,
so far at least and I used is also in my Canon IP1500.

Mary


Bingo!! You need to toss them out and get some Canon tanks. The Staples
inks are serious crap. They may be clogged inside the tank itself, or have
clogged the head. I'm a user and believer in compatible inks, but not
Staples. You should start by replacing all these tanks, and hope the head
is
salvageable.

I can only speak for myself but till now (if the ink carts are the problem
which I don't know yet) I've never had trouble with Staples cartridges. I
used them on my IP1500 for a few years and gave that printer to my daughter
who still uses it. I've been using Staples compatibles for two years on my
IP4000 and this is the first problem. Staples have been selling their
compatible cartridges for years, and if they got a lot of complaints, I
would think they would have stopped stocking them. I know people who use
them and they have never mentioned problems. But if I continue to have
problems, I may have to change to brand name if need be.

Mary