Canon I850 Ink Question

[TR]

I cleaned the contacts on the printer today but it didn't seem to help.

Sorry that that was not the problem Gayle. That would have been the
easiest and no cost fix if it had been the root of the problem.

I think maybe next step would be to do the suggestion that Beezer
posted at http://216.219.159.185/clean.html

A little more complicated than cleaning the contacts but another
inexpensive thing to try before getting more involved and spending
more money to try and fix this thing.

Regards,
TR

 

[beezer]

I cleaned the contacts on the printer today but it didn't seem to help. The
contacts on the printer are like needles sticking out and a bit difficult to
clean. That are on an angle pointing downward so I just moistened a piece
of knit fabric and rubbed them in a downward motion. The contacts on the
head are flat and were easy to clean. I did try wiping both of them a few
times. I guess the only thing I can do is try ordering the cleaner and see
if that helps. I hate spending the money if it doesn't work. After this I
don't know if I would buy another Cannon printer. The printer is only about
15 months old and has problems. I had an Epson about 4 years and whenever I
had a printing problem I just used the software and cleaned the nozzles and
everything was fine. I really liked the speed of the Cannon but this
problem is a bummer.

I am wondering what led up to your trouble. Have you let the unit idle
for long periods? Exactly what was the circumstances between your
last good print and the trouble you had now?

Have you left the unit unplugged?

I have an 850 as well (15 months or so) and I barely use it. Maybe
once a month if its lucky since I got a 960 five months ago. But my
850 still runs like a champ. No signs of clogging and the nozzle
checks print perfectly.

I never manually ran the cleaning utility. It only takes care of
itsself when it needs to.

I was just wondering what your situations was that led up to the
trouble you are having because obviously, I couldnt neglect the
printer more than you by letting it sit idle.

 

[TR]

Have you left the unit unplugged?

Does that effect something? We have a bit of a problem with
lightning running in where I have my i960. Even though it is plugged
into a UPS, I still unplug everything at the end of the day or during
storms. IOW, the printer is unplugged 12 - 14 hours/day.

Regards,
TR

 

[beezer]

Does that effect something? We have a bit of a problem with
lightning running in where I have my i960. Even though it is plugged
into a UPS, I still unplug everything at the end of the day or during
storms. IOW, the printer is unplugged 12 - 14 hours/day.

Regards,
TR

Naw that doesnt bother anything but from what i gather, it does erase
its memory status as far as cleaning. If you notice never ending
cleaning cycles, that would be the reason why.

Of course unplugging it prior to the heads parking is not a good
thing, LOL... who knows what the case may be for the problem printer.
I was just curious and wanted to find out

 

[Gayle Faraday]

I never unplug the printer since I use it quite frequently. I put in new
cartridges just recently. They were generics and the first time I was using
them. After putting them in I printed about 60 pages and it was fine. I
had another print job to do and it printed about 5 pages and then the
printer acted up and the print was totally unreadable. It never worked right
since then. Do any of you refill your cartridges or use generics? I could
never afford to buy name brands with the amount of printing I do.
Gayle

 

[beezer]

I never unplug the printer since I use it quite frequently. I put in new
cartridges just recently. They were generics and the first time I was using
them. After putting them in I printed about 60 pages and it was fine. I
had another print job to do and it printed about 5 pages and then the
printer acted up and the print was totally unreadable. It never worked right
since then. Do any of you refill your cartridges or use generics? I could
never afford to buy name brands with the amount of printing I do.
Gayle

see NOW we know the real story.. GENERICS!!!! Now we know the rest of
the story..

Yes, I bet 99.9% that the generics you used is what clogged the print
head. I been using bulk refill ink from a reputable source. Its the
best bulk ink and very economical. (about 3 dollars to refill all
colors)

I would definately use the cleaning method that I posted. You do not
need anything special, just a syringe and tubing or even a straw
fitted to it to enclose the head intake as shown.

Im sure after that, you will have no trouble. Use ink from reputable
sources and you will never have trouble again.

 

[Gayle Faraday]

Who would you consider a reputable source. The cartridges I used were from
"Best Ink Buy Ozark Ink". A friend of mine was also using their ink on a
cannon and never had any trouble so this is why I tried it. He had a Cannon
printer but a different model than mine. His was a lower end printer. He
did have some trouble with that printer but not with the nozzles blocking he
would get messages like " empty ink cartridges" when the cartridge wasn't
empty. His printer was under warranty at the time so they did fix it but it
wasn't long before he had problems again. He ended up buying a new printer.
Thanks again for you help in this matter it is really appreciated. Just
hope the cleaning works.

Gayle

 

[beezer]

Who would you consider a reputable source. The cartridges I used were from
"Best Ink Buy Ozark Ink". A friend of mine was also using their ink on a
cannon and never had any trouble so this is why I tried it. He had a Cannon
printer but a different model than mine. His was a lower end printer. He
did have some trouble with that printer but not with the nozzles blocking he
would get messages like " empty ink cartridges" when the cartridge wasn't
empty. His printer was under warranty at the time so they did fix it but it
wasn't long before he had problems again. He ended up buying a new printer.
Thanks again for you help in this matter it is really appreciated. Just
hope the cleaning works.

Gayle

Several well known popular dealers would be.....

www.alotofthings.com my favorite
www.atlaticinkjet.com
www.weink.com


I can not speak for the earlier models of canons but there is no such
thing as generic inks... Your canon uses a specific formula and each
printer will very somewhat in ink hue and viscosity (thinkness)

So... what is good for one printer, may be total death to another. Go
with the sources I listed. Do get bulk ink and refill your originals
or you may get blank cartridges made for refilling at
www.inkjetgoodies.com

keep us posted on your progress

 

[PC Medic]

When the printing box appears and states that one or two of the color ink
tanks are low should I change them then or will it tell me when they are out
of ink? Also is there a way to check on the status of the tanks before one
starts to print. I have only been able to see the box when it pops up just
before it prints.
Thanks david

There is no need to change them at that point and in fact you can generally
get several more photos out of them. The printer will actually again signal
when the ink tank is empty. Also due to the process used to determine ink
level you can actually throw off the accuracy by changing the tank prior to
it being empty (though this can easily be corrected).

 

[PC Medic]

I would definately change it or refill the tank now. You can refill
yourself very economically with high quality matched ink for mere
pennies. The low ink indicator refers to the liquid tank that is
empty. Your sponge is still saturated but its not advisable, IMO to
use it much after the warning.

It is actually designeds to continue using until you actually receive an
'xxx Ink is Empty' warning.

You will keep getting a warning each time you try printing.

Yes, but it will continue to print

I sure wouldnt print many photos thats for sure. You can bring up the
status check any time by right clicking on the printer device and then
properties.

When the tank is empty the print process will stop and you will get a
warning to replace the tank at that time.

 

[PC Medic]

are

Thanks beezer for the quick and helpful reply.
In your reply you said "I could refill very economically with high quality
matched ink for mere pennies" can you elaborate more on were and how I
require the ink?
Also Properties,Maintenance (Start Status Monitor) this will only show the
status of the ink when you start to print and not when just want to just
check it?
Thanks again david

Only economical if you never have problems from third party inks (image
quality, wasted paper, clogged printheads, etc).

 

[PC Medic]

I have a Cannon i850 and it seems as though the nozzles are blocked. I
tried using the printer software to clean them many times but without any
luck. I did a head aligment and still it won't print. I can't even get it
to print a nozzle pattern that makes much sense. Anyone have an idea of
what could be the problem?

--

If the nozzle test is being executed from the printer (not the driver) and
is missing parts of the grids after the cleanings, then a printhead
replacement is *probably* in order. If the printer is still under warranty
then the printhead is also covered in the U.S. and most other countries.

 

[PC Medic]

Gee Thanks for the quick reply. Now I'm now sure what you mean when you
refer to the mating contacts. Are these the electrical contacts on the back
of the plastic thing that the heads are in? Somewhere in my manual it
advised not to touch these so I was being very careful not to. What do I
clean these with?

The manual is correct and it is not recommended that you touch these
contacts.
I am suprised at some of the responses I am seeing to your question here,
especially when no one has bothered to ask if the printer was in warranty.

This could be the problem because when I try to print the nozzle pattern it
looks like dots and dashes and streaks of color. If it's worked there are
no signs of letters same thing kind of like dots and dashes. I did wonder
if the software could be corrupt so I did an uninstall and reinstalled it.
Thanks again

I also have not seen anyone ask if these symptoms were during a self test,
or only when printing from the PC. (corrupt drivers, bad cables, and many
other causes are possible if only when printing from PC?

If this is happening on a self-test and you have already tried reseating the
ink tanks and performed 3 consecutive cleanings, then yes it is *possible*
that the printhead is the issue. If in warranty give Canon a call. If not
you can get a replacement through Canon Parts or any of their authorized
service centers. As for cleaning the contacts, doubtful it will work and
definately not recommended to do on the printer side as damage to the
carriage or encoder is possible if care is not taken in this area.

 

[PC Medic]

I use a lint free rag (a square cut out of an old cotton T-Shirt) and
put some rubbing alcohol on it (not saturating to the point its
dripping, just damp with it) and rub the head contacts and mating
printer side contacts with that, making sure not to touch anything
else. I used this method for years on the HP carts (built in heads)
and the mating contacts on the printer side with success. When I got
this new i960, I cleaned the head contacts and mating printer contacts
on it before even inserting it for the first time just in case.

Now, some have told me not to use alcohol but they can't tell me why.
They use clear bottled water instead.

Because the alcohol can 'etch' the service of the printhead. Not a good
thing if you are interested in print quality.

 

[PC Medic]

The reason would be that alcohol leaves a film and its not the best
cleaner for electronics as it may cause corrosino over time. In this
case, there are no components to corrode but the film will exist.

Just what kind of alchohol are you using that would leave a film???
Budweiser is certainly not recommended!

Given the life and age of these printer, I highly doubt that alcohol
will cause any problems during the printers usefull life.

An i850 is not that old a printer and I would DEFINITELY advise against the
use of alcohol .

 

[PC Medic]

Sorry, forgot to answer the other part of your question in my last
reply...

Yes, those little contacts on the back of the plastic housing the
heads are in and the contacts on the printer that they would press up
against when installed.

Yes, they say not to touch them but they mean with your fingers
because your natural body oil will get on them and they will not make
good contact then.

The reasoning is more related to damage from static than oil from your skin
(though if you just finished eating some fried chicken, I guess that could
also be a problem). The printhead contains so micro-electronics that are
very suceptible to voltage and can easily be damaged (as many computer
components) by a sudden discharge of static.

From my HP days, I leaned that these contacts are

real sensitive about getting contaminated. We have a printer in the
hanger where it is exposed to all kinds of grit and grime and engine
exhaust. It doesn't last more than a week without needing those
contacts cleaned. And we aren't doing any more than printing out
black ink maintenance reports and schedules with it.

I have a friend that still smokes and still smokes around his
computer. He's also always having to clean those contacts more than
normal and I would say it has something to do with his smoking in
close proximity to the printer.

My wife smokes heavily (a nasty habit by the way) and has a tendency to set
her ash tray directly in front of my printers. I have never had to clean the
contacts on any printer I have owned and all have lasted me years of worry
free operation. If the printhead to carriage contacts are mated properly to
begin with, no smoke is going to build up in there to 'break' that contact.
Now oxidation from other elements in the air in the type of environment you
describe is a different possibility, but your operating area is hardly the
norm.

 

[PC Medic]

I cleaned the contacts on the printer today but it didn't seem to help. The
contacts on the printer are like needles sticking out and a bit difficult to
clean. That are on an angle pointing downward so I just moistened a piece
of knit fabric and rubbed them in a downward motion. The contacts on the
head are flat and were easy to clean. I did try wiping both of them a few
times. I guess the only thing I can do is try ordering the cleaner and see
if that helps. I hate spending the money if it doesn't work. After this I
don't know if I would buy another Cannon printer. The printer is only about
15 months old and has problems. I had an Epson about 4 years and whenever I
had a printing problem I just used the software and cleaned the nozzles and
everything was fine. I really liked the speed of the Cannon but this
problem is a bummer.

--

After only 15 months this is definitely not a normal condition. If this has
been an on going issue, may be worth giving Canon a call. It certainly can't
hurt being a toll free call and all.

 

[PC Medic]

Does that effect something? We have a bit of a problem with
lightning running in where I have my i960. Even though it is plugged
into a UPS, I still unplug everything at the end of the day or during
storms. IOW, the printer is unplugged 12 - 14 hours/day.

As long as the printer is first powered off by its power switch, or has been
more than 45 seconds since last print job then unplugging it will have no
effect on clogged printheads. This is because when you power the printer off
it parks and caps the printhead to prevent clogging. It also automatically
does this approximately 45 seconds after the last print job was completed.

 

[TR]

Because the alcohol can 'etch' the service of the printhead. Not a good
thing if you are interested in print quality.

I'm not cleaning the heads with alcohol, just the contacts with a lint
free cloth that is dampened with alcohol.

[From original message the we are suppose to be referring to]

rub the head contacts and mating printer side contacts with that,
making sure not to touch anything else

Regards,
TR

 

[TR]

but your operating area is hardly the norm.

And after reading your reply, I see that I made a wrong statement
about how often we have to clean those contacts... I meant to say
that we it doesn't last more than a month without needing those
contacts cleaned.

Regards,
TR