Great tip if you don't mind throwing away money, otherwise it's
absolute garbage. Listening to measekite constantly rant about using
only OEM cartridges makes one think that he must profit by selling OEM
print cartridges. Otherwise, why would he suggest that you dump the
fantastic IP4000, which can use all kinds of cheap, non-OEM cartridges,
for the IP4300, which can only use the ridiculously expensive chipped
Canon cartridges? Nonsense. It's no doubt why Canon is practically
giving their new hardware away, while still new, but discontinued
IP4000's and 5000's are going for US$150 to $200 on eBay. OEM
cartridges... what a racket... Vendors keep cranking out new models
with proprietary cartridges... kinda like razors and razor blades.
The only use for OEM Canon cartridges I have is to print long-lasting
photos for archival purposes. Otherwise, for plain paper printing, any
old non-OEM cartridge will do. Photo printing is trial and error, but
if you find a good compatible cartridge vendor, or if you refill, a
good quality ink (check out
www.precisioncolors.com), the prints will
last a decent time. Besides, if you're like me, you'll always keep the
source file, so you can always reprint them... cheaply.
Read, and reread again, all of the following before starting. Typical
disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage to you or your
property in any way by following these instructions. Proceed at your
own risk.
To prepare the IP4000 for disassembly:
- power on the printer, open the front door, and open the top lid,
centering the printhead carrier.
- unplug the printer, leaving the carrier centered.
- remove the power cord.
- remove and seal your print cartridges. Use vinyl electrical tape to
seal both the bottom circular outlet, and the top vent. Bag them in an
airtight baggie, preferably storing them in the upright position.
- remove and bag the printhead in an airtight baggie as well.
To disassemble the IP4000:
1. Leave the front door and top lid open
2. Remove both side panels as follows:
- the side grey trim wraps around the top rear of the printer.
Where it ends, slide it up to unclip it from the printer. If you open
the top paper feed door, you can see a slot with an arrow below the
grey trim. It doesn't really snap up, but slides sideways. Just get
this end unclipped first.
- now, under the top lid, you'll see a two slots with an arrow, one
on each side. In the slot, you'll see grey-coloured plastic. This is
a tab holding the side panel to the frame. Using a screwdriver, insert
it in the slot and depress the grey plastic tab while gently tilting
the top of side panel away from printer.
- once you have both the rear trim piece and top tab unfastened,
all you need to do is unhook the lugs at the bottom of the silver trim
of the side panel, one in the center, and one at the front. Pull up
gently on the side panel to disengage these lugs. Place the side panel
aside.
- repeat for the other side panel.
3. Remove the top half of the case as follows:
- there are four clips that fasten the top half of the case, two
lugs at the back and two clips at the front. You must disengage the
front clips first. The front clips are located on each side of the
paper exit slot, below the inner door, behind the front fascia. You
can't see the clips, but you will see two spots at the bottom of the
front fascia where the plastic is 'scalloped' to clear the paper exit
slot. Place your thumbs in these scallops, as close to the bottom as
you can, wrapping your hand around the edge of the case. Gently pull
the front plastic by your thumbs away from the printer, and lift up on
the case. It should disengage, but do not lift it up yet. Just get it
unclipped (note: the control panel is not part of the top case half,
and will remain with the bottom half).
- at this point, it's time to disengage the lugs at the back of the
printer. Using a screwdriver, depress the lugs behind the slots on
each side of the rear door, and lift the rear of the case. Just get it
disengaged.
- once all four clips have been disengaged, lift the top half of
the case straight up. Note that the control panel is attached to the
bottom half of the case, and will not come off with the top half of the
case. Place the top half of the case aside.
4. Now, take a look at your printer from the top. There are a couple
items you should be aware of, and be careful not to damage. There is a
clear film disk on the left side of the printer which is used to
control the platen roller. It has very fine markings on it, which are
read by an optical sensor. Do not touch it. Ditto for a clear film
strip that runs across the printer behind the printhead carrier, which
is used to control the carrier. Don't touch this one either. To
proceed. you should be able to see four (4) silver Philips screws, one
roughly in each corner, that fasten the printer frame to the bottom
half of the case. The front two and the right rear one are easy to
locate and get at, but the left rear screw is located between the power
supply and the frame, and is difficult to reach. To make it easier,
remove the power supply as follows:
- unplug the wire harness at the top of the power supply.
- place the printer on it's back side, exposing the bottom of the
printer.
- on the bottom of the printer, locate the two clips holding the
power supply in place.
- depress these two clips and slide out the power supply from the
bottom of the printer.
- place the printer back in an upright position.
5. Now it's time to remove the printer frame from the bottom case:
- remove the four Philips screws securing the frame to the bottom
case.
- being careful not to touch the film disk on the left of the
printer, and the film strip across the printer behind the printhead
carrier, use both hands to lift the printer frame from the bottom case
by the metal bar across the top of the printer. Place it on a wad of
newspaper, as the bottom of the printer frame may be full of ink.
This will expose the bottom of the case, where you'll find the ink
absorber pads. There are many pads, as shown in this replacement ink
absorber kit (Canon part QY5-0144-000) available online. Just Google
the part number. Write down their appearance and position, because
trust me, you won't remember their exact position when you go to put
them all back in after cleaning. It's important, because their
position controls the flow of waste ink. I recommend you wear latex
gloves or similar, because the ink is indelible. There are also other
ink pads in the printer mechanism you might want to look into cleaning
or replacing. Get a Canon service manual, and the parts catalogue for
all the part numbers. You'll need the service manual to reset the ink
absorber count anyways. See
www.2manuals.com for example, you can
download both for $10.
To reassemble your printer, just reverse these instructions. I'd also
recommend cleaning the printhead before replacing it in your printer.
There are plenty of methods available online, but the method I prefer
is using isopropyl alcohol (NOT rubbing alcohol which looks similar).
Good Luck!
Bullitt
