i960 prints blanks

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World Investor

My i960 prints blanks when I select grayscale. I ran a nozzle check
and its all blank. I also ran several deep cleaning functions to no
avail.

what is my next step?

1. Is it worth buying those cleaning kits advertized on Ebay for 20
dollars?

2. Should I buy a new print head? If so where is the cheapest genuine
canon? or is the new equivalent printer cheaper?
 
World Investor said:
My i960 prints blanks when I select grayscale. I ran a nozzle check
and its all blank. I also ran several deep cleaning functions to no
avail.

what is my next step?

1. Is it worth buying those cleaning kits advertized on Ebay for 20
dollars?

2. Should I buy a new print head? If so where is the cheapest genuine
canon? or is the new equivalent printer cheaper?
Click to expand...

get an ip3000
 
When not in gray scale what do you print? I don't know if the nozzle check
selects only black when the printer is set to gray scale - probably not. If
the printer hasn't been used for a long while or if the ink tanks have been
run dry, you may have the mother of all clogs. Could also be a dead print
head. Go onto the following sites and read the info on cleaning the print
head. You can use materials you have in your home and save the expense of
the cleaning kit.
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/

http://www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff.html

..

Q: My printer isn't printing properly, what should I do?
A: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=63
A: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/search . 1310276903

These are links from the Nifty forum that have to do with print head
cleaning
 
My i960 prints blanks when I select grayscale. I ran a nozzle check
get an ip3000
Click to expand...

I must with respect disagree. the i960 is a 6 tank printer with 512
nozzles per tank. The ip3000 is a 4 tank printer while having 512
nozzles for cyan and magenta it only has 256 yellow nozzles. The
ip6000 while a match for the tanks only has 1/2 the nozzles. There are
good reasons to keep the i960 in service, the simple fact of the matter
is the only option offered by canon that matches or exceeds it's
specifications that i'm aware of is the new ip6600 that offeres 1pl
drop size and 9600 x 2400 dpi. It's fair comment that a $200 printer
"might" be an improvement, but an ip3000 clearly wouldn't be.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/canon_i960_pg2.html

Canon didn't really make an equilivent to the i960. Many assume the
ip6000 is, but it has 1/2 the nozzles of the i960 and is generally
accepted as being slower. had it not been for my need for cd printing
I would have bought the i960 in a heart beat even though it's an older
model it was canon's high end photo printer and even by today's
standards it's still a very decent photo printer.

The ip6600 has no reviews out yet, so it's unclear how well it peforms
in contrast to the i960. This is academic as the ip6600 isn't even on
the market yet, not that i'm aware of anyway... so as of today there
isn't really an equilivent to the i960.

That being said, you "might" be able to find another i960 for the
$100-$150 range, definatly the $150 to $200 range.
You can get a replacement printhead for the $80 to $140 range
http://www.weink.com/ecom/catalog/genuine_canon_brand_replacement_0043_printhead_2869767.htm
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-i960-Prin...ryZ51328QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not prices are based on what i've seen... there may be better deals i'm
unaware of.

But this all assumes that you have a burnt out printhead... where it
could be a clog.

Cleaning cartridges might be likely to work, but windex or alcohol are
typicaly reccomended for cleaning... or windex no-drip formula. On an
older model canon, I just put the printhead in a dish with windex on it
and let it soak. Others put windex in old canon tanks and clean that
way. It's up to you whether you want to buy a cleaning kit or use
windex... but I would strongly reccomend you attempt cleaning your
printhead before considering buying a new one or a new printer. It's a
good printer while only worth 1/2 it's msrp of two years ago is still a
good egg and one would not be foolish keeping it in service or buying
an identical one to replace it.
 
Can you print text?
If so I doubt the problem is a clogged printhead.
Do color photos print with adequate blacks?
If so the there is not likely a clogged print head.
If nothing prints out of the black cartridge under any circumstances make
sure it is installed correctly. A replacement is only $12 and is cheaper
than a replacement printhead. It is easy to put the wrong cartridge in a 960
or install it incorrectly (I suspect something like this is your problem).
The 960 IMHOP is a rugged, well designed printer saddled with typically
execrable Canon software.
Several Pixmas use the same cartridges as the i960s (talk about old
technology repackaged as new!) so if you do go the upgrade route and have
many ink cartridges you can still use them.
If you want to move up to a real color managed printer with reliable color
managed printing ditch the Canon (forget the entire Canon printer line) and
get an Epson. HP has also improved in recent iterations at the high end.
Unless you are into creating custom printer/paper profiles for your midlevel
Canon printer which will still not be as accurate as canned Epson
paper/printer profiles that ship with the driver . . . . (been there, done
that).
 
I took out the print head and it looks like a pool of black ink is
collecting in one of the nozzles. Can I just soak it in alcohol
overnight? Looks like some electrical components are part of the head
will that be damaged?
 
You need to read through the sites I mentioned as there is lots of info
there about printhead problems. Did you leave the printer in color mode and
do a nozzle check? That would tell you if any of the nozzles are firing.
Of course, for this to work you need to have all cartridges in place with
enough ink to do a nozzle check pattern. The cartridges also have to be
working properly! Are they OEM or have you refilled them? I refill my
cartridges and have to be aware of when cartridges work optimally and when
they cease to work properly. Have you not printed for a long, long time
with this printer? Need more info. PLEASE - educate yourself a bit by
reading the nifty-stuff forum threads on head cleaning. If you still need
more info, sign on to that forum and ask there as well as there are people
more knowledgeable than me to deal with this problem. If you have a leaking
cartridge (sounds like it) that will stop that particular color from
printing as well under some circumstances.
 
World said:
I took out the print head and it looks like a pool of black ink is
collecting in one of the nozzles. Can I just soak it in alcohol
overnight? Looks like some electrical components are part of the head
will that be damaged?
Click to expand...

Don't soak in alchool for that long. Use distilled water and do it for
30 minutes. Rinse the ink intakes from the upper side as well. Water is
good enough to unclog the print head.
 
My i960 prints blanks when I select grayscale. I ran a nozzle check
and its all blank. I also ran several deep cleaning functions to no
avail.

what is my next step?

1. Is it worth buying those cleaning kits advertized on Ebay for 20
dollars?

2. Should I buy a new print head? If so where is the cheapest genuine
canon? or is the new equivalent printer cheaper?
Click to expand...

Next step (for me) would be to pull the printhead and put it face down
on a moist lint free cloth or paper towel and let it sit for a few
hours to let the water dissolve the clots and the capillary action
pull out the ink residue. I'd use de ionized or distilled water, as
it's less likely to promote corrosion. Some people in this group
suggest using Windex (or Indolence - UK), but the ammonia solution is
slightly corrosive, so if you opt to go that route, rinse it with
distilled water afterwards. Afterwards, you may need to run through
several pages of "ink spew" before the ink is flowing well enough to
get an even halfway recognizable printout.

A new printhead for the i960 is roughly $100 to $120 Canadian at
stores in Toronto that actually stock them (the Canon printheads
aren't a commonly stocked item). You can find them cheaper if you
hunt online at some US sites (though the shipping and currency
conversion fees may bring it back up there).

As for the kits, I've never used them, so I've no idea how useful they
are.
 
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