Senior Needs Your Help, Canon Printer

[DianeLeMasson]

Hi

Sorry for the cross-post, as I have posted in another NG, but
not getting any responses & I am desperate.

I have own this Canon s900 photo printer for about 6 years &
during this time never gave me any problems.
It is basically only used for photos or when I need to print color
documents. I have a second printer I use that is black ink only.

What is happening with the s900 is while not in use it seems the
color inks within their cartridges are changing colors so when I
print anything out it's no longer their true colors.
As well some are emptying out on their own, not by printing.
e.g. yellow has turn to orange, photo magenta turn to purple.
If I print just with black it comes out green.

I've look inside or under printer, I don't see any leaks.
I am at a total lost & of course Canon is of no help.
Since it's no longer under warranty they don't care.
And yes I use only ink for canon, BCI-6.

I hope that I was able to explain this well enough for someone with
far more knowledge than I, who maybe can help me to find a
way that I can fix this myself. At least give it a try before I do throw
this printer out. I really hate to since it was a gift & when it did work
it was a great color printer. My problem is I am a senior citizen &
can not afford to replace this printer or can I bring it somewhere to
get it fix for it will cost $100 just to look at it, not to mention how
much it'll cost if it could be fix.
Has anyone ever had this particular problem or similar, I would
like to hear from you?
Thank you

Diane

 

[me]

Hi

Sorry for the cross-post, as I have posted in another NG, but
not getting any responses & I am desperate.

I have own this Canon s900 photo printer for about 6 years &
during this time never gave me any problems.
It is basically only used for photos or when I need to print color
documents. I have a second printer I use that is black ink only.

What is happening with the s900 is while not in use it seems the
color inks within their cartridges are changing colors so when I
print anything out it's no longer their true colors.
As well some are emptying out on their own, not by printing.
e.g. yellow has turn to orange, photo magenta turn to purple.
If I print just with black it comes out green.

I've look inside or under printer, I don't see any leaks.
I am at a total lost & of course Canon is of no help.
Since it's no longer under warranty they don't care.
And yes I use only ink for canon, BCI-6.

I hope that I was able to explain this well enough for someone with
far more knowledge than I, who maybe can help me to find a
way that I can fix this myself. At least give it a try before I do throw
this printer out. I really hate to since it was a gift & when it did work
it was a great color printer. My problem is I am a senior citizen &
can not afford to replace this printer or can I bring it somewhere to
get it fix for it will cost $100 just to look at it, not to mention how
much it'll cost if it could be fix.
Has anyone ever had this particular problem or similar, I would
like to hear from you?
Thank you

Diane,

First thing to check is that you don't have clogged nozzles in the print
head. Your printer driver should have a utility to print a nozzle check.

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

On Dec 20, 11:19 am, "DianeLeMasson"

My problem is I am a senior citizen &
can not afford to replace this printer or can I bring it somewhere to
get it fix for it will cost $100 just to look at it, not to mention how
much it'll cost if it could be fix.
Has anyone ever had this particular problem or similar, I would
like to hear from you?
Thank you

Diane

Here's the problem, you're going to have to troubleshoot the issue.
It's either
1) Cartridge issue
2) Head issue
3) Printer issue

Cartridges are about $10/pop to replace the affected ones.
Printhead on that model is about $80 for a QY-0039-000

Canon doesn't make 6 tank printers anymore. The best they offer is in
the mp980 and it offers a text tank, dye black, and dye grey.

The mp810 AIO 5 tank model is presently on sale as a referb on
http://estore.usa.canon.com for $80 + shipping & tax
http://estore.usa.canon.com/webapp/...1&parent_category_rn=17251&top_category=12054

The mp610 is on Amazon.com new for $80 shipped.
http://estore.usa.canon.com/webapp/...1&parent_category_rn=17251&top_category=12054

Epson offers their R280 as a referb from their website for $55 shipped
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?oid=63074510

This is just to give you some indication of replacement value. $55-
$80

As a good rule of thumb, Canon suggests the printhead is end of life
after about 10 cartridge changes. I've seen 15 my self, others more
or less. It's good to estimate about a $1.00 hidden cost per
cartridge change to maintain a given Canon.

 

[DianeLeMasson]

Diane
I have seen something like this fairly often with Canon ink printers.
What appears to happen is the ink transfers from one colour to another and I
think it has something to do with the way the ink containers seal in the print
head, some sort of capillary action.
It has always been fixed by replacing the affected ink cartridges.
Yellow shows this best because it is easy to see the contamination.
From your description it is not certain which cartridge is at fault but I
suspect Cyan. Black output with a green tinge indicates Cyan and Cyan could
turn yellow an orange colour.
You will need to replace all of the cartridges that are affected, in this case
any that are emptying out and the black and yellow cartridges. My guess is
Black, Yellow and Cyan.
Unfortunately nothing can be done about the contamination so the ink in
contaminated cartridges is wasted. You won't know whether this is successful
until you try. If you can afford to do it you may wish to change all of the
cartridges.
Once you have installed new cartrdiges you will need to run some head cleaning
cycles to remove any residual contamination in the printhead.
Good luck
Tony
MS MVP Printing Image

Tony,

Thank you for your response.
So this isn't so unheard of.
What I have done was replaced only the cartridges that did changed from
their true colors.
This just started a couple of months ago, printing a picture for my son,
noticed a strange hue
of color, leaning towards more red. I check each tank notice yellow was now
red, & I think
it was magenta that turned purple too. All the rest were fine.
I changed the yellow which is now a orange color.
As you have suggested I will change every tank. I hope that will take care
of the problem.
Strange as this is, tonight I did a deep cleaning, but before that I removed
the print head,
just to take a look to see if I can notice anything that shouldn't be there,
e.g. dust, animal
hair, whatever, decided to see how it would print & it did just fine. No
more green when it
should be black & did a color photo which came out perfect. Mind you it was
a photo with
a lot of yellow in it. How's that for a mystery! The tank is orange. No
mistake about it.
I don't understand how & I am not going to question it. I am just happy that
it seems to
be working okay now. Have any insight of what may have caused this & how to
prevent
this from happening again?
However I am still changing all the tanks as you have suggested.
Thank you & best you, I felt a whole lot better after reading your note &
the other replies that
this can happen, unfortunately, but it's nice to hear that this problem can
be resolved.

Diane

 

[DianeLeMasson]

Although I don't own this printer and though I've never seen this problem with
my printers, it seems very unlikely that one color (say magenta) seeps from its
cartridge to the print head and then back again to another cartridge (say the
yellow one), and also in such amounts that the yellow ink has become useless. I
believe that changing the cartridges might help if for a completely *different*
reason they have become contaminated, but I can't think of a reason why they
should get bad.

Arthur??

Greetings, Alex

Greeting to you also, Alex,

If it didn't happen to me I wouldn't believe it either, but it did.
First time I noticed that yellow changed colors it was to red & the second
time
now orange. Too, photo magenta turned to purple. How & why, I wish I knew.
I have ask around & no one has ever of this before either.
Not till I posted here that is. As Tony has said he has heard of this.
I for one would love to know how these ink tanks became contaminated.
This is something I rather avoid to worry about.

Diane

 

[DianeLeMasson]

Diane,

First thing to check is that you don't have clogged nozzles in the print
head. Your printer driver should have a utility to print a nozzle check.

Hi

And thank you for your response.
Yes I did do a nozzle check & all the colors, while not totally perfect, did
print.
So it seems there is no clog, thank goodness!
I will say this, strange as it is, the yellow tank did print in true yellow,
not orange
as it is in the tank. Photo magenta did however come out purple again.

Diane

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

On Dec 20, 10:03 pm, "DianeLeMasson" > And thank you for your
response.

Yes I did do a nozzle check & all the colors, while not totally perfect, did
print.
So it seems there is no clog, thank goodness!
I will say this, strange as it is, the yellow tank did print in true yellow,
not orange
as it is in the tank. Photo magenta did however come out purple again.

This is where it becomes hard giving realistic advice. The basic
troubleshooting for this printer is as follows

1) Replace cartridges $9-$11 each
2) Replace head @ $80
3) Replace printer ($60-$100)

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-BCI-6-B...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229857086&sr=8-1
$52.95 is a good price for OEM tanks
$80.00 for the head
------
$132.95


I would say hitting craigslist might be an option, but
http://cnj.craigslist.org/ele/941129441.html

But it's a $25 printer that needs a $80 QY6-0043-000.
printhead. Technically reasonable, but in excess of replacement value
unless you absolutely want the i960.

If you want to make an informed choice whether nor not a replacement
model will benefit you
trymyphoto.com

You can get a free 4x6 print on the mp620. It's a newer model but
should give you some indication whether or not 4 color printing is
adequate for your needs or if you desire 6 color printing, which to be
fair will cost you more per page, even presuming $8/tank for bci-6
tanks, and $13/tank for cli-8 tanks.

The Epson 1400 is a great deal for $160 from the Epson store as a
referb, but I strongly suspect you don't want to spend that much for a
13 inch wide printer.

But really the lowest in cost is the referb Epson R280 for $55 referb,
where it's cheaper to buy more Epson r280 referbs than it is to buy
ink.

 

[Gordo]

I too have owned and used the Canon s900 printer for several years. My
experience is that I need to print a Nozzle Check page every two or three
weeks to keep the print head clear. Also, I always have the printer plugged
into a power strip that is always on. You should turn off the printer, but
leave the power strip on.

I have encountered the occasional clog. To remedy this, I remove all the
cartridges (be sure to put them back in the proper order). Then, I use a
cotton swab dipped in isopropyl (99%) alcohol and touch each spot where the
ink enters the print head. Then I put a small amount of alcohol on the exit
side of the print head, let it soak a bit and blot it off. Then, re-assemble
the print head and cartridges. Then run the Nozzle Check. If this fails,
then run the cleaning cycles. Thus far, this has worked for me to cure the
off color pictures.

Gordo

 

[measekite]

Diane
I have seen something like this fairly often with Canon ink printers.
What appears to happen is the ink transfers from one colour to another and I
think it has something to do with the way the ink containers seal in the print
head, some sort of capillary action.
It has always been fixed by replacing the affected ink cartridges.
Yellow shows this best because it is easy to see the contamination.
From your description it is not certain which cartridge is at fault but I
suspect Cyan. Black output with a green tinge indicates Cyan and Cyan could
turn yellow an orange colour.
You will need to replace all of the cartridges that are affected, in this case
any that are emptying out and the black and yellow cartridges. My guess is
Black, Yellow and Cyan.
Unfortunately nothing can be done about the contamination so the ink in
contaminated cartridges is wasted. You won't know whether this is successful
until you try. If you can afford to do it you may wish to change all of the
cartridges.
Once you have installed new cartrdiges you will need to run some head cleaning
cycles to remove any residual contamination in the printhead.
Good luck
Tony
MS MVP Printing Image

I do not believe I have ever heard of this when using Canon ink.

 

[measekite]

On Dec 20, 10:03 pm, "DianeLeMasson" > And thank you for your
response.


This is where it becomes hard giving realistic advice. The basic

If it is too difficult then take a break.

 

[Rene Lamontagne]

Canon Ink !!!! WTF is that, Must be something like Ford Gas.

Moron.

 

[measekite]

Well worth trying all of that, the less cost the better.
BTW I have seen this with Canon and compatible cartrdiges. I believe it is a
seal issue (as you have mentioned).

Tony
MS MVP Printing Image

I have never seen this using Canon OEM recommended ink.

 

[measekite]

Canon Ink !!!! WTF is that, Must be something like Ford Gas.

Moron.

I would like to know why dummies reply to my posts; especially when they
make sense but the jerks have very little to say except calling names.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

Diane
I have seen something like this fairly often with Canon ink printers.
What appears to happen is the ink transfers from one colour to another and I
think it has something to do with the way the ink containers seal in the print
head, some sort of capillary action.
It has always been fixed by replacing the affected ink cartridges.
Yellow shows this best because it is easy to see the contamination.
From your description it is not certain which cartridge is at fault but I
suspect Cyan. Black output with a green tinge indicates Cyan and Cyan could
turn yellow an orange colour.

I've been looking at the specs on this printer and it seems to be a 6
color printer, with 6 individual cartridges: Cyan, Photo cyan, Magenta,
Photo Magenta, Yellow, Black.

Yellow will turn orange when contaminated with magenta, and likely photo
magenta. Cyan is a turquoise and with yellow becomes greenish. I agree
that contaminated black with cyan may cause it to go green, but it may
also do so from yellow ink. Photo magenta going purple is definitely a
mixture of it with one of the two cyans.

The problem is even the one that is leaking may be picking up color,
because as soon as the ink floods it can cause the inks to transfer
between one another because the cartridge seal isn't perfect. It almost
sounds like each cartridge is being contaminated by one next to it.

I do agree that the first suspect is probably the photo cyan, and it is
possible what Diane is referring to as orange is a mildly greenish
yellow, or perhaps it is just the yellow being yellow, since it looks
orange when concentrated.

I would remove each cartridge and using a cotton swab try to sop up any
ink that seems to be pooled and try to figure out what color it is, or
which cartridge seems to be running low without use, and try replacing
that one first. I would definitely try to sop up any pooled ink to try
to lessen further contamination of other cartridges, even the new ones.
Then try replacing the Photo Cyan. As you stated, the other
contaminated colors will also need to be replaced, but if Diane can do
some detective work and determine which color seems to be causing the
contamination by which one is leaking, that might save some more
contaminated cartridges.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Hi Diane,

If you've ever paid attention to the yellow ink before, you'd probably
have found it leans to orange when in the cartridge even without any
contamination, and if only a bit of magenta got into it, it probably
wouldn't show up as drastically incorrect on a print.

You may have resettled the cartridges and the seals when you removed the
head and then reinstalled the ink cartridges so they may be holding
better now.

Anyway, it's great to hear your printer is working for now.

Art

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Purple is definitely produced when cyan and magenta mix. If they mix
equally you get a royal blue, if more magenta, you get shades of
red-purples if more cyan you get blue purples.

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[measekite]

If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

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