Canon IP4200

[therowdy via HWKB.com]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper. I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink. Something to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper supplies!


After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they refused.
I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

 

[Burt]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard
mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about
his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and
whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print
was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a
cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper. I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink. Something
to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper
supplies!


After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they
refused.
I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

I've had great experience with several Canon printers. Was the printer
purchased new? Did you use if frequently or did you let it sit unused for
long periods of time? All inkjet printers can get clogs if left to sit
without use. That can be one cause of banding. Are you setting the paper
choice to the type of paper you are using? Have you used aftermarket
prefilled cartridges? Some of them are very poor, and if they don't feed
properly they will cause banding and possibly also damage the printhead.
Banding is not a "feature of these printers", and careful analysis and
corrective measures can often solve the problem.

Although Ron Baird, a Kodak rep, does respond when Canon users complain
about using Kodak paper, I must say that I had the same problem as you, even
after downloading Kodak software and using their recommended settings as
suggested by Mr. Baird. You are not required to use genuine Canon ink and
paper. Many of use refill our cartridges with aftermarket inks that are
formulated for these printers and print on several different brands of
paper. I use Costco's Kirkland glossy photo paper and MIS bulk inks and get
excellent results. I've also used Epson glossy photo paper and Staples
double sided matte paper with very good results.

 

[Roy G]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard
mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about
his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and
whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print
was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a
cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper. I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink. Something
to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper
supplies!


After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they
refused.
I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

You asked Canon Techs about your problem, they supplied what seems like a
reasonable answer, but you don't want to try it.

You are now complaining that your Canon will not print well on Kodak paper.

You do know, don't you,.that there are two distinct types of photo papers,
and that the Kodak is not the correct type for your Canon.

Ignorance is not so blissful after all.

Roy G

 

[Burt]

I've had great experience with several Canon printers. Was the printer
purchased new? Did you use if frequently or did you let it sit unused for
long periods of time? All inkjet printers can get clogs if left to sit
without use. That can be one cause of banding. Are you setting the paper
choice to the type of paper you are using? Have you used aftermarket
prefilled cartridges? Some of them are very poor, and if they don't feed
properly they will cause banding and possibly also damage the printhead.
Banding is not a "feature of these printers", and careful analysis and
corrective measures can often solve the problem.

Although Ron Baird, a Kodak rep, does respond when Canon users complain
about using Kodak paper, I must say that I had the same problem as you,
even after downloading Kodak software and using their recommended settings
as suggested by Mr. Baird. You are not required to use genuine Canon ink
and paper. Many of use refill our cartridges with aftermarket inks that
are formulated for these printers and print on several different brands of
paper. I use Costco's Kirkland glossy photo paper and MIS bulk inks and
get excellent results. I've also used Epson glossy photo paper and
Staples double sided matte paper with very good results.

An additional comment - the ip4200 printer doesn't have easily used
aftermarket cartridges as Canon has added a computer chip to the carts to
prevent the use of aftermarket ink carts. There are some prefilled
aftermarket carts but you have to transplant the chip from the Canon cart to
the aftermarket cart and you will then get a message that you are going to
void your warranty by not replacing the empty with a new Canon genuine cart.
You are right that Canon is forcing the consumer to use their own inks, but
there is a way around it. Refilling the carts works fine, but you will void
your warranty for problems that might occur with the printhead, and you will
also lose the ink monitoring function and will have to visually monitor ink
levels. I would still buy the ip4300 (upgrade to the one you have) but
would refill the carts to save tons of money.

 

[george]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper. I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink. Something to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper supplies!


After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they refused.
I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

I have a Canon IP4200 that prints excellent photos. I use Epson
Premium Glossy paper. I tried the Kodak paper and was not satisfied
with the results. I initially had problems with the printer and found
Canon technical service went above and beyond my expectations. You do
not have to use Canon ink or paper. For photos I prefer to use Canon
ink because of its fade resistance, but I use MIS ink for non critical
printing with no problems. By the way the IP4200 cost me $50 when
new.

 

[Dan G]

While it seems obvious that this post is a troll, if you can stop whining
for a bit it might be reasonable to ask WHY anyone would expect to use the
normal quality setting on photo paper and get good results. The solution
offered is a very reasonable one.
As to the use of non-Canon ink, there's no reason you can't do that as long
as it's good quality ink, and many are not.

The IP4300 is a terrific printer by all accounts, and as there were some
problems with the IP4200, perhaps you should ask for an IP4300 in
replacement. Worth a try, but the attitude expressed here will not lend
itself to getting any favors from Canon.

 

[measekite]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

You should be using the highest setting for photos anyway to get the
very best results using Canon OEM ink. If you are not interested in the
best results then maybe a Lexmark would be a good choice for your needs.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper.

You do need to use Canon Factory ink to get the best results and not
ruin your printer but Canon will even tell you that you do not need to
use their paper. They will even tell you that Epson Premium Glossy
works just fine. Additionally, I use Epson Heaveyweight Matte and
Ilford Classic Pearl (slow drying - 24 hours) but more resistent to
fading than Ilford Smooth Instant Dry Pearl.

So I do not know where you get your information from.

I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink.

Kodak paper does not work well with Canon printers and I would never
consider it.

Something to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper supplies!


After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they refused.

Good. There is nothing wrong with your printer

Use Canon OEM ink
Canon Photo Paper Pro
Ilford Classic Pearl
Epson Premium Glossy
Epson Heavyweight Matte

I am sure there are others but this is a good choice.

I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

The printer is terrific. But the IP4300 is even better.

 

[measekite]

You asked Canon Techs about your problem, they supplied what seems like a
reasonable answer, but you don't want to try it.

You are now complaining that your Canon will not print well on Kodak paper.

He knows that. Kodak paper is one of the worst papers for Canon Printers

 

[measekite]

I have a Canon IP4200 that prints excellent photos. I use Epson
Premium Glossy paper. I tried the Kodak paper and was not satisfied
with the results. I initially had problems with the printer and found
Canon technical service went above and beyond my expectations. You do
not have to use Canon ink or paper.

Wrongo Bongo

Correction

You do not have to use Canon Papers but you do have to use Canon ink.

For photos I prefer to use Canon
ink because of its fade resistance, but I use MIS ink for non critical
printing with no problems.

Notice the word non critical


Case Closed

 

[measekite]

While it seems obvious that this post is a troll,

He is not a troll. He just like the majority of the posters here in this ng

if you can stop whining
for a bit it might be reasonable to ask WHY anyone would expect to use the
normal quality setting on photo paper and get good results.

He never said he uses the normal quality setting since Canon does not
have one. He did say he is using the Standard quality setting.

The solution
offered is a very reasonable one.
As to the use of non-Canon ink, there's no reason you can't do that as long
as it's good quality ink, and many are not.

Nobody has even come close to approaching the new Canon formula. He is
better off using Canon OEM ink.

The IP4300 is a terrific printer by all accounts, and as there were some
problems with the IP4200, perhaps you should ask for an IP4300 in
replacement. Worth a try, but the attitude expressed here will not lend
itself to getting any favors from Canon.

 

[therowdy via HWKB.com]

Hi Thanks everyone for your responses.

My issue was that this printer has 3 quality settings, Draft, Standard & Fine.


When printing in draft or standard any areas of print that are made up of
BLACK come out printed in bands ie each print head sweaps leaves different
consistancy of black.
Am I wrong in assuming that the printer should not do this. When I took the
prints in with the printer the authorised repairer first indicated that this
should not be happening. Then after trying to correct the problem they found
out that this happens with all that they tested. Then they referred it to
Canon who said that there was nothing wrong with it.
Secondly my previous epson printer printed perfectly on Kodak Gloss paper. I
have about 50 sheets which I would have used but I find that the prints using
this paper are disasterous. Yes it prints fine with Canon paper. I was a bit
surprised.

I would appreciate any constructive comments on the printing issue. I would
never had purchased the printer if I was aware of this problem. Also does
anyone know if printing in the high quality "fine" mode uses more ink. I
would have thought it would but according to the Canon Tech they say no it
doesnt its just prints slower as it makes more sweeps across the paper.

 

[Roy G]

Hi Thanks everyone for your responses.

My issue was that this printer has 3 quality settings, Draft, Standard &
Fine.


When printing in draft or standard any areas of print that are made up of
BLACK come out printed in bands ie each print head sweaps leaves different
consistancy of black.
Am I wrong in assuming that the printer should not do this. When I took
the
prints in with the printer the authorised repairer first indicated that
this
should not be happening. Then after trying to correct the problem they
found
out that this happens with all that they tested. Then they referred it to
Canon who said that there was nothing wrong with it.
Secondly my previous epson printer printed perfectly on Kodak Gloss paper.
I
have about 50 sheets which I would have used but I find that the prints
using
this paper are disasterous. Yes it prints fine with Canon paper. I was a
bit
surprised.

I would appreciate any constructive comments on the printing issue. I
would
never had purchased the printer if I was aware of this problem. Also does
anyone know if printing in the high quality "fine" mode uses more ink. I
would have thought it would but according to the Canon Tech they say no it
doesnt its just prints slower as it makes more sweeps across the paper.

You really do have a problem.

Not only do you not believe what Canon tell you, you also don't bother
reading the responses to your posting.

Roy G

 

[george]

Hi Thanks everyone for your responses.

My issue was that this printer has 3 quality settings, Draft, Standard & Fine.

What is the issue with that? You don't like that they give you an
option to trade off speed, ink used and quality?

When printing in draft or standard any areas of print that are made up of
BLACK come out printed in bands ie each print head sweaps leaves different
consistancy of black.
Am I wrong in assuming that the printer should not do this. When I took the
prints in with the printer the authorised repairer first indicated that this
should not be happening. Then after trying to correct the problem they found
out that this happens with all that they tested. Then they referred it to
Canon who said that there was nothing wrong with it.
Secondly my previous epson printer printed perfectly on Kodak Gloss paper. I
have about 50 sheets which I would have used but I find that the prints using
this paper are disasterous. Yes it prints fine with Canon paper. I was a bit
surprised.

I would appreciate any constructive comments on the printing issue. I would
never had purchased the printer if I was aware of this problem. Also does
anyone know if printing in the high quality "fine" mode uses more ink. I
would have thought it would but according to the Canon Tech they say no it
doesnt its just prints slower as it makes more sweeps across the paper.

To sum it up the printer prints well when you use fine mode on
compatiable paper, but does not print quality photos on non
compatiable paper or when you tell it to print at lesser quality. If
I understand you correctly then I don't understand the problem.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I can't answer all of your questions, however, I can provide some basic
theory. Usually, draft mode with inkjet printers use larger dots of ink
to create the image or text required. In so doing they do not have to
provide as many passes of the head, which takes time to "build up" the
smaller dots to form the image, however, the result is rougher and less
refined.

Some printers also incorporate an economy/draft mode which both works
more rapidly and uses less ink by using small-ish drops but by again not
using multiple swipes of the head, skips many of the dots. These
printers usually have a lighter output in the economy/draft mode, and
indeed do use considerably less ink when they are used in this mode.

If, in draft mode your printer actually leaves bands of no printing
appearing as white lines, then probably some of the nozzles are clogged
or not functioning, however, seeing some differences in density showing
up as variations of density on a thermal head printer (like a Canon) may
be normal.

Piezo inkjet printers like Epson create different drop sizes based upon
the frequency the piezo crystal vibrates at for each nozzle. However,
thermal inkjet heads (like the Canon) work differently, since they do
not have a crystal to vibrate.

Instead, they have redundant nozzles, of different sizes. So, while a
piezo head may have 128 nozzles, each capable of producing 5 different
dot sizes, a thermal head may have five sets of 128 nozzles each per
color. In draft mode, to speed up the process, the head may be using
two of these banks together, and one bank would produce smaller dots
than the other bank, which could make for different overall densities in
bands across the image or text.

So, that might explain the result you are seeing.

Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Oh, one more thing....

Epson ink type, based upon the piezo method of ink delivery, uses a very
different ink formulation than thermal inks use. This would explain why
the results you get with Kodak paper might vary considerably between
Canon and Epson printers.

Kodak usually has a website with suggestions for either using canned
settings from the printer driver you are using, or they offer a custom
profile you can install to make their papers compatible with the printer
you are using. If they do not exist, or they do not work, Kodak does
warrant their papers to work on all inkjet printers, for one year from
purchase date, and will probably offer you some type of solution if the
paper will not produce good results with your new printer.

Art

 

[measekite]

You really do have a problem.

Not only do you not believe what Canon tell you, you also don't bother
reading the responses to your posting.

Roy G

If he believes some of the poster preachers here about refilling carts
then he has a real problem.

 

[OpaPiloot]

This printer is disappointing in the fact that printing out in standard mode,
dark areas of photos print out banded. I have complained to Canon about his
under warranty and all parts have basically been replaced then the printer
was replaced only to find the same problem happening. This seems to be a
feature of the printer! I actually took the matter up with Canon and whilst
they didnt deny there was a problem they told me it worked find if print was
set to Fine. They tried to tell me this did not use any more ink which I
dispute but its difficult to test without wasting ink on test prints.

After Canons attitude I would never by another Canon product. I purchased
this printer on
Canons reputation alone and I am sorry I did. I should have purchased a cheap
$50 printer and I am sure it would have printed just as good.

I now find out I have to purchase genuine ink and genuine paper. I tried
printing on Kodak paper and the paper fails to absorbe the ink. Something to
do about the type of ink used. So I also have to throw away my paper supplies!

After all my time wasted I asked Canon to refund my money which they refused.
I will put this down to one of lifes experiences.

Has anyone else experienced issues with this disappointing printer?

I've the same problem when printing on HP Premium Plus, but obtain very
good results on Inkjet Premium Paper from netBIT (www.netbit.de) which I
got at ALDI. The Cannon paper supplied with the printer is also good. I
think the problem is only with some glossy papers.

 

[Ron Baird]

Hi Art,

Right you are. Kodak goes to the trouble of obtaining most of the printers
on the market and thoroughly tests them for the very best settings to fit
the technology of the printers and the results on different Kodak papers.
Once testing is done, the results are either posted to the Inkjet site or
might be included in the EasyShare software as an added feature. A lot of
trouble but when edits to the drivers are done, the results should be the
best they can be for a particular printer. Go to the site below and when on
that page, look to the left of the screen to see a link to 'Printer
Settings.'

http://www.kodak.com/go/inkjet

Talk to you soon, Art,

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company

 

[measekite]

Hi Art,

Right you are. Kodak goes to the trouble of obtaining most of the printers
on the market and thoroughly tests them for the very best settings to fit
the technology of the printers and the results on different Kodak papers.

I was advised by many Canon sales representatives not to use Kodak Photo
paper in a Canon printer using Canon ink. The official statement was
that the recommended paper is Canon paper however I could get very good
results from Epson paper if I chose to use non Canon photo paper. I was
also informed that the results obtained with Kodak paper was poor
relative to Epson. So I think that Kodak PR on this site will not
change anyones mind.

What makes it very believable is Canon recommending its arch rival in
the industry (Epson). I have also tested Epson premium gloss and their
matte paper and got excellent results. There is very little difference
between Canon Photo Paper Pro, Epson Premium Glossy and Costco Full
Sheet (Illford?) Glossy.