Canon IP5000 banding - fix?

[surface9]

I have a two year old Canon IP5000 that has always worked perfectly
and I always use Canon cartridges, but, just now it is printing pages
that have white bands all the way across the page, repeating all the
way down about 2/3 inch apart. The white bands are a little more than
a tenth of an inch tall. The rest of the page prints fine, but, I
can't figure out what is causing these white bands which make the
printed pages worthless. No cartridges need replacing, and it happens
in both color and grayscale.

Is this printer junk now? Or is there something the user can do to
resolve this banding issue?

 

[Duplex74]

I have a two year old Canon IP5000 that has always worked perfectly
and I always use Canon cartridges, but, just now it is printing pages
that have white bands all the way across the page, repeating all the
way down about 2/3 inch apart. The white bands are a little more than
a tenth of an inch tall. The rest of the page prints fine, but, I
can't figure out what is causing these white bands which make the
printed pages worthless. No cartridges need replacing, and it happens
in both color and grayscale.

Is this printer junk now? Or is there something the user can do to
resolve this banding issue?

Did you made a nozzle test ?

 

[measekite]

I have a two year old Canon IP5000 that has always worked perfectly
and I always use Canon cartridges, but, just now it is printing pages
that have white bands all the way across the page, repeating all the
way down about 2/3 inch apart. The white bands are a little more than
a tenth of an inch tall. The rest of the page prints fine, but, I
can't figure out what is causing these white bands which make the
printed pages worthless. No cartridges need replacing, and it happens
in both color and grayscale.

Is this printer junk now? Or is there something the user can do to
resolve this banding issue?

I think you should do yourself a favor and call Canon Tech Support. See
what they say. Please report back once you find a solution. It may be
possible that you exceeded the number of prints for the printheads but
only Canon can advise you properly.

 

[surface9]

I think you should do yourself a favor and call Canon Tech Support. See
what they say. Please report back once you find a solution. It may be
possible that you exceeded the number of prints for the printheads but
only Canon can advise you properly.

I used the email option on the canon support website and they emailed
me back with what looks like a form letter which says my description
of the problem is unclear (not believable). They cited a list of
things for me to try (cleaning the heads, etc.), and, then to call a
number if the "issue" remains. The reason I don't think anyone
actually read my email is because the response makes no mention of the
term "white banding", which is how I described my problem and a real
person would have at least tried to explain to me how that could
happen with this printer. My description was clear and very
precise.

Anyway, I'll do the things they suggest and call the number
afterwards, but, I suspect they are going to want a fee up front,
which I will not pay, and, that will probably mean the printer is
junk. I'll repost after I get my final resolution.

I don't believe I am the first person to ever have these IP5000
printers printing with white band lines across the page - they really
ought to let their customers in on what causes things like this and
other defects to show up.

 

[Burt]

(snipped the troll)

I used the email option on the canon support website and they emailed
me back with what looks like a form letter which says my description
of the problem is unclear (not believable). They cited a list of
things for me to try (cleaning the heads, etc.), and, then to call a
number if the "issue" remains. The reason I don't think anyone
actually read my email is because the response makes no mention of the
term "white banding", which is how I described my problem and a real
person would have at least tried to explain to me how that could
happen with this printer. My description was clear and very
precise.

Anyway, I'll do the things they suggest and call the number
afterwards, but, I suspect they are going to want a fee up front,
which I will not pay, and, that will probably mean the printer is
junk. I'll repost after I get my final resolution.

I don't believe I am the first person to ever have these IP5000
printers printing with white band lines across the page - they really
ought to let their customers in on what causes things like this and
other defects to show up.

There is a very good thread on the Nifty-Stuff Forum (
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/) about this issue - check in, click the
FAQ link, and click the first item - what to do when your printer doesn't
print properly. First you should do a nozzle check. If you are using
aftermarket carts or refilling, you need to be sure that the carts are
feeding properly. There are several printhead cleaning techniques that you
will see in the thread I mentioned. Start with the least potentially
damaging one and move on from there. If the printhead is ok you might have
a problem with the contacts at the back of the printhead. The best place
for info on keeping a Canon printer working is on that Forum. Almost
anything anyone can tell you has already been covered there. Read the
pertinant threads first, and then if you have questions feel free to post
them.

The IP5000 is an excellent printer. My wife uses one and hasn't had a
minute's problem with it. I refill her carts for her with good quality
aftermarket ink that I buy online. All inkjet printers can have banding
problems, and the benefit of the Canons is that you can remove it to clean
it, and if it still malfunctions you can buy a replacement. The cleaning
techniques that work quite well are not documented by Canon, so it usually
doesn't do much good to request help from tech support. AND --- the last
person to take advice from is our resident misinformation specialist, the
troll Measekite.

 

[Burt]

I have called Canon Tech support and have always have a very positive
experience. They are among the best. If you are using Canon ink and
there is a problem they have sent me replacement cartridges.

It is true that a Canon OEM cart can be defective and not feed well. My
experience with Canon tech support was mediocre at best. The offshore tech
essentially led me through procedures that he read off a prepared script.
He didn't have a depth of knowledge beyond the script he was provided, and
he wasn't able to solve the problem.

What I am suggesting in directing you to the Nifty Stuff Forum is that there
are fixes that Canon does not document or disclosed when it comes to
problems with poorly feeding carts or problematic printheads. When it comes
to problem solving with inkjet printers or software problems I have always
been helped most by people on newsgroups or online forums and less so from
company tech support people. The only problem I have encountered on
unmoderated newsgroups such as this one is the occasional flamer or
irritating, misinforming troll.

 

[surface9]

What I am suggesting in directing you to the Nifty Stuff Forum is that there
are fixes that Canon does not document or disclosed when it comes to
problems with poorly feeding carts or problematic printheads.

Thanks, Burt, I will explore that site further - a cursory look didn't
show any mention of the kind of banding I am experiencing. What my
printer does is like taking a good printed page and then pasteing on
top of it thin (1/10 ") strips of white-out horizontally across the
page every inch or so, leaving "venitian-blind" like areas where
nothing got printed. I don't understand how a malfunctioning print
head could be so precise in its failure - every inch or so several
lines (or portions of a line) are simply not printed. That kind of
defect is usually caused by a roller (drum) that has a horizontal
defect that disrupts printing, but, with this inkjet, I don't see such
a roller and I can't imagine how this can happen - it happens with the
"test print" page as well. I really hope I can get to the bottom of
this - maybe I AM the only one who has experienced this kind of
precision banding. What a bumer, this printer has truly been my
favorite for the last 3 years while it performed flawlessly.

 

[Burt]

Thanks, Burt, I will explore that site further - a cursory look didn't
show any mention of the kind of banding I am experiencing. What my
printer does is like taking a good printed page and then pasteing on
top of it thin (1/10 ") strips of white-out horizontally across the
page every inch or so, leaving "venitian-blind" like areas where
nothing got printed. I don't understand how a malfunctioning print
head could be so precise in its failure - every inch or so several
lines (or portions of a line) are simply not printed. That kind of
defect is usually caused by a roller (drum) that has a horizontal
defect that disrupts printing, but, with this inkjet, I don't see such
a roller and I can't imagine how this can happen - it happens with the
"test print" page as well. I really hope I can get to the bottom of
this - maybe I AM the only one who has experienced this kind of
precision banding. What a bumer, this printer has truly been my
favorite for the last 3 years while it performed flawlessly.

Have you run a nozzle check, and is it normal? You are right that there is
no drum to produce repeated print defects as there is in a laser printer.
banding, however, does occur in a "venetion blind pattern" as the printhead
makes repeated horizontal passes for the length of the print. Is the defect
only when printing plain paper text pages? You would expect white bands
where a printhead defect for the black ink would not lay down ink in that
area. The black ink in the BCI-3ebk (large) cart which is used for plain
paper text printing is pigmented, and a clog in those nozzles is much more
difficult to clear. Photos? Usually, when you have banding on a multicolor
print such as a photo, the banding is the same pattern but a different color
from what you would expect to print. You can tell which color is defective
by looking at the opposite of the color wheel. If you pose this question on
the Nifty forum and possibly scan and upload a sample print, someone may be
able to help you diagnose the problem. Sometimes it is just a good cleaning
with techniques Canon doesn't tell you about that will fix the problem. If
you have used the printer extensively for three years you may be getting to
the end of the printhead life. If it is determined that the problem is the
printhead you can replace it. You can also experience problems with the
electrical contacts behind the printhead. The contacts on the printhead
itself must be absolutely clean and the springs that contact the printhead
in the carriage must be clean and not distorted. Other issues can be a
dirty timing strip or glitchy board.

 

[Hermanneke]

Are you running "Inksaver"?

Hermanneke.

Have you run a nozzle check, and is it normal? You are right that there
is no drum to produce repeated print defects as there is in a laser
printer. banding, however, does occur in a "venetion blind pattern" as the
printhead makes repeated horizontal passes for the length of the print.
Is the defect only when printing plain paper text pages? You would expect
white bands where a printhead defect for the black ink would not lay down
ink in that area. The black ink in the BCI-3ebk (large) cart which is
used for plain paper text printing is pigmented, and a clog in those
nozzles is much more difficult to clear. Photos? Usually, when you have
banding on a multicolor print such as a photo, the banding is the same
pattern but a different color from what you would expect to print. You
can tell which color is defective by looking at the opposite of the color
wheel. If you pose this question on the Nifty forum and possibly scan and
upload a sample print, someone may be able to help you diagnose the
problem. Sometimes it is just a good cleaning with techniques Canon
doesn't tell you about that will fix the problem. If you have used the
printer extensively for three years you may be getting to the end of the
printhead life. If it is determined that the problem is the printhead you
can replace it. You can also experience problems with the electrical
contacts behind the printhead. The contacts on the printhead itself must
be absolutely clean and the springs that contact the printhead in the
carriage must be clean and not distorted. Other issues can be a dirty
timing strip or glitchy board.

 

[surface9]

Well to my suprise the fix was very easy. When you select properties
on this printer you have a tab called "maintenance", and it has a
button for "cleaning" and one for "deep cleaning". When I executed
"cleaning", it actually made it better but I could still see banding,
though thinner. After I executed "deep cleaning", the pages came out
clean and with NO banding at all. That was so easy. Since I never
had any trouble with this printer I hadn't ever explored its
properties so now I feel like a dumb bunny, but, I am so glad to see
how easy it was to fix the problem. The only warning it gave me was
that cleaning used up ink, so, I may have to purchase cartridges
sooner. I don't mind that at all. This has been a very good printer
and I am glad to see it is still printing as good as always.

Sooner or later I guess I'll have to look into changing the print
heads, but, maybe not for a while yet. I'll have this thread to
review when that time comes - thanks for the help.

 

[Charlie+]

underneath my scribble :

The first posters replying to your OP told you what to do about 5 days ago - why
didnt you do it then? - 5 minute job done.
Ive' been reading your thread in wonderment!

 

[surface9]

underneath my scribble :

The first posters replying to your OP told you what to do about 5 days ago - why
didnt you do it then? - 5 minute job done.
Ive' been reading your thread in wonderment!

I mistakenly assumed I would have to physically go inside the unit to
clean the print heads by blowing them out or something - it is all
done via software and that just sounded too good to be true. I
learned my lesson this time. It made me feel rather stupid (or
stupidly stubborn and cynical) when I saw it clear up after clicking
"deep cleaning", but, I still can't understand how this all works. If
I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't believe it. I was embroiled in
a battle with myself as to whether or not I wanted to take it apart
and find the defective "rollers" that would produce clean crisp white
bands - that sounded logical but this time I was just getting ahead of
myself - the folks at canon figured out a better way, so, I am wiser
now, and happier also.

 

[Burt]

I mistakenly assumed I would have to physically go inside the unit to
clean the print heads by blowing them out or something - it is all
done via software and that just sounded too good to be true. I
learned my lesson this time. It made me feel rather stupid (or
stupidly stubborn and cynical) when I saw it clear up after clicking
"deep cleaning", but, I still can't understand how this all works. If
I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't believe it. I was embroiled in
a battle with myself as to whether or not I wanted to take it apart
and find the defective "rollers" that would produce clean crisp white
bands - that sounded logical but this time I was just getting ahead of
myself - the folks at canon figured out a better way, so, I am wiser
now, and happier also.

The printer does a cleaning routine periodically, based on how much printing
you do and how long the time interval is between printer use. When you
empty a cartridge and put in a new one the printer also runs a cleaning
routine. The way these cleaning routines work is that there is a little
vacuum pump inside the printer that applies a slight vacuum and pulls ink
from the carts into and through the printhead. This ink disolves dried ink
from the channels of the printhead in the case of the clog and primes the
cart in the case of installing a new one to replace an emptied cart. There
can be times when a clog is more stubborn and can't be cleared with the
software cleaning routines. You then have to go to one of the undocumented
techniques that I mentioned. I'm sorry that I failed to reinforce the need
to first try a cleaning or deep cleaning. I've dealt with these issues for
several years and overlooked the simplest, first thing to do as I assumed
everyone knew to do that first!

 

[Gene West]

Hi Surface9,

I see the same regular banding as yuo are describing. A light gray band
every 7 mm or so from the 3eBK Cartridge. I don't think it has anything
to do with the nozzle (I even cleaned it under running water as
described elsewhere,- made no difference!).

Regards

I also have that banding problem on my Canon IP4000. It is too regular
to be the print head. It is present on the Draft and the Standard modes
but not on the High Mode. The High mode looks perfect. For now, I am
using the High Mode when needing good copy.

I believe, but don't really know, that the cause is the direction of the
print head when laying down the ink. The 2 modes that have it are fast
when printing while the High mode takes several passes and is
significantly slower.

I also do not think it is the print head and don't have a clue on how to
fix it. Maybe there is a S/W reset somewhere. I will be searching
Google for ideas.

Geneo

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I'm not familiar with this exact model so I don't know the depth of the
head. 7mm does sound like one nozzle area on the head however.

While it is true High mode may go over the same area with several
passes, on Canon printers, the head has several different nozzle sizes
with each head, so high mode may not be using the same nozzles as medium
or draft would, and this may be why the problem appears in one
resolution but not another.

However, either way, I suspect the problem is one or more clogged or
partially clogged head nozzles.

I do have a small cleaning manual for the Canon inkjet printers which I
can send you upon private mail request.

To ask for one email the address below. Please indicate the brand and
model of printer involved.

To contact me, email at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org

(at) = @
(dot) = .


Art

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I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

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