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Author Topic: Problems with my Canon i9900  (Read 3665 times)

fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« on: October 21, 2009, 08:16:42 pm »

Hello All!

I just joined the forum hoping to get some assistance on fixing my Canon i9900 printer. Ive owned this thing for several yrs without any issues until a few weeks ago, when I tried printing a portrait for my neighbor I kept getting some banding. After giving the printhead a thorough cleaning, someone on another forum asked if I had purged my carts recently that I may have a flow problem....bingo.
I popped in some brand new carts and I was back in business, until I nitpicked the print I was seeking to print out earlier. Looking more closely, I could still see some mild banding, well, during my search for troubleshooting the problem I remembered reading something about doing an extensive nozzle check pattern via putting the printer into "Service Test Mode".
And there lies the start of all my problems. In a nutshell, even tho the test came out well and gave me some information I was seeking, I havent been able to get a normal image since.

Im including a picture of what Im getting out of the printer, would appreciate if anyone has had this or similiar problematic type print and what they did to correct it.


« Last Edit: October 21, 2009, 08:18:32 pm by fortisi876 »
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Deepsouth

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2009, 06:45:45 am »

Hi,
I have had a Canon S9000 and now a Pixma Pro9500. Both of these, and the i9900, are a little too consumer for most of the readers of the forum. Not meant as a cut, just a fact. This forum rarely touches 13 inch carriage machines like ours.

I had a similar problem with the S9000 and it was a bad head. Sorry to be bearer of bad news. I suggest given the age of the i9900 you not repair it but consider a newer Canon and maybe one with a 17 inch carriage. The 13 inch machines fall into a kind of limbo. The 9500 is too complicated for casual users but it is too small for the true "prosumer" market that has moved on to 17 and 24 inch machines. The aftermarket and user web-based support for these bigger machines is extensive, as  a reading of this forum indicates. The high-end 13 inch machines are not well supported by their makers and the amount of web support is small.

If want to discuss 13 inch machines with me you're welcome to. There are a few other owners on this forum as well. I mainly lurk here to learn and dream of a bigger machine, someday.
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Gemmtech

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2009, 06:47:06 am »

Did you do print a nozzle check pattern?  After 3 deep cleanings in a row they usually are toast if they don't open up.  


#6  Print a Nozzle Check Pattern to determine if further cleaning is necessary. If the nozzle test does not improve after three deep print head cleanings and the ink tanks are installed properly, the print head may need to be replaced.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controll...upportDetailAct

Just an FYI, we've had to replace the heads on ALL of our Canons at some point.

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fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2009, 11:27:02 pm »

Thnx for the replies guys........I'll probably give it another go this w/e.
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Deepsouth

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2009, 11:53:37 am »

Quote from: fortisi876
Thnx for the replies guys........I'll probably give it another go this w/e.


I had to replace the head on my S9000 after 6 months, and after another 3 years it went out again, so I moved up to the 9500. I have not heard anything about print head longevity of the 9500s, which use pigment inks. The best way to prolong the life of the heads is to simply use the printer, even if only to print a nozzle check pattern once a month. BTW, the 9500 asks users to run a tank agitation routine once a week to keep the pigment in suspension.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2009, 11:55:41 am by Deepsouth »
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fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2009, 11:37:58 pm »

Yea, I kinda wish someone just would write a simple printer utility type program that would run on a scheduled maintenance where it'd just print a nozzle check or even a print that you choose once/wk. That would help alleviate so many inkjet clogs. All too often we get so involved with what life is throwing at us that we forget to do the simple things to avoid a headache.

I actually had a brand new Epson 1400 sitting in my basement from some credit I had with them, had to use it before losing it. Now that I have experience with two similar printers, I'm kinda missing the Canon already. LOL!  It prints very well, but Im noticing on some prints it seems to kill skin tones. I know 99% of the ppl out there will ask did I calibrate it.......I guess I was lucky cuz with the Canon I never needed to, I found the perfect profile for it and the paper I use and never blinked once about it's performance.

Im just feeling suspect about the head being damaged since it did print well just before performing that 'extended nozzle check'.....if I cant get it work properly this w/e, I'll just have to keep an eye out for a used printer in good working order, this way if it's not the printhead I'll have a donor printer to grab parts from.
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Deepsouth

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2009, 08:11:17 am »

Quote from: fortisi876
Yea, I kinda wish someone just would write a simple printer utility type program that would run on a scheduled maintenance where it'd just print a nozzle check or even a print that you choose once/wk. That would help alleviate so many inkjet clogs. All too often we get so involved with what life is throwing at us that we forget to do the simple things to avoid a headache.

I actually had a brand new Epson 1400 sitting in my basement from some credit I had with them, had to use it before losing it. Now that I have experience with two similar printers, I'm kinda missing the Canon already. LOL!  It prints very well, but Im noticing on some prints it seems to kill skin tones. I know 99% of the ppl out there will ask did I calibrate it.......I guess I was lucky cuz with the Canon I never needed to, I found the perfect profile for it and the paper I use and never blinked once about it's performance.

Im just feeling suspect about the head being damaged since it did print well just before performing that 'extended nozzle check'.....if I cant get it work properly this w/e, I'll just have to keep an eye out for a used printer in good working order, this way if it's not the printhead I'll have a donor printer to grab parts from.

The extended nozzle check is like a treadmill cardiac stress test...it can diagnose a problem or push a marginal head over the edge into failure. Canon's technology is to use tiny heaters to melt an opening just long enough for a droplet to go through. Epson uses piezoelectric valves. The Epson seems to last longer, but are more prone to head clogs, at least they were with the earlier generation of dye inks. The Canons rarely actually clog, they just fail. We are a Canon-centric family and our experiences with Epson dye ink printers of days past were not positive ones. However, the new generation of Epsons get rave reviews, like the one of the 3880 Michael just published.
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fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2009, 03:24:22 pm »

Quote from: Deepsouth
The extended nozzle check is like a treadmill cardiac stress test...it can diagnose a problem or push a marginal head over the edge into failure. Canon's technology is to use tiny heaters to melt an opening just long enough for a droplet to go through. Epson uses piezoelectric valves. The Epson seems to last longer, but are more prone to head clogs, at least they were with the earlier generation of dye inks. The Canons rarely actually clog, they just fail. We are a Canon-centric family and our experiences with Epson dye ink printers of days past were not positive ones. However, the new generation of Epsons get rave reviews, like the one of the 3880 Michael just published.
Thnx for the info/advice.....I didnt realize an extended nozzle check could actually do harm.....will definitely keep an eye out for a printhead on eBay.....I remember them being around $75 at one point now they're up over $100. If you have a good source with a fair price please do let me know about it.

Thnx again!
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Tony B.

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2009, 08:10:06 pm »

One thing you might try that has fixed issues with a few of my canon desktop printers, including my i9900.

Remove the printhead and clean the contacts on the printhead and the printer.  Just wipe them with a lint free cloth.

I had this fix two issues (not at the same time) with my i9900. 1st was when first purchased it did not print any green at all and cleaning the contacts fixed the issue.  Then I started getting streaks that multiple cleanings and new cartridges did not fix.  I cleaned the contacts knowing I would need a new printhead and it actually fixed the issue.  I was surprised at that one.

Just something to try prior to buying a printhead.

Tony
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Deepsouth

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2009, 11:08:12 am »

Quote from: Tony B.
One thing you might try that has fixed issues with a few of my canon desktop printers, including my i9900.

Remove the printhead and clean the contacts on the printhead and the printer.  Just wipe them with a lint free cloth.

I had this fix two issues (not at the same time) with my i9900. 1st was when first purchased it did not print any green at all and cleaning the contacts fixed the issue.  Then I started getting streaks that multiple cleanings and new cartridges did not fix.  I cleaned the contacts knowing I would need a new printhead and it actually fixed the issue.  I was surprised at that one.

Just something to try prior to buying a printhead.

Tony

That is good advice. I had forgotten that we had tried that, but, for our situation, it didn't work. However it is a zero cost fix if it does work.

I have not really looked for aftermarket Canon parts, and I'm under the impression that Canon is it. I don't know whether printer mfrs offload their old parts to other retailers, which is true of some other industries where one can find New Old Stock (NOS) parts long after the item in question has been orphaned by the mfr.
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fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2009, 08:44:32 pm »

Well, I tinkered with it some more last night, while wiped the contacts on both sides with an alcohol wipe before trying anything else and I got a better print but far from fixed.



Thnx for the input guys!
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 08:45:20 pm by fortisi876 »
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fortisi876

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2009, 09:48:17 pm »

Tony- THANK YOU for that advice!!!!

I gave it another try this evening with a lintfree cloth as you suggested in the first place and it appears to be functioning as it should be. Thnx!
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Tony B.

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Problems with my Canon i9900
« Reply #12 on: October 27, 2009, 05:00:55 am »

I am glad it worked for you.

Tony
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