Canon ipf8400 printhead replacment- alignment question

[gchappel]

I just got the dreaded right printhead error message on my ipf8400.   
First time.   New printhead arrives today.
I have read the manual, and the replacement looks straightforward. 
My question is-
Does the printer automatically perform a head alignment, or do I need to do that manually?
What paper should I use?  I do not have any of the canon "adjustment" paper.
Thanks for the help
Gary

[Geraldo Garcia]

If I remember correctly it runs the alignment automatically. One time I had the new head at hand when the error occurred and forgot to remove the paper the paper I was printing from the printer. As soon as I finished the head replacement the printer did its alignment on a 44" roll of Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta.  So, remove any paper from the printer before the replacement and it will ask you to load a paper for the alignment. I always have a 17" roll of cheap smooth glossy RC photo paper around to run this kind of alignment and other tests.

One advice: Buy another spare head and have it at hand. The other head usually goes bad a month or two after the first.

Good luck.

[gchappel]

Thanks
I was wondering about the other head.  I figured if I did not buy one, the left would go bad the next day.
If I did buy an extra, it would print for months. 
I was only down for 2 days- so for me not a big deal.  But thanks for the heads up- I will expect the other one to go soon.
Gary

[David Eckels]

Having just replaced both printheads, I second what Geraldo said. Left failed first, right failed two days later after only 3 or 4 prints.

[Landscapes]

At the same time, you also have to consider that Canon will only warranty the 1 year from the time you buy it, not from when its installed.  So if you happen to get a bad head lets say that doesn't last long, it might be out of warranty if you don't have to install it for months.

[Geraldo Garcia]

At the same time, you also have to consider that Canon will only warranty the 1 year from the time you buy it, not from when its installed.  So if you happen to get a bad head lets say that doesn't last long, it might be out of warranty if you don't have to install it for months.

That is not what a Canon sales manager told me here in Brazil. He specifically said that the heads are considered consumable so the warranty (here) is only six months... BUT the time only counts from the day you install the head. They need a log file generated by the printer to prove it. He said this is the standard Canon policy, but the warranty period may vary from country to country.
Of course he may be wrong, but that is what he told me.

Regards.

[tr4driver]

I just got the dreaded right printhead error message on my ipf8400.   
First time.   New printhead arrives today.
I have read the manual, and the replacement looks straightforward. 
My question is-
Does the printer automatically perform a head alignment, or do I need to do that manually?
What paper should I use?  I do not have any of the canon "adjustment" paper.
Thanks for the help
Gary

One other piece of advice, if you have any ink cartridges that are showing lower levels, have replacements on hand!  And definitely replace any that show a low ink warning prior to starting the process.  The head replacement process consumes a lot of ink.  If you run out of ink in a cartridge during the process, it will abort and start all over when you replace the cartridge.  I had two ink cartridges run out that had not yet given the low ink warning when I started the head replacement process.  That means it aborted and restarted twice.  I also had to replace my waste tank, and it went from new to 40% used during the process!  I hate to think how much ink I actually went through, and I'm dreading the next time I have to deal with it.  I would guess that the cost of the head is only about 1/2 to 2/3 the total cost of the replacement.

Kurt

[mcpix]

Canon recommends running the alignment on the paper you use the most, which for me is Epson Luster. After the head alignment it's good to run a calibration test. There are some papers that Canon says not to use for this test, one of which is Epson Luster, so I switch to the roll of coated paper that came with the printer.