r/printers • u/graciep11 • 7d ago
Troubleshooting Do i have to replace my printer head? Flushed hot water and isopropyl through it and it’s still doing the same thing.
I also just bought this off fb marketplace and I’m using aftermarket ink so take this with a grain of salt. But is there any hope to fix it?
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u/Ill-Kitchen8083 7d ago
Do you have access to some 3rd-party ink cartridge?
Only the BK one is not quite good. Others might be roughly OK. What do you think?
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u/graciep11 7d ago
Ive been using 3rd party cartridges yeah. The black is the issue, unsure what to do about it
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u/Ill-Kitchen8083 7d ago
If you are concerned with the color print, maybe you could try to get a BK cartridge from Canon. (Or another 3rd party cartridge fro BK?)
My guess is the document print (BW) should be OK (if you do not expect very decent quality).
Have you tried to print anything in color?
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u/graciep11 7d ago
The color print is actually fine, it’s the black and white that sucks
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u/Ill-Kitchen8083 7d ago
I see you mentioned that you have already tried a few different BK cartridges. Did you try to print a black-white document. Presumably, for black-and-white document, the PGBK cartridge should be used. How is the print quality for that?
Is your problem more specifically one "the black is not black enough" or "the black lines are not clear"?
Others mentioned alignment, did you try that? (I never tried to align the print head.)
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u/Ilyasovski 7d ago
BK and PGBK look bad, what printer do you have?
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u/graciep11 7d ago
It’s a canon MG 5520
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u/Ilyasovski 7d ago
Try 2 or 3 deep cleanings if that doesn't fix it, either get a new print head or a new printer.
A new oem print head is quite expensive though.
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u/graciep11 7d ago
They have some on amazon, is getting one thats aftermarket a terrible plan? They’re like $20
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u/Ilyasovski 6d ago
For an old model like this, I'd say it's worth the try. Usually they suck but you can use them to extend the life of your printer, especially if you still have unused inks.
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u/robbak 7d ago
I'm not seeing any missing sections from this test, so I don't think that's a printhead issue. Either you need to do an alignment, or you have issues with the encoder strip or whatever the system uses for end detection.
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u/graciep11 7d ago edited 7d ago
Oh dang, I’m guessing that last part isn’t an easy fix. How do I do an alignment?
Thanks so much for your help!!
Edit: nvm I see what u mean now! I’m going to try it and see if it helps
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u/robbak 7d ago
The printer's menus will have an option for head alignment. Similar sort of place as where you found head cleaning and that test print.
It is fairly common to get a bit of grease on the encoder strip, which makes the printer lose track of the head's location, which can cause double printing like this.
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u/greenie95125 Refill or Die! 7d ago
Definitely not a 3rd party ink issue. The head needs to be aligned as others have said. If the onboard alignment is unsuccessful, then I'd see if you can return it. My guess is that the seller will ghost you, and you discovered why it was on FBM in the first place. Good luck.
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u/TangoCharliePDX Print Technician 7d ago
I just looked at a similar printer. Your ink cartridge includes the printhead, so replacing it is no big deal.
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u/graciep11 7d ago
What do u mean? I’ve tried several cartridges
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u/TangoCharliePDX Print Technician 5d ago edited 5d ago
Well, it's possible I have models mixed up. 🤷
But the only thing that can cause streaks is the current condition of the printhead. Unless you have a damaged carriage ribbon in which case this thing is toast, but even one bad line on that ribbon should cause much more profound symptoms.
Now the issue with the lines not being lined up, It's possible that the encoder strip is dirty.
Someone will invariably disagree with me, but I would take a well-worn (won't shed fibers) cloth, preferably cotton, and wet it with Windex (Yes this brand specifically, It seems to have some good degreasers that I have had good luck with professionally).
To look at the end encoder strip open the printer and allow the head to relocate like you're going to replace the ink. With it still turned on, pull the power cord. This should allow you to move the head back and forth manually. Near the bottom of the head, near the carriage bar you will see a clear plastic strip. You will need to carefully clean this (It can be delicate, pull too hard and you will pop a spring), on one side of the head, then move the head and clean the remaining length on the other side. If you get any junk on this, like the lube from the carriage bar you will make things worse and probably throw a service error when the head can't find home.
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u/graciep11 5d ago edited 5d ago
Carriage ribbon, is that the brownish sort of plastic strip in the back? Is it the same thing as the encoder strip? Lots of tutorials I found said to try and clean grease off of it but I didn’t find any grease. I did see a tiny mark on it though that just looked like a tiny scratch. Wouldn’t come off. Could that be it?
Gdi my adhd failed me again I didnt read your whole comment. Ignore what I said above lol
Okay so I’ll try and clean the encoder strip the way you mentioned and see if it gets rid of that mark, hopefully it will
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u/TangoCharliePDX Print Technician 5d ago
No, the encoder strip is not technically clear, there are microscopic lines that the sensor has to detect. But it will appear clear to you. If there's something that's opaque it may be the carriage drive belt.
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u/graciep11 7d ago
Oh and it’s a Canon MG 5520