In article CGkTd.4642$38.3289@clgrps12, says...
The Canon head is usually referred to as a semi-permanent head, in that
it lasts several or even many cartridges. It is not a regular
consumable, and it's cost is an indication of that, however, it will
eventually fail, as the nature of thermal heads is to break down over
time with use.

Epson heads should, at least in theory, last for the life of the
printer. Some do fail due to what I believe to be a design flaw. That
majority will give you many years of printing, although they may require
cleaning to keep them from clogging.

Art



Being a user of Canon printers for a VERY long time, (since before the BJC-
600) I may have something to contribute:

Going back to the S8## printer series and continuing into the i950, i960 all
the way to the ip3000/4000 et al, a sudden lack of a certain color in the
printout that doesnt seem to clear up after repeated head cleanings can
sometimes be cured this way:

1. Remove ink cartridges

2. Wet a swab with distilled water and Ammonia (about 2 to 5 % mix is good)

3. Carefully, VERY carefully clean the area around the ink-inlet hole in the
catridge holder.. DO NOT CLEAN THE INTAKE HOLE THIS WAY!!!! just the area
around it.

4. Using an eye-dropper or small syringe drip ONE DROP of the water/Ammonia
onto the intake hole.

5. Re-assemble with good, full cartridges.

6. Run a few cleaning cycles.

After doing this there is a good chance the printer will return to full
functionality.

It appears that after a half dozen or so cartridge changes, enough inky
"crud" can build up around the intake and prevent a good "seal" at the
cartridge/mount interface (seems to be rubber), thus allowing the print-head
to get air along with the ink. For some reason this seems to happen around
the "Magenta" intake more than others (at least for me).

I hope someone finds this helpfull.




--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.