i950 will not print

I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a slight
streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using maintenance it got a
little better. I decided to take the heads off and use a damp paper towel I
placed against it to see if it cleaned it better. I tried this 3 or 4 times,
and it was getting better. However, the forth time I put it back on the
printer it didn't print anything at all, nothing. I assumed it was me that
ruined the head so I ordered a new one directly from Canon (cheaper that
anywhere else on the Net that I could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing as
it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no
reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just to
make sure it wasn't it.

Tony

Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a slight
streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using maintenance it got a
little better. I decided to take the heads off and use a damp paper towel I
placed against it to see if it cleaned it better. I tried this 3 or 4 times,
and it was getting better. However, the forth time I put it back on the
printer it didn't print anything at all, nothing. I assumed it was me that
ruined the head so I ordered a new one directly from Canon (cheaper that
anywhere else on the Net that I could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing as
it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no
reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just to
make sure it wasn't it.

Tony

Canon brand all the time. I removed the tanks, and the head, nothing to it,
as I have done before. Tanks full, new head from Canon. Not even signs of
ink on the other side of the head. The printer goes trough the process as if
it were printing.

"measekite" wrote in message
t...
Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a
slight streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using
maintenance it got a little better. I decided to take the heads off and
use a damp paper towel I placed against it to see if it cleaned it
better. I tried this 3 or 4 times, and it was getting better. However,
the forth time I put it back on the printer it didn't print anything at
all, nothing. I assumed it was me that ruined the head so I ordered a new
one directly from Canon (cheaper that anywhere else on the Net that I
could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing
as it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no
reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just
to make sure it wasn't it.

Tony

It wouldn't matter if you did use quality non-OEM inks. Ink apparently
isn't the cause of your problem as is the case with 99.9% of all printer
errors. You might want to check the contacts for the print head but it
sounds like something more serious. It might be time for a new printer.
The good thing is that printers are relatively inexpensive nowadays
since their prices are subsidized by the outrageous cost of OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
Canon brand all the time. I removed the tanks, and the head, nothing to it,
as I have done before. Tanks full, new head from Canon. Not even signs of
ink on the other side of the head. The printer goes trough the process as if
it were printing.

"measekite" wrote in message
t...
Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a
slight streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using
maintenance it got a little better. I decided to take the heads off and
use a damp paper towel I placed against it to see if it cleaned it
better. I tried this 3 or 4 times, and it was getting better. However,
the forth time I put it back on the printer it didn't print anything at
all, nothing. I assumed it was me that ruined the head so I ordered a new
one directly from Canon (cheaper that anywhere else on the Net that I
could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing
as it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no
reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just
to make sure it wasn't it.

Tony

"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
It wouldn't matter if you did use quality non-OEM inks. Ink apparently
isn't the cause of your problem as is the case with 99.9% of all printer
errors. You might want to check the contacts for the print head but it
sounds like something more serious. It might be time for a new printer.
The good thing is that printers are relatively inexpensive nowadays
since their prices are subsidized by the outrageous cost of OEM ink.

This printer model has a user replaceable print head so no need to rush out
to replace the whole printer. But a little bit of investigation and
deductive reasoning might explain why the printer stopped working
completely.

First, wiping the print head with a paper towel pushes fibers into the jet
openings which will certainly clog it. The method I have used is soaking the
print head in warm water for several minutes and then lightly blotting it
dry. I never wipe across the jet openings as this ruins the print head.
Another problem might be the print head has an air bubble trapped in it. I
always avoid turning a print head upside-down while handling it. If it gets
an air bubble trapped in it, then it will need primed by pressurizing the
ink tanks with a syringe. It's a very messy process but it works for me.

--
Todd Vargo
(Post questions to group only. Remove "z" to email personal messages)

Michael Johnson wrote:
It wouldn't matter if you did use quality non-OEM inks.
There is none and it is very difficult to tell if one is better than the
other because there are no brands to follow in the market place.
Ink apparently isn't the cause of your problem as is the case with
99.9% of all printer errors. You might want to check the contacts for
the print head but it sounds like something more serious. It might be
time for a new printer. The good thing is that printers are
relatively inexpensive nowadays since their prices are subsidized by
the outrageous cost of OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
Canon brand all the time. I removed the tanks, and the head, nothing
to it, as I have done before. Tanks full, new head from Canon. Not
even signs of ink on the other side of the head. The printer goes
trough the process as if it were printing.

"measekite" wrote in message
t...
Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a
slight streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using
maintenance it got a little better. I decided to take the heads off
and use a damp paper towel I placed against it to see if it cleaned
it better. I tried this 3 or 4 times, and it was getting better.
However, the forth time I put it back on the printer it didn't
print anything at all, nothing. I assumed it was me that ruined the
head so I ordered a new one directly from Canon (cheaper that
anywhere else on the Net that I could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely
nothing as it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I
see no reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the
drivers just to make sure it wasn't it.

Tony

"Alpha One" wrote:
Canon brand all the time. I removed the tanks, and the head, nothing to it,
as I have done before. Tanks full, new head from Canon. Not even signs of
ink on the other side of the head. The printer goes trough the process as if
it were printing.

"measekite" wrote in message
et...
Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink.

Alpha One wrote:
I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a
slight streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using
maintenance it got a little better. I decided to take the heads off and
use a damp paper towel I placed against it to see if it cleaned it
better. I tried this 3 or 4 times, and it was getting better. However,
the forth time I put it back on the printer it didn't print anything at
all, nothing. I assumed it was me that ruined the head so I ordered a new
one directly from Canon (cheaper that anywhere else on the Net that I
could find).
The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing
as it was with the old one.
Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no
reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just
to make sure it wasn't it.

Tony



Tony
Regrettably I suspect the purge unit has failed.
This unit is the part that flushes the printheads during a printhead cleaning
operation, it does so by applying suction to the printhead. Without that
suction your new printhead cannot be primed and will produce no, or at best
very little, output.
Purge units can be difficult to replace but not always. Having said that I
don't know exactly how easy or hard it is to replace the purge unit in this
model. The service manual for the i950 is fairly pathetic, the parts manual
gives more information than the service manual. The part number for the prurge
unit is QG4-0303-000.
If you decide to take the plunge and buy a purge unit please e-mail me, I will
provide any help I can.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

Tony wrote:

"Alpha One" wrote:



Canon brand all the time. I removed the tanks, and the head, nothing to it, as I have done before. Tanks full, new head from Canon. Not even signs of ink on the other side of the head. The printer goes trough the process as if it were printing. "measekite" wrote in message ...



Are you currently using and have you always used Canon OEM ink. Alpha One wrote:



I have a Canon i950 printer that was working very well except for a slight streaking. After I cleaned the head several times using maintenance it got a little better. I decided to take the heads off and use a damp paper towel I placed against it to see if it cleaned it better. I tried this 3 or 4 times, and it was getting better. However, the forth time I put it back on the printer it didn't print anything at all, nothing. I assumed it was me that ruined the head so I ordered a new one directly from Canon (cheaper that anywhere else on the Net that I could find). The problem is that with the brand new one it prints absolutely nothing as it was with the old one. Any idea what it could be? The printer should be working fine, I see no reason for it not to be. I also removed and reinstalled the drivers just to make sure it wasn't it. Tony



Tony Regrettably I suspect the purge unit has failed. This unit is the part that flushes the printheads during a printhead cleaning operation, it does so by applying suction to the printhead. Without that suction your new printhead cannot be primed and will produce no, or at best very little, output. Purge units can be difficult to replace but not always. Having said that I don't know exactly how easy or hard it is to replace the purge unit in this model. The service manual for the i950 is fairly pathetic, the parts manual gives more information than the service manual. The part number for the prurge unit is QG4-0303-000. If you decide to take the plunge and buy a purge unit please e-mail me, I will provide any help I can. Tony MS MVP Printing/Imaging


Why would he waste his time and do that when he can get a new IP4300 relatively inexpensive and have a better unit than he now has.

You were right, the purge unit failed. After I read your message, I looked
at the unit and I noticed that the rubber which forms a seal with the print
head was ripped just a litle on the edge. I used a thiny amound of gasket
compound to close the ripp, let it dry 24 hours, and it worked, it prints
again. Now I have to get the gusket, I don't trust my repair. Thank you very
much.

Tony



Tony
Regrettably I suspect the purge unit has failed.
This unit is the part that flushes the printheads during a printhead
cleaning
operation, it does so by applying suction to the printhead. Without that
suction your new printhead cannot be primed and will produce no, or at
best
very little, output.
Purge units can be difficult to replace but not always. Having said that I
don't know exactly how easy or hard it is to replace the purge unit in
this
model. The service manual for the i950 is fairly pathetic, the parts
manual
gives more information than the service manual. The part number for the
prurge
unit is QG4-0303-000.
If you decide to take the plunge and buy a purge unit please e-mail me, I
will
provide any help I can.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

You are very welcome.
The repair may hold for quite some time but at least you know what you need if
it fails again.
A lot better than throwing away a very good printer!
Tony


"Alpha One" wrote:
You were right, the purge unit failed. After I read your message, I looked
at the unit and I noticed that the rubber which forms a seal with the print
head was ripped just a litle on the edge. I used a thiny amound of gasket
compound to close the ripp, let it dry 24 hours, and it worked, it prints
again. Now I have to get the gusket, I don't trust my repair. Thank you very
much.

Tony



Tony
Regrettably I suspect the purge unit has failed.
This unit is the part that flushes the printheads during a printhead
cleaning
operation, it does so by applying suction to the printhead. Without that
suction your new printhead cannot be primed and will produce no, or at
best
very little, output.
Purge units can be difficult to replace but not always. Having said that I
don't know exactly how easy or hard it is to replace the purge unit in
this
model. The service manual for the i950 is fairly pathetic, the parts
manual
gives more information than the service manual. The part number for the
prurge
unit is QG4-0303-000.
If you decide to take the plunge and buy a purge unit please e-mail me, I
will
provide any help I can.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging