Canon Bubblejet Printer Problems

Take out the cartridge that you want cleaned. Find that hole that ink comes out of, squeeze the cartridge until ink comes out of that hole - actually drips. Put it back in the machine, clean it at least FOUR times. Usually on the fourth time for some reason, it works. Just clean the one that you think needs cleaning.

Canon BJC 600 problems

I have found that sometimes the BJC 600 series gets confused and needs to be reinitialized. If you haven't already done so, unplug it from the wall, wait 60 seconds for the internal supply capacitors to completely discharge, then plug it back in and try again. When you remove it from the AC line it goes through a complete warm up cycle and resets itself.

Also, the contacts that mate with the print head are notorious for oxidizing. You might want to carefully clean them (lightly) with a pencil eraser and some isopropyl.

If these remedies don't work, the Canon 1-800 number will put you in touch with their tech department, and they are really quite good at determining what the problem is over the phone.

hen I was working on printers, we'd see a few of the 600s in with corrosion on the ribbon cable end under the printhead. NewKote apparently had a venting problem with their copykat ink cartridges, where in some situations ink would spurt (leak? drip?) and somehow corrode the ribbon cable.

I never tried to replace one and see if it could actually be repaired with just the cable, but I did try vigorously cleaning the cable end: no conclusive repair.

BJC 600 print head error - lights flashing

"Upon powering up the printer the two lights flash indicating a print head error. However by cleaning the electrical contacts (with alcohol) on both the print head and the printer the printer works temporarily. Within a day or two the problem resurfaces. When the printer does print it prints excellent quality. The nozzles seem to be is good working order."

Although printhead failures are common on the 600 series, so is failure of the ribbon cable to the printhead. This is an acknowledged problem from Canon, when aftermarket ink reservoirs are used (i.e. Pirana or NewKote). Somehow the ink gets up to the cable/printhead interface and corrodes it. When I was working on them (about 18 months ago) Canon and NewKote were pointing fingers at each other. It appeared to be a reservoir venting problem.

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How To Set Up Wireless Printer Network

With an increasing number of printers offering wireless connectivity, the opportunity for end users have never been more plentiful. Often times installing a wireless printer is simple and hassle-free. Here are a few simple steps to ensure success.

Location, Location, Location - Anyone who has used a laptop with some form of wireless connectivity such as Wi-Fi has undoubtedly had some frustrations with the connection at one point or another. In addition to the factors related to the signal, it is important to consider placing it in a location that is easily accessible for more than just one person as well as space for things like ink and paper. In a office setting, the printer should be paired with a computer that can serve as the printer server.

Wireless Technology Choices - When thinking about the setup, you also have choices, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. More and more printers are being introduced with Wi-Fi technology, and it has a larger range than Bluetooth capable machines. If your printer did not come with that technology built-in, you can buy a wireless card to plug into the USB port of your printer.

Getting Ready to Share - In order to share a network printer, you have to change settings in operating system on the machine serving as the printer server. This is accomplished in Windows Vista through going to the Control Panel and then activating file and printer sharing in the LAN (local area network) settings.

Sharing the Printer - In addition to setting up the sharing centrally, sharing must be set up on all the PCs that will be connecting the wireless printer. In Vista, the easiest thing to do is to go into Control Panel, switch over to the classic view, and then select Printers. Find the appropriate printer and select Properties. Once in Properties, select the box that allows the printer to be a shared device.

Troubleshooting your Wireless Printer - As was mentioned above, wireless connectivity can sometimes be very suspect at best. It is important then to have someone or have multiple people monitor the strength and status of the connection often. If it seems that one spot is especially troublesome, you may have to consider moving the printer.

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Ways to Improve the Speed of Your Printer

1.     Print Quality – If you are sick of waiting for your output to inch slowly out of the printer, one easy solution is to change your printer’s output settings. Methods will vary slightly by model, but basically go to the “Print” application in any program, and then look for properties. Select the appropriate tab such as “Paper/Output” or “Main”, and choose the “Draft” mode. You can set this permanently through the “Printers and Faxes” box in Windows XP by following the same steps.

2.     Fitting More on a Page – If you can stand the smaller output, you can reduce the printing time in half by printing two pages on a single sheet of paper (both on the same side, not duplexed). This method might also vary by model, but try under the “Layout” tab, if available.

3.     Connectivity – With inkjet printers, you may or may not have a choice other than USB 2.0, which is the fastest USB technology to date. However, if you have a network-ready printer (Some inkjet AIOs will be) you can connect it either wirelessly or via Ethernet cable. Of the two, Ethernet will be faster because of the dedicated link. Distance can have an effect on your printing speeds with Wi-Fi connections because the speed will change with the proximity to your computer. Try keeping it close for the fastest times.

4.     Printing from Websites – Simple text will always print faster than graphics, and the more complex the graphics are, the slower they will print. If you don’t need to see the pictures from a website, then you can set your browser to load the pages without them. The site may offer a “printer-friendly” format, so look for that first. Otherwise, here are a couple of ways to change settings manually. In Internet Exporer: select Tools and then Internet Options under the Advanced tab, go to the Multimedia section and uncheck the box for “Show Pictures”. In Firefox: go under Tools, then Options, click the Content tab, and uncheck the box by “Load images automatically”. Once you have printed, you can always set them back.

5.     Add Memory – Just as in your PC, adding RAM to your printer gives it the ability to do things more quickly. This is not an option you will find in inkjet printers, however with a good number of laser printers, you will be able to add on. It is not necessarily as cheap an option as it is with PCs. Check your printer’s owners manual or manufacturer website to see if in fact your printer is expandable.

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Cleaning Clogged Canon Print Heads

Canon printers have a removable printer head that holds the ink cartridges. It is important to print a few pages in both black and color at least once per week in order to keep the ink flowing and prevent clogging.

If the printer head nozzles are blocked or dried out you will need to dissolve the dried ink. An inkjet nozzle has a diameter of about 45 microns which is about 1/2 the width of a human hair. Normally you can clear up minor clogs and streaking by running the cleaning cycle found in your printer's software utility.
However if the cleaning cycle doesn't do the trick in clearing up poor and incomplete output, don't give up and assume you'll need to buy a new printer head (which can cost more than a new printer). Canon owners have reported multiple ways to resolve this problem at little or not cost - some of the most popular methods are described below.

Steps for Manually Cleaning the Printer Head

Step 1 - Remove the ink tanks and printer head. Remove the ink tanks from the printer head (tank holder) and seal them in a zip lock or other sealable plastic bag. Set them aside, preferably propped upright.
Next remove the printer head (it snaps out). NOTE: You may want to wear latex gloves to help keep ink off your hands.
Step 2 - Soak the printer head. There are multiple suggestions on ways to clean the printer head and all have some variation on the following:

·         Get a small, shallow pan and lay down a layer or two of paper towels in the bottom of the container to protect the printer head circuitry from contact damage.

·         Heat up (via microwave) enough purified/bottled water to cover the paper towels. You can also use a 50/50 mixture of ammonia and distilled water (about a pint will do). Heat the mixture in the microwave for about a minute or so - it should NOT be boiling.

·         Slowly pour the water or mixture over the paper towels so that you have approximately 1/2 inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan.

·         Set the printer head into the container on top of the towels. You should see ink 'bleeding' out. Move the print head to several different spots (about a minute each spot) and shake gently. This will dissolve the ink clogs.

·         If the printer head is badly clogged let it soak for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. You can move it slightly to a different spot every hour or so.

Alternative Soak Method:
Mix a 50/50 solution of warm water and Windex and place in a shallow container, enough to cover the base of the printer head and ink ports. Leave for 2 hours while agitating the unit occasionally. Remove from the mix and lightly scrub the base and internal ink ports with an old soft toothbrush. Do not scrub the gold contacts but don't be concerned if they get wet. Return the unit to the mix for another 2 hours and agitate occasionally. Remove and scrub again as before.
Step 3 - Flush the printer head with water.

·         Hold the unit under a softly running warm water tap. Place your finger over the tap to create back pressure to allow you to squirt the water into all crevices of the printer head. You should see the gunk build up flow out. Do this until the water runs clear.

Step 4 - Dry the printer head and replace.

·         Remove the printer head and rinse it thoroughly with distilled water. Shake it dry and set it on folded paper towels to air dry. (Some folks use a hair dryer on a low setting to dry the printer head.)

·         Reinsert the printer head and ink tanks. The printer should automatically do a "Printer Head Alignment." If it doesn't, manually perform "Printer Head Alignment" through the printer's utility. Next run a printer head cleaning cycle or two followed by printing a nozzle check pattern to check your progress.

·         Repeat as necessary.

Variations on the Above Steps

·         Soak the printer head in one of the proprietary solutions (Cartridge Flush, Magic Inkjet Flush) specifically designed to clear print heads. Soak the print head for about 10 minutes to overnight depending on the degree of blockage. It has also been reported that you can clean the print head with an electronic toothbrush and cleaning solution for about 20 seconds with excellent results.

·         Use a full eye dropper to flush alcohol through the appropriate ink 'hole(s)' that show inside the printer head unit. Don't rush this: do a drop at a time or you might flood the inside of the unit.

·         Purchase an ultrasonic cleaner. Wash the printer head under the water tap to remove excess ink. Load the cleaner with the printer head and water so that the printer head rests lengthways in the cleaner with the electrical contact surface visible. Repeat the cleaning program a few times, using clean water in each program.

Preventive Maintenance
It's a good idea to regularly conduct preventive maintenance on your inkjet printer to prevent it from developing clogged printer heads. Printer heads become blocked for a number of reasons, but the most common is simply that the ink cartridge and the printer head have dried out. Never let the printer stand with an empty cartridge. Either fit a fresh one, or seal the print head unit in a plastic bag with a few drops of water for humidity. Since print heads become clogged when not used for long periods of time, regularly print a page or two to keep the print heads clear. Some experts say that it is better to print one colorful page a week than to run a printer cleaning cycle, because doing so uses a lot less ink. Ideally, printer cleaning cycles should be started once a week to prevent the printer head from getting clogged.
There are other more ink-efficient ways to be able to clean printer heads that will prevent their clogging just as effectively as running the printer's cleaning cycle:

·         Brush the printer heads with Q-tips soaked in water. Sources vary on whether alcohol would be more effective than water, but in the opinion of some printer experts alcohol can be harmful to printer heads and should thus be avoided.

·         Buy a cleaning kit and use it regularly on your printer. A typical cleaning kit usually has a tube of ammonia that you can spray on the printer head to remove dried ink.

·         Covering the printer when not in use to keep it free from dirt and debris also helps prevent the printer heads from getting clogged.

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Printers - Canon BX Fuser Measurements

If you measure values in the indicated range on the right hand side of the fuser, the lamp is fine (240V fusers will read 3-4 times higher on the right hand side).

Models

HP LaserJet 4V/4MV (Check uur cross reference guide below for other brands)

Removal Instructions
Open the front of the printer. Pop out the charge transfer roller, being careful not to touch the surface of the roller. Handle it at the metal ends only. Remove the 5 big brass screws holding the fuser in. There is a screw at each lower end of the fuser. At the top of the fuser, you'll see 5 screws. Remove the 2 outboard and the center screws. While pulling out on the plastic side to clear the metal shaft, lift one end of the fuser up, repeating for the other end.

If you don't have a meter, continuity can also be checked across the contacts on the right hand side of the fuser by using a digital tester.

Cross Reference Guide: Canon BX Printers

Acorn Graphtex 400
Apple LaserWriter Select 350
Birmy Graphics Powerimage 11/17, XL 11/17
Brother HL-8PSJ/HP-PSJ
Calcomp CCL600/XF
Canon BX
Canon LBP-BX
ECRM Scriptprinter
Genicom Corporation 9080
Daikin Industries Comtec 9700+
Intergraph Corp-8ppm
JBCC Power Writer 5036
JRL Systems Easycopy L Series/LP-180
Newgen Sys Turbo PS-440B/660B/1200B
OCE 6450/6451/6460
QMS 860 Hammerhead Print System
QMS 860/860 Plus Print System
Varityper 5160, Panther
Xante Accel-A-Writer 8100/8100 ENH
Xitron Clipper Cadet

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Canon Printers - Canon BJ 330 Prints Light

 "I have a canon BJ330 that starts printing light and prints nothing. This only happens approx once every 2 months. The unit has ink and it still thinks it's printing but there is no ink on the paper. This has happened a couple of times and so far I haven't figured out what it is that I do to 'correct' the problem. 

I was thinking that there must be a way to clean the printhead that is not in the service manual. Which I do not have, anyway."

On my DeskJet, I just blow gently into the vent hole on the ink cartridge. I then wipe off blob of ink that forms on on the head and it works like a charm - if you don't get ink all over everything. Perhaps, try the following first:

Remove the sponge from the purge cap carefully, try washing in water carefully, and reinstall it:

·         Remove the top cover to expose the printer power on the printer when the printhead moves away from home position SHUT OFF the power

·         You will see a rubber rectangle cap towards the bottom of it is the sponge (called an 'Ink Absorber')

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How to Diagnose Canon Printer Problems

Canon is one of the largest manufacturers of printers and copiers for home and office use. Canon printers come in several types and models, including laser, inkjet, photo and the very popular all-in-one printers that copy, scan, print and fax. As with all technical equipment, printers can misbehave. Follow the steps below to diagnose Canon printer problems

1.    General Issues

Check for a paper jam. Paper jams occur when one or more sheets of paper become stuck in the feeding or printing mechanism. Gently remove any jammed paper and reset the printer.

Check ink levels. Those ink cartridges run out fast. If your printer looks like it is printing but nothing comes out on the page, you might be out of ink. Try replacing the cartridge and printing again.

Check for a clogged print head. If you know you have ink, the print head might be clogged. Navigate to "Control Panel > Printer > Right Click > Properties > Maintenance > Clean Cartridges" to attempt to clean the print head.

Reinstall printer drivers and software. If none of the above helps, try uninstalling and reinstalling the printer and software to correct possible software bugs, errors or conflicts.

2.    Canon-Specific Issues

Check printer drivers. Navigate to "Control Panel > Printers > Right Click > Properties > Update Driver" to check for a new driver for your printer. You can also find drivers and software on the Canon Support site (see Resources).

Resolve the Waste Ink Error. Press menu on the printer and press scan/copy to enter service more. Press the right arrow to access "NVRAM." Set ABS-M level to 0. Set ABS-P level to 0. Press "Stop" to exit.

Resolve Wrong Cartridge Message. Turn off the printer and unplug the power cord. Remove the cartridges and the print head. Clean the print head in lukewarm water. Set it aside to dry. Clean the contacts gently with an eraser and wipe with a tissue. Reinstall the print head and reinsert the cartridges. Run a cartridge alignment.

Resolve E0D02 error. Clean the cartridges and the sender strip. The sender strip is behind the rubber drive belt behind the main hatch. It runs horizontally across the machine. Wipe it gently with a lint free cloth.

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Canon Ink Cartridges - Non Use and Refill of BJC-620 Ink Cartridges

The people who talk about clogging, etc. must have never seen a BJC-620, in which the printhead and ink tanks are separate. I've had a 620 for about 16 months and having printed almost nothing on it (have a laser for most needs) have noticed that the ink tanks last about 5 months. My third set of cartridges at $40 per set have just recently gone dry. (Actually only the color ones are dry. The larger black one lasts longer.) I foolishly threw away the first set of empties, but I still have two sets. I decided that I've sent enough money to Canon and searched the web for a more economical solution. What I found was Bob Nedved and his re.ink.kit refill kit where, for $74.50 I got an amount of bulk ink equivalent to about $800 worth of new cartridges. Included also are 4 syringes and 4 small screws. The procedure is to make a small hole in each tank tank and seal it with a screw. To refill, you remove the screw, inject a few cc of ink, replace the screw, and clean the syringe with a little alcohol or distilled water. Filling the first cartridge was a little messy, but once you get the hang of it, it's a snap. The kit doesn't completely eliminate buying new tanks, because the tanks themselves eventually need to be replaced, but it sure does cut the annual maintenance cost, whether you only use the printer a little or if you use it a lot.
Epson uses a piezo-electric print head, and an alcohol-based ink. If you don't like paying for Epson's ink cartridges, use Pelikan's (I think that is the brand I use - it is certainly one of the old-fashioned ink manufacturers). They seem to use a higher molecular weight alcohol than Epson, so the cartridges last me more like six months than three in the old (1993) Epson Stylus Q800.

HP and Canon use a water-based ink, that is actually heated to boiling in the print-head to spit out droplets - so the print head corrodes rapidly, which is why their "ink cartridges" contain an new print-head and only about 15 ml ink, as much as the print-head can reliably spit out.

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Setting Up Wireless Canon Printers in 5 Easy Steps

Setting up a Wireless Printer in 5 Easy Steps

1. Determine the Type of Wireless Printer

You'll be using the wireless router to connect the new wireless printer to your home network so make sure the router is up and running. Most new computers and wireless printers are equipped with either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capabilities. If your printer is not wireless you can purchase a wireless card that plugs into a USB port.

2. Select the Location of the Wireless Printer

The wireless printer should be set up in a place at home or in the office that is accessible to everyone and where there is ample space for paper, printer ink and other supplies. If you are using Bluetooth wireless you may want to give this some thought since Bluetooth printers have a smaller wireless range than Wi-Fi printers.

3. Enable Printer Sharing

The server computer's operating system must be informed that the printer you are adding to the network is a wireless printer. (The server computer is the one the printer is connected to.)
In Windows Vista, this is done by accessing the network settings in the Control Panel and then activating file and printer sharing in the local area network settings.
For Windows XP go to Start, Control Panel, Printers and Other Hardware, "View installed printers or fax printers." Right-click on your printer and select "Sharing", then select "Share this Printer." Give the printer a name and click OK.

4. Add the Wireless Printer to any other Computers on your Network

The other computers on the network must also be set up for using the wireless printer. To do this in Windows Vista, open the Control Panel in the classic view and then open Printers. Right click on the printer that is going to be shared, and then open Properties. In Properties, check the box that allows the printer to be a shared device.
For Windows XP you will need to do the following:

·         Open Control Panel, Printers and Faxes, and click on "Add a printer."

·         This will take you into a wizard to find the printer you shared previously.

·         Click Next until you are at the Local or Network Printer page.

·         Select "A network printer or a printer attached to another computer" and click Next.

·         Now click "Browse for a printer" and click Next. This will display your workgroup, the PCs connected to it and any printers that are attached to them.

·         Click on the wireless printer you shared earlier and click Next. [This should install the driver automatically. If not, you may need to get the CD software that came with the printer.]

·         Now click Yes to make the wireless printer the default printer for this PC (or No if the computer already has one attached to it).

·         Click Finish.

5. Troubleshooting Wireless Printers

Both this computer and the one the wireless printer is attached to might need a reboot. If you're not seeing the computer it is attached to, double-check that all computers have the same network name: go to Control Panel, Performance & Maintenance, "See basic information about your computer." From there click on "Computer Name" and your workgroup will be displayed.
If you're not seeing the printer, make sure it's switched on. If printer still doesn't work, you may need to install the printer driver using the software CD that came with it.

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Unable to print on a networked Canon printer using 64bit OS

I have a Canon MP970 connected to a machine running Vista. I can address the printer in Ubuntu but selecting print does not produce a print.

Checking the print que shows my job as 'processing'. I´m thinking it may be a firewall or permissions issue but not sure what settings to look out for. My machine is running Ubuntu 11.04 64bit and the other with printer attached is Windoze Vista 32bit with file and printer sharing turned on and Norton 360.

I´ve tried disabling the firewall with no effect.

While browsing other posts I saw one that made mention of using Samba to link Linux and Windoze for file and printer sharing. Software Center shows a SMB/CIFS client installed but I´m not sure how to configure it. Tried another Samba client with a GUI but it didn´t seem to make a difference (it did find the printer share and list it in it’s GUI).

I opened a print window in the PDF Viewer which showed the printer status as unavailable.

I contacted Canon asking them directly if they have an alternate driver for the printer for Linux. They said no, and the age of the printer puts it out of support of that kind.

I found another printer that had a Linux driver for it (MP880) and attempted to install it to see what happened. The install failed (incorrect architecture). I believe it is due to the driver being 32bit and my OS being 64bit. I read a post about recompiling a 32bit driver into a 64bit one (however unstable) but I do not have that much experience to follow that path yet.

Seems that despite the amount of time we have had 64bit processors and 64bit OS´ there is a complete lack of support for 64bit functions. I fear the day we migrate to 128bit!

answer

It is quite satisfying to be able to answer your own question sometimes.

 Downloaded the 32bit Linux driver for the MX860 and extracted it. (cnijfilter-mx860series-3.10-1-i386.deb)

·         Opened a terminal window and typed the following:

·         cd Desktop/cnijfilter-mx860series-3.10-1-i386-deb/packages

·         sudo dpkg -i --force-all *.deb

·         entered password

·         Opened printing manager .

·         Deleted previous attempt at installing the printer

·         Clicked ADD and behold the printer showed up in the network list with the URI detais and all! (Canon-MP970-cnijnet:/00-00-85-E7-54-36)

·         Followed the prompts and test page printed OK!!!!!!

Hope this helps all who are using 64bit systems and are having trouble finding 64bit drivers

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