A few years later and this video saved my PIXMA Pro 100! Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing your cleaner solution. Mixed up my own. Soaked for a few hours and had to clean out the clog. I don’t have a water pick so I used an oral syringe to force the liquid through the clog (water pick definitely seems worth it if your print head clog was as bad as mine). I was able to print a few photos after cleaning. Thank you so much for your time and effort for this helpful video!
For people that own the Canon Pixma Pro-10, this works, too! I had problems with mine where it would not print a single color and I was at a point where I was going to throw the printer in the trash. Luckily, I saw this video and resurrected my printer! I cant thank you enough for sharing this video, man! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
just wanted to leave an updated comment - it worked for me! i've been away at college so my old canon pixma pro 100 dried up. made the solution and let it soak overnight, and then used the water flosser as well (that gets pretty messy if you don't have one with adjustable settings lol). i let it dry for a few hours with a fan blowing on it, then put the cartridges back in the printer and let it sit for a while so the sponges could soak back up. it took a couple restarts but it works great!
Yessss... you saved my Pro 100, i tryed all, finaly i made your recepy of cleaning solution, took the print head out and soked it over night, after the cleaning cycle, it now print perfect... Thanks for sharing the info how to do......
Thank you for this informative video. I tried one time to use generic cartridges from Amazon and the end result was they clogged the printhead. I thought I'd ruined my printer because nothing printed. I found your video, watched it and then used your cleaning method on the printhead. Then, I replaced all cartridges with genuine CANON cartridges. My Pro-100 prints again and much better quality now!!!! Thank you! Thank you!
Worked perfectly for me! Black, cyan, and yellow wouldn't work despite 2 deep cleans. I made 130ml of the solution , poured it over the hole areas on top with a paper towel on the bottom, and let it soak for a few hours. After that I let it dry on a paper towel. Thank you so much!
Did I see Refillable Cartridges and NOT OEM Modified for refilling ones???? Yes CYAN IS going to fail if anyone is going to fail. So I am glad you now know and have figured out what the problem was. Mike is a genius!!!!
Thanks Jose! Yeah, those were non-OEM refill-ables and they are garbage. I did a video reviewing them: ruclips.net/video/1TRezd3WEj4/видео.html I've enjoyed your content for years, I'm actually a patreon supporter of yours, thanks for stopping by my channel!
Thank you SO much for this video. I was having issues with a clog (yes, in the cyan port) - and I had an extra print head. I subbed out the new print head, and am soaking the old one to use as a backup. I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to explain things so well.
Thank You so much for a detailed tutorial. I hadn't printed since the pandemic and had given up on the printer when I saw horrible pictures being printed about a month back. Your tutorial saved the day. I was able to print a couple of pictures today after using your video.
THANK YOU! This worked like a CHARM. Well, it did take a couple of times for my printer to stop giving me the error of death but, I unplugged the printer for a while and it started up again and has been so far so good! Thank you for sharing this video! (I do not have a water pick but I was able to use the spray feature on my sink to rinse out the print head (without the mixture) and it still worked for me. I'm not quite ready for a new printer soooooo HAPPY this WORKED!
My Canon Pro-100 have been revived thanks to your excellent tips ... your video was right on. About a year ago I abandoned the printer due to a sudden need to move. Leaving it behind, I made a critical error and left the printer unplugged. Last month I retrieved the printer, but the black port was fully clogged ... not even a hint of black ink on the cleaning printout. I ordered a Waterpik on Ebay for about $30 and got down to business. The printhead cleaning went smoothly and 3 days later I trialed it. Accept for a bit of streaking on on the PC ink printout, everything looked good. I printed a photo today and the colors look great. Thanks again! [Btw, leave some detailed instructions on how to use your tip jar.]
Andrew! Thanks for this EXCELLENT tutorial - saved me a ton of money. Your awesome cleaning recipe and a cheap WaterPik clone are now a permanent part of my Canon tool kit.
I've had my Canon 100 for 5 years, and it's been a fantastic printer. Earlier this year, I tried using refillable cartridges with success. But after letting it sit for a few weeks, I came back and prints were banded all over. So I'm trying this method to clean the print head. I don't have a waterpik, so I might see how a simple soak and rinse will go, come tomorrow. Thank you for the great tutorial.
I bought a used Pro-200. Unfortunately it had a clogged printhead. Made a bath like shown in this video. Used a little bit more ammonium. Had it sitting for 3-4 days. And it worked. Thank you for the informative video
Your method is perfect! I've had a pro-100 for almost ten years and the blue stopped printing two days ago. I mixed your "potion" exactly as you said, let it sit overnight, sprayed it with water this morning and then used my blow dryer to dry it. I'm a scrapbooker and 12 X 12's are what I print on my 100 It worked beautifully! You saved me a lot of money. Thank you for taking the time to make this video :)
Hey thank you so very much. I was ready to throw my printer out yesterday before I found your video. It works! My printer is working again and I don't need to buy a new one even though it will be 9 years old in a few months. Ironically for Christmas I got new ink and paper to start printing for fun again and was totally devastated when I realized it wasn't working. The story has a happy ending. Thanks again.
Hello 👋 I wanted to thank you for this video. Because of it and you I was able to save my Canon Pro-10 which was turned off for over a year. When I finally got it to do anything I had 3 color channels not working Red, Black & clear. I tried cleaning and deep cleaning and revived the clear & black but not the red. I made your mixture and soaked the head (2) x for 45 minutes plus spraying the blocked nozzles with a syringe 💉. But the red remained blocked. I even tried dropping ammonia directly on the red nozzle, but still no love. Finally I took it to WaterPic level. Despite aç the ll of my attempts to avoid it, I got spray all over my sink, but this cleared the red nozzle finally. Just to help others, when I put it all back together, the red channel still didn’t work. This turned out to be a bad Red Cartridge. The cartridge has liquid ink in it, but was not feeding the nozzle. I traded another red cartridge and it finally came to life. I got a good nozzle check and was able to print a calibration print. Unfortunately I’m very low on Red ink and Mike at Precision Color Ink in Canada 🇨🇦 is closed until May 17th. So I’ll just be printing nozzle checks to keep from clogging until I get a set of carts filled with fresh inks. BTW I used 99% Alcohol because that’s what we had on hand. Thank you again. Dave in PA
This was awesome! Completely unclogged the PC, which was not printing on the test page at all. I used generic Windex and made sure it had amonia (Jose Rodriguez recommended Windex for a different method of cleaning the nozzles because of the ammonia). Soaked the printedhead for an hour and it rinsed clean. Test print came out perfect.
@@mee8647 thank you so much. I just got finished and yeah you were right just the windex did the job. what I did was put the printer head on a soaked paper towel and took a syringe filled with windex and filled each head. let it sit for the suggested hour and printed the biggest F*****G yellow square. Thanks again for your help
@@antoniosolano5023 that's great to hear! So glad it worked! What a relief, right? That's an awesome idea with filling the head. I'll have to try that next time (probably less waste). I'm happy that your yellow is working again!
@@mee8647 not only less waste but also more accurate to what it is you want to accomplish and safe as to not wanting to over flood it and messing up the printer head. overall great tips from you and the video much appreciated saved me a good chunk of money tonight
I appreciate the insights. I printed 4500 sheets (many large format prints) before I had my first print head clog. First, the Cyan acted up then the Yellow. I opened the lid and unplugged the printer. I removed all my cartridges and then the print head. In a glass beaker, I added 300 ml of distilled water and 30 ml of isopropyl alcohol (no ammonia laying around). Rather than soak the board, I slowly poured the liquid over my ink screens a few times until all the solution was used. I then rinsed with distilled water. Getting the water out of the print head was a bit of a challenge. I basically tried to use a much centrifugal force as possible by holding on the cartridge in a plastic bag and then making arching/circular motions. Once the water seemed to be out, a used a paper towel to dry up any external spots of water. The reason I did this is that I do not want my electronics to be wet for very long. Using this basic process, the print head cleaned up nicely. I simply replaced the print head and cartridges and did a print test. I was back in business printing in less than 15 minutes. Note: My Pro-100s are always powered on with battery UPS power sources and my print heads have never dried out. Hope this helps someone.
so can you explain, I was under the impression that they evaporate if they are not used over time. And after watching this video I think my issue is EXPIRED inks on my shelf. (the OEM) kind which the sponge maybe also the culprit, but the vendor replaces these no problem so I am not worried about that. Im just glad I have figured something out. Also Renato, when you say you dried them out, I was under the impression that to save ink cartridges you can place a piece of tape over the air hole to keep them from evaporation. As some teachers I advise were having issues over summer break or winter break and the ones who did this tape fix, saved ink compared to the ones who did not. This was when I learned that issue solved. But you are mentioning about electronics and drying out? I am paranoid about this issue, and static electricity too. So you are mentioning Battery UPS power sources? I only use UPS systems on important Harddrives and computers. Printers I have turned off, in between jobs. But again I am not printing heavy or when I do the printer stays on anyway. But in your feedback, it sounds as if and I do know ON OFF routine WASTES INK !!! Geez today I learned the DEEP CLEANING really does WASTE INK, and I wish there was an OPTION to DEEP CLEAN the ONE and ONLY ONE that is giving the problem. But then again, choosing one SECTION proves that they really do TRY TO UNCLOG INK by WASTING INK? how does that work? In my case the PHOTO CYAN was the one CLOGGED. After two DEEP CLEAN software processes. and I gave up to follow this thread? I noticed that all others were rather white, but the PHOTO CYAN looked like it had a HARD BUBBLE over the screen!!!! So indeed, running the DEEP CLEAN to fix a CLOG does not make sense in these situations ...in fact those software processes might work for new printers, but the older they get the ONE out of 7 or 8 gives you most of the trouble. thanks for the info I am grateful
I recently picked up a Pro-100 at my local thirst shop for cheap cheap! I had some issues with some of the nozzles being clogged. I followed this and now the printer works like new! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to record this. I was having trouble with the printhead and did the cleaning as you suggested and it brought my printhead back to life.
Worked for me! I didn’t have ammonia and used 90% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water (50:50) for 30 minutes and used the spray setting on my sink let air dry and it worked wonders! For stubborn clogs I imagine the ammonia is a must
Very thorough process!!!!! Got me to try and remove print head. Way easier than i thought with Canon Ts9020!!!!!!!!! Simple lever to pull up and it came right out. Before we do your full flush out, i would try just squirting 10/1 distilled water and IPA and dabbing cotton ball on head and soaking up and cleaning the resting plug cap inside printer with wet cotton ball so it can seal again!!! Worked got me printing again!
You totally Saved me from buying a New Head!!! Thank You so Much!!! My moms happy because I can give her prints now!!! I was fooling with new inks for months!
Really impressed demonstration! This is a good guiding cleaning way for all Canon PIMAX serious print heads. I have both Pro-100 & IP7270, I will definitely follow you way to clean the IP7270 print head as it is clogged now. Blessing from Hong Kong!
Just wanted you to know that I followed your instructions and after two soaks and a flush with my old waterpik my printer is working again!! Thank you thank you!! I only use canon ink and have had the printer for years now without ever having any issues. I had just ordered a box of new ink cartridges and was freaking out that I would lose money if the printer didn't work again. Thanks for sharing the info!
After the printheads were cleaned, how many hours the get dry? the same of flushing the cartridges, how many hours to be ready and be filled with new ink? Thank you for the info you shared!
Very good video - other youtubers look and learn! Some questions: 1. How do you prevent the cartridges you remove to dry up? 2. How long must the cartridge-holder dry before you can put it back in the printer?
Thank you so much for this. So helpful, well organized. I’m thankful for this whole Canon 100 community, Jose is great too. Ready to bust out my waterpik and try not to inhale too many chemicals while I clean up this Cyan that has been plaguing me!
just an update for those that are gonna try this i got one of these today and the way i did it was with a syringe with the needle attached that you can use to refill cartridges i use it to just slowly squirted some fluid so it just covers the round part where the cartridge sits leave it 5 mins then check to see if the ink is coming out the bottom on the paper you put there,if so then all i did was suck up the fluid from each section then slowly squirt it onto the round part where the cartidge sits kept doing this for a few mins then just left it sitting there for another 5 mins then redid that again to be on the safe side then sucked up all the fluid from the top then double checked underneath to make sure ink was still there on the paper ,then put printhead back in printer and alls well,took me this long for this one cos first time i have done this type of printhead
Thank you for sharing. It's very generous of you to share the recipe also. I have the same printer and it's been sitting. I'm about to find out if I have same issue, but first I've been working on a brother laser printer that prints faded on left and an epson 1430 with ciss that got clogged and now, one colour is printing very faded after doing a manual clean of the nozzles. I think I'm going to have to take the printhead out, but it's scary because of all the plastic clips that can break. Ugh. Either that or maybe it's my capping station. It's been a week of headaches and I can't let it go until I fix it. I even made an external waste tank with aquarium tubing and a bottle because I've been doing so many head cleanings. Lol, this has become such a priority to me for my small business, that fixing it has even started to infiltrate my dreams. One thing I heard recently is that newer printers might be using copper in the printhead so ammonia might actually make things worse, but I feel good about using it on the machines I have. Thanks again. 😊
I just cleaned mine and am waiting for it to dry, so excited to see the results! I was having a hard time with my Yellow, every print I made came out purple-toned. Luckily, I saw a lot of yellow on the paper towel, so it should be fixed!
just wanna say thank you for this. I too have been using the same aftermarket inks as you almost since the day i got my printer over 5 years ago. Took a lot of research but they have been the highest rated inks for this printer and its been worth every penny. I think i lucked out bc when i bought the original ink refill kit the carts that came with mine were legit canon carts that just had to have the chips changed. haven't had any issues with the carts at all. this is the first time in 5 years ive had an issue and was never able to figure out WTH to do. Did this last night let it soak over night after changing out the cleaner a couple times to remove the old ink and now this morning printing great!! You literally saved my sanity after the last 3 months of shitty prints. super stressful.
Is it safe to rinse out the printhead even when it touches the gold piece in the back? I've seen videos where they let it sit in distilled water/iso Alcohol but recommend that you don't get water on the golden plate in the back
Love the special waterpik connector that goes right into the cartridge holder. You teased a video on how to make that - can you provide me your recipe? Thanks!
yes ! it works, I had to do it multiple time, I tried to cut corners and leave the printhead with the solution for few hours only and it didn t do much. I left it for 3 days and night adding solution twice a day then did a water toothpick thingy, let it dry for a day and it s perfect. I tried everything, even calling canon repair center, whom already changed my printhead once (80€) when I sent them the whole printer. They can t sell me a new printhead if I don t send them the whole printer again ..... Now I have to find a third party ink that doesn t clogg and that can resist UV light better than octoinkjet' and that is sold in europe.. Than you for the video and thank you for the solution recipe !
I actually found out last night I had a clogged print head for cyan and was gonna give up on it, and I’m glad I came back today with a fresh head. I’m gonna try this out. Thank you!
I'm doing this process right now on my Pro 10 but using an ultrasonic cleaner instead of the Waterpik. I do have a Waterpik, but I have a feeling the ultrasonic will work better. If not, I may do the Waterpik as well. Thanks for the excellent, detailed video!
Well done. Clear instruction, clear video - up close with great detail. I have a MG6320 with a B200 error and the construction of the print head is very similar. I will be making the 10/2/1 head clean solution and trying to clean the head as you have shown.
WOW!!! So I didn't have amonia but I had water and alcohol. I mixed it swirled print head in it. Let it sit few minutes. Put a few drops right on yellow mesh screen since it was the only one not printing. Dried it off. Put in printer and WOW Yellow is back and more beautiful than ever!!!Thank you!!!
One of the better demonstration videos on RUclips. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Just a couple of comments: First off, Original Windex with some Isopropyl Alcohol will do the job. Secondly When you used the WaterPik on the bottom of the printhead, you are actually reverse flushing the nozzles, effectively forcing debris and/or old ink back in. Probably a better solution would be to gently run distilled water from the top and let it leach out by gravity. Your finished product looked great though!
I was curious about that too, but indeed only with serious clogs does the reverse process seem to be a must because there is no way of getting under the hood so to speak. My point was that after DEEP CLEANING using the software method I was actually making it worse. And the Ink Well that they don't mention resides way off to the right or left and that is supposed to be where the flossing and flushing happens...sorry pun intended. the point he is making I think that needs reverse cleaning is only after you have soaked and rinsed and allowed that method to dry. Then with the solution going upwards does it clean or clear out the ink that is clogged that the eye cannot see. The only way to experience this would be to destroy a print head or the screens? I mean ONE SCREEN and look with a scope camera and you will see that the solution and the waterpik with light pressure does flush out what cannot be flushed from the TOP DOWN. This I believe is only in WORSE CASE SCENARIO! Like mine PHOTO CYAN that was just collecting so much it created a HARD DOME on top of the SCREEN. I share this as I am more likely to FOLLOW YOUR METHOD than the WATERPIK because it is messy and only as a last resort! Yes. Thanks Windex has the ammonia without the hassles! Thanks for reminding me! But I also wanted to ask about is using TOO MUCH RUBBING ALCOHOL an issue? like 90percent/ because I thought it dried quicker and I am not sure if that might have caused my issue in the first place? But most likely I think I am learning INKS have a EXPIRATION DATE and the SHELF LIFE matters!!!
Good information, thanks ! I'd rinse the clean head in IPA instead of H20 to displace and water in and around the PCB and also speed the drying process
Thoroughly informative and excellent. Some key information makes all the difference. Would have loved a link to the cartridge flushing tool. Or maybe you could just list the parts. I don't know what the head part is or where I'd get it. I guess tubing is not so hard, but many will just want to make this thing or purchase it from you! Thanks.
Thank you so much for this video, just considering wether to buy a lightly used pro 100s that hasn’t been used for a couple of months. People are asking a lot of money here in the UK for this printer, impossible to find a brand new one.
Hi! Thank you for the tips! I managed to clean the print head as well as all the cartridges, but after refilling, I noticed that the original filled cartridges are leaking... the ink is flowing... and as a result, my yellow cartridge, for example, is stained. I will redo the entire cleaning process, but do you have any idea why the cartridges are leaking?
Thanks for this very helpful. One thing you don't mention is how you evacuate all the cleaning solution out of the cartridges. I assume you just shake it out.
Many thanks for your clear and instructive video. My initial problem is that I simply cannot see how to do a nozzle check or clean on my printer. I have done it in the past, but now don't seem to have access to where to make the printer do this. I have looked through other RUclips videos, but they all talk about cleaning the printer head. This will be good to know, but I also need to know how to do a nozzle check and clean. I feel really stupid, having done it before. I would really appreciate your help.
I know you wrote this a year ago, but thought I would answer it for you. I just open a jpg or a word document and go to PRINT, choose the Canon Pro 100, and then you will see tabs across the top - one is labeled Maintenance. That is where you find the nozzle check and cleaning tools. Hope this helps, Juliette
Exellent video , thank you for sharing with us . I have the same printer. 5 years now and i never cleaned the printhead or any other part of my printer . I use mostly after market inks from amazon . Today my printer flashes yellow and white for 20 times and i can't find the cause of the error . Do you believe by cleaning the printhead will resolve my issue ? Thank you again .
Ha ha, and wouldn't you know I didn't get a single drop of ink on my shirt! I am married, I think she's resigned herself on matters like this though. lol.
Thank you sooooo much. Due to circumstances beyond my control I've had a Pro-10 and Pro-100 sitting unused for over a year. Today I got to the point on the Pro-10 where only 2 nozzles the Red and Black are blocked. I will be using this method. does the % of Alcohol matters meaning 70-90-99% Iso Alcohol? Also any advice on a type of ammonia to use? Could I try Windex? Finally, do you flush out your Waterpick and use it for your teeth after using your mixture? Thanks much. I'll let you know how it goes.
I believe I used 90%, but I don't think it matters too much. I also used "off the shelf" Walmart brand ammonia. Windex is more or less an ammonia alcohol solution, but they add a colorant which you don't want. After rinsing the waterpick thoroughly, running clean water through the pump etc for a while it is fine to use for cleaning teeth.
Thanks for this very informative video. I seem to have only one cloged nozzle - Gray. Do I need to clean the whole print head or can I Water Pick the single nozzle?
Good observations and share. I wonder if this head cleanng will get rid of the slight banding I get with light ink coverage. I had head strike from a curled corner on the paper and had issues since. Tried a number of cleaning methods, and may have tyried this, but I will give it another shot. Jose's channel is good so is Northlight , Keith.
Great video. Very helpful. You mentioned that you would sell the water pic attachment you made to learn the printer cartridge. How might I do that? tcs
Thanks!!! Great video and help for users that canon doesn't help (specially outside the US). If the cleaning solution touches the contacts of the printhead, could it generate problems? Do you have more recommendations for the Pixma pro 100? I haven't been able to refill original cartridges so I have bought the alternative ones. I always have problemas printing. I don't print too often. Also I'm having problems to access the wifi set up. I changed my wifi and haven't been able to connect to the new signal. Any sugestions? Thanks again.
Will keep this in mind, but so far my PRO 100 seems invincible! It is about 3 years old. First 6 months used about 50% of the ink that came with the printer. Then it sat for OVER A YEAR without use. Fired it up, ran the nozzle check, perfect. Used up some of the ink colors and replaced them with OEM carts (at this point there is a mixture of older and newer ink carts). Sat for another 3-4 months without use, fired it up, ran the nozzle check, perfect. Printed a few 8.5 x 11 photos, perfect. I can only guess that because of the very low volume of ink that has passed through the printer I have avoided the clogging issues. The plan at this point is to print a full color gamut page and nozzle check once a week (if not used for real photo work).
indeed. this is the best case. PHOTO INKS. And in my case I think EXPIRATION of OEM inks is my issue. The PHOTO CYAN seems to have created an ABCESS on top of the screen. So all the photos I printed were magenta tone. If I printed regular CMYK or NON PHOTO images, the printer did not use this inks. But I pray this will work for balancing out the PHOTOS. And EXPIRATION DATES and REFUNDS from my OEM Vendor I pray they will be REPLACING all I have with NEW as they have in the past on a few, that leaked. But in this case, it appears to be my guess that I always had 3 of each on the shelf. Then lockdown and no use. Then no matter what you print it will look like crap and clog more and more over time.....just my guess.
I have the exact same problem with my Cyan/Group 2 inks on my pro100. I use all OEM carts with PC inks but they could use a cleaning and conditioning. Ink starvation never occurred to me. I used printhead hospital cleaner on amazon and it unclogged everything for a day then clogged again.
Are you using the Signature Edition inks? Or the older versions? Try my recipe for cleaning the printhead, I haven't had any problems for months now. Let me know how it turns out!
After cleaning the print head, the OEM cartridges that have been sitting unused in the printer for the past 2 years are probably also clogged; can I use them or do I need to clean them out and refill? Thanks,joe
I just use similar technique but only warm running tap water. No equipment or special solution. Been doing it for years, no print head failure. But I'm thorough in using an absorbing paper to dry it up after...
Hello, excellent video. I do have Canon ImagePrograf Pro-300 and i didn't found third party ink supplier. I don't know about how to reset the ship of cartridge or if it's not possible at all. Thanks
Thank you!! I only soaked mine for 15 mins in water and isopropyl alcohol. I took it out when I noticed no more ink going into the mixture. Now my black and Cyan work again.
Hello Andrew. I bought a new waterpik on ebay and carefully watched your video after terrible nozzle tests. I soaked the print head for 2 days in your solution and then used the waterpik as you described EXACTLY. My nozzle test was not 100% satisfactory but much much better. I was missing the LGY almost completely. So I cleaned and purged a OEM Canon cart and refilled with PC ink (I have been doing this successfully for 2 years). Though the LGY is only faintly visible, I still have an issue . The GY color is also not completely solid. So, though I have improved the results greatly on the nozzle tests, it is not what it should be for the GY and the LGY. Would it be advisable to do this one more time? Soak the print head and then clean with the water pick? I am using your formula. All carts are OEM canon. Thanks for any advice. Its not worth buying. new print head at this point but sure would be interested in doing this process with the water pick again IF you think it is worth it...thanks!
Great video, thanks so much for this information. 1. Can you please tell me how much additional ammonia you have added to your original formula of 10 parts water, 2 parts isopropyl, and 1 part ammonia. You had mentioned you ended up using additional ammonia? Thanks.
Andrew Thank You! This step by step helps a lot! I was having the same issue but specifically with PhotoCyan. It was getting worse over time, and I am drying the head now, and praying it will work. I will admit that I have been using OEM cartridges and after watching your inside sponge comparison, my jaw dropped! No wonder they always refund or replace them fast as can be, and especially when they leak! Question. I have been buying in bulk from a vendor who sells the OEM. I never noticed a problem until about one year ago, and I just assumed it was the end of life for the printer. But, now I am wondering what is the SHELF LIFE or EXPIRATION PERIOD for STORING UNOPENED INKS? Since Covid and lockdowns I did not print as much, and indeed my inventory has a hodge lodge of various inks at different ages. I never considered it might be also an EXPIRATION ISSUE as well? because it seemed to be intermittent when I was using what I think were NEWER INKS. but again I am guessing. I will know in the morning if this worked. But I will also be on the phone with the vendor to see if they can just REPLACE all the inks I have been storing? I usually keep 3 of each, but this was when I was printing a lot of PHOTOS for clients. As it is now, many of these might be OUT OF DATE. And could this also be an issue with PHOTO CYAN not draining fully? For on a pattern all PHOTO CYANS have about 5 to 10 percent ink still left but the INK REPORTS "REPLACE!!!!" and that is not an option like the others which allow you to milk out a few or hundred more before QUITTING . Thanks again, I look forward to any advice about the SHELF LIFE? and does anyone else put TAPE over the AIR HOLE when not in use to SAVE them from EVAPORATION? thanks
I have used inks well past their expiration date without issue. I will say it probably matters how they were stored, in a 70 degree constant temperature vs baking in a hot car or garage and then freezing every winter. As for clogging. I don't have an issue ever when I use genuine Canon inks, I do if I use 3rd party. I've never put tape over the hole, I don't know how much that changes things. I live in Utah which is a ridiculously dry climate, almost never humid, even when snowing if you can believe that! I think climate, humiditiy, temperature etc affects the printer more than anything. Aside from cheap inks that is. It's tempting, but never worth it.
A few years later and this video saved my PIXMA Pro 100! Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing your cleaner solution. Mixed up my own. Soaked for a few hours and had to clean out the clog. I don’t have a water pick so I used an oral syringe to force the liquid through the clog (water pick definitely seems worth it if your print head clog was as bad as mine). I was able to print a few photos after cleaning. Thank you so much for your time and effort for this helpful video!
My printer had been off for about two years since my last print and ink change. Don’t give up on your printer before trying this out first!
For people that own the Canon Pixma Pro-10, this works, too! I had problems with mine where it would not print a single color and I was at a point where I was going to throw the printer in the trash. Luckily, I saw this video and resurrected my printer! I cant thank you enough for sharing this video, man! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I have the same printer that has been inactive for awhile. I am going to try it.
just wanted to leave an updated comment - it worked for me! i've been away at college so my old canon pixma pro 100 dried up. made the solution and let it soak overnight, and then used the water flosser as well (that gets pretty messy if you don't have one with adjustable settings lol). i let it dry for a few hours with a fan blowing on it, then put the cartridges back in the printer and let it sit for a while so the sponges could soak back up. it took a couple restarts but it works great!
Thanks! I came to this after looking at a print head cleaner that costs $89 for an 8 oz bottle. Great video, clear, concise, no BS.
Yessss... you saved my Pro 100, i tryed all, finaly i made your recepy of cleaning solution, took the print head out and soked it over night, after the cleaning cycle, it now print perfect... Thanks for sharing the info how to do......
Thank you for this informative video. I tried one time to use generic cartridges from Amazon and the end result was they clogged the printhead. I thought I'd ruined my printer because nothing printed. I found your video, watched it and then used your cleaning method on the printhead. Then, I replaced all cartridges with genuine CANON cartridges. My Pro-100 prints again and much better quality now!!!! Thank you! Thank you!
I used a Airbrush in the final step & it works perfectly fine. Thank you for your help Andrew!
Worked perfectly for me! Black, cyan, and yellow wouldn't work despite 2 deep cleans. I made 130ml of the solution , poured it over the hole areas on top with a paper towel on the bottom, and let it soak for a few hours. After that I let it dry on a paper towel. Thank you so much!
Did I see Refillable Cartridges and NOT OEM Modified for refilling ones???? Yes CYAN IS going to fail if anyone is going to fail. So I am glad you now know and have figured out what the problem was. Mike is a genius!!!!
Thanks Jose! Yeah, those were non-OEM refill-ables and they are garbage. I did a video reviewing them: ruclips.net/video/1TRezd3WEj4/видео.html I've enjoyed your content for years, I'm actually a patreon supporter of yours, thanks for stopping by my channel!
Thank you SO much for this video. I was having issues with a clog (yes, in the cyan port) - and I had an extra print head. I subbed out the new print head, and am soaking the old one to use as a backup. I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to explain things so well.
Thank You so much for a detailed tutorial. I hadn't printed since the pandemic and had given up on the printer when I saw horrible pictures being printed about a month back. Your tutorial saved the day. I was able to print a couple of pictures today after using your video.
THANK YOU! This worked like a CHARM. Well, it did take a couple of times for my printer to stop giving me the error of death but, I unplugged the printer for a while and it started up again and has been so far so good! Thank you for sharing this video! (I do not have a water pick but I was able to use the spray feature on my sink to rinse out the print head (without the mixture) and it still worked for me. I'm not quite ready for a new printer soooooo HAPPY this WORKED!
My Canon Pro-100 have been revived thanks to your excellent tips ... your video was right on. About a year ago I abandoned the printer due to a sudden need to move. Leaving it behind, I made a critical error and left the printer unplugged. Last month I retrieved the printer, but the black port was fully clogged ... not even a hint of black ink on the cleaning printout. I ordered a Waterpik on Ebay for about $30 and got down to business. The printhead cleaning went smoothly and 3 days later I trialed it. Accept for a bit of streaking on on the PC ink printout, everything looked good. I printed a photo today and the colors look great. Thanks again! [Btw, leave some detailed instructions on how to use your tip jar.]
Andrew! Thanks for this EXCELLENT tutorial - saved me a ton of money. Your awesome cleaning recipe and a cheap WaterPik clone are now a permanent part of my Canon tool kit.
I've had my Canon 100 for 5 years, and it's been a fantastic printer. Earlier this year, I tried using refillable cartridges with success. But after letting it sit for a few weeks, I came back and prints were banded all over. So I'm trying this method to clean the print head. I don't have a waterpik, so I might see how a simple soak and rinse will go, come tomorrow. Thank you for the great tutorial.
Hi Scotty - did the soak work? I'm in the same boat!
me too.
@@adamthomas8966 me three
I bought a used Pro-200. Unfortunately it had a clogged printhead. Made a bath like shown in this video. Used a little bit more ammonium. Had it sitting for 3-4 days. And it worked. Thank you for the informative video
Your method is perfect! I've had a pro-100 for almost ten years and the blue stopped printing two days ago. I mixed your "potion" exactly as you said, let it sit overnight, sprayed it with water this morning and then used my blow dryer to dry it. I'm a scrapbooker and 12 X 12's are what I print on my 100 It worked beautifully! You saved me a lot of money. Thank you for taking the time to make this video :)
Hey thank you so very much. I was ready to throw my printer out yesterday before I found your video. It works! My printer is working again and I don't need to buy a new one even though it will be 9 years old in a few months. Ironically for Christmas I got new ink and paper to start printing for fun again and was totally devastated when I realized it wasn't working. The story has a happy ending. Thanks again.
Not sure if you will see this or not however thank you!!!!! I had one channel that completely clogged. I followed this and it worked!
Hello 👋 I wanted to thank you for this video. Because of it and you I was able to save my Canon Pro-10 which was turned off for over a year. When I finally got it to do anything I had 3 color channels not working Red, Black & clear. I tried cleaning and deep cleaning and revived the clear & black but not the red.
I made your mixture and soaked the head (2) x for 45 minutes plus spraying the blocked nozzles with a syringe 💉. But the red remained blocked. I even tried dropping ammonia directly on the red nozzle, but still no love. Finally I took it to WaterPic level. Despite aç the ll of my attempts to avoid it, I got spray all over my sink, but this cleared the red nozzle finally. Just to help others, when I put it all back together, the red channel still didn’t work. This turned out to be a bad Red Cartridge. The cartridge has liquid ink in it, but was not feeding the nozzle. I traded another red cartridge and it finally came to life. I got a good nozzle check and was able to print a calibration print.
Unfortunately I’m very low on Red ink and Mike at Precision Color Ink in Canada 🇨🇦 is closed until May 17th. So I’ll just be printing nozzle checks to keep from clogging until I get a set of carts filled with fresh inks. BTW I used 99% Alcohol because that’s what we had on hand.
Thank you again. Dave in PA
This was awesome! Completely unclogged the PC, which was not printing on the test page at all. I used generic Windex and made sure it had amonia (Jose Rodriguez recommended Windex for a different method of cleaning the nozzles because of the ammonia). Soaked the printedhead for an hour and it rinsed clean. Test print came out perfect.
RN my yellow is not printing anything and was wondering did you only soak it in generic windex or did you make the exact mix he did? thank you
@@antoniosolano5023 I just soaked it in generic windex that I bought from the dollar store. I did not mix it with anything.
@@mee8647 thank you so much. I just got finished and yeah you were right just the windex did the job. what I did was put the printer head on a soaked paper towel and took a syringe filled with windex and filled each head. let it sit for the suggested hour and printed the biggest F*****G yellow square. Thanks again for your help
@@antoniosolano5023 that's great to hear! So glad it worked! What a relief, right? That's an awesome idea with filling the head. I'll have to try that next time (probably less waste). I'm happy that your yellow is working again!
@@mee8647 not only less waste but also more accurate to what it is you want to accomplish and safe as to not wanting to over flood it and messing up the printer head. overall great tips from you and the video much appreciated saved me a good chunk of money tonight
I appreciate the insights. I printed 4500 sheets (many large format prints) before I had my first print head clog. First, the Cyan acted up then the Yellow. I opened the lid and unplugged the printer. I removed all my cartridges and then the print head. In a glass beaker, I added 300 ml of distilled water and 30 ml of isopropyl alcohol (no ammonia laying around). Rather than soak the board, I slowly poured the liquid over my ink screens a few times until all the solution was used. I then rinsed with distilled water. Getting the water out of the print head was a bit of a challenge. I basically tried to use a much centrifugal force as possible by holding on the cartridge in a plastic bag and then making arching/circular motions. Once the water seemed to be out, a used a paper towel to dry up any external spots of water. The reason I did this is that I do not want my electronics to be wet for very long. Using this basic process, the print head cleaned up nicely. I simply replaced the print head and cartridges and did a print test. I was back in business printing in less than 15 minutes. Note: My Pro-100s are always powered on with battery UPS power sources and my print heads have never dried out. Hope this helps someone.
so can you explain, I was under the impression that they evaporate if they are not used over time. And after watching this video I think my issue is EXPIRED inks on my shelf. (the OEM) kind which the sponge maybe also the culprit, but the vendor replaces these no problem so I am not worried about that. Im just glad I have figured something out.
Also Renato, when you say you dried them out, I was under the impression that to save ink cartridges you can place a piece of tape over the air hole to keep them from evaporation. As some teachers I advise were having issues over summer break or winter break and the ones who did this tape fix, saved ink compared to the ones who did not.
This was when I learned that issue solved.
But you are mentioning about electronics and drying out? I am paranoid about this issue, and static electricity too.
So you are mentioning Battery UPS power sources? I only use UPS systems on important Harddrives and computers. Printers I have turned off, in between jobs. But again I am not printing heavy or when I do the printer stays on anyway. But in your feedback, it sounds as if and I do know ON OFF routine WASTES INK !!!
Geez today I learned the DEEP CLEANING really does WASTE INK, and I wish there was an OPTION to DEEP CLEAN the ONE and ONLY ONE that is giving the problem. But then again, choosing one SECTION proves that they really do TRY TO UNCLOG INK by WASTING INK? how does that work?
In my case the PHOTO CYAN was the one CLOGGED. After two DEEP CLEAN software processes. and I gave up to follow this thread? I noticed that all others were rather white, but the PHOTO CYAN looked like it had a HARD BUBBLE over the screen!!!!
So indeed, running the DEEP CLEAN to fix a CLOG does not make sense in these situations ...in fact those software processes might work for new printers, but the older they get the ONE out of 7 or 8 gives you most of the trouble.
thanks for the info I am grateful
I recently picked up a Pro-100 at my local thirst shop for cheap cheap! I had some issues with some of the nozzles being clogged. I followed this and now the printer works like new! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to record this. I was having trouble with the printhead and did the cleaning as you suggested and it brought my printhead back to life.
Worked for me! I didn’t have ammonia and used 90% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water (50:50) for 30 minutes and used the spray setting on my sink let air dry and it worked wonders! For stubborn clogs I imagine the ammonia is a must
Absolutely brutal disregard for not inking up your hands. Spartan.
Very thorough process!!!!! Got me to try and remove print head. Way easier than i thought with Canon Ts9020!!!!!!!!! Simple lever to pull up and it came right out.
Before we do your full flush out, i would try just squirting 10/1 distilled water and IPA and dabbing cotton ball on head and soaking up and cleaning the resting plug cap inside printer with wet cotton ball so it can seal again!!!
Worked got me printing again!
You totally Saved me from buying a New Head!!! Thank You so Much!!! My moms happy because I can give her prints now!!! I was fooling with new inks for months!
This worked like a charm for me with no errors.
Really impressed demonstration! This is a good guiding cleaning way for all Canon PIMAX serious print heads. I have both Pro-100 & IP7270, I will definitely follow you way to clean the IP7270 print head as it is clogged now. Blessing from Hong Kong!
Thank you. Everything worked. I didn't want to spend money on the waterpik and so i just used a squirt bottle.
Just wanted you to know that I followed your instructions and after two soaks and a flush with my old waterpik my printer is working again!! Thank you thank you!! I only use canon ink and have had the printer for years now without ever having any issues. I had just ordered a box of new ink cartridges and was freaking out that I would lose money if the printer didn't work again. Thanks for sharing the info!
YOU SAVED ME!!! Thank you so much for this thorough process
Glad to, You're welcome!
Thanks!
Worked beautifully. Thank you!! Didn't even need to do the water pick.
Amazingly, this method worked for me! My black ink is back and no more faint bars. So grateful!
After the printheads were cleaned, how many hours the get dry? the same of flushing the cartridges, how many hours to be ready and be filled with new ink? Thank you for the info you shared!
Finally my printer is back in action! Thanks for sharing this info.
Very good video - other youtubers look and learn! Some questions: 1. How do you prevent the cartridges you remove to dry up? 2. How long must the cartridge-holder dry before you can put it back in the printer?
I was wondering the same two things
Thank you so much for this. So helpful, well organized. I’m thankful for this whole Canon 100 community, Jose is great too. Ready to bust out my waterpik and try not to inhale too many chemicals while I clean up this Cyan that has been plaguing me!
just an update for those that are gonna try this i got one of these today and the way i did it was with a syringe with the needle attached that you can use to refill cartridges i use it to just slowly squirted some fluid so it just covers the round part where the cartridge sits leave it 5 mins then check to see if the ink is coming out the bottom on the paper you put there,if so then all i did was suck up the fluid from each section then slowly squirt it onto the round part where the cartidge sits kept doing this for a few mins then just left it sitting there for another 5 mins then redid that again to be on the safe side then sucked up all the fluid from the top then double checked underneath to make sure ink was still there on the paper ,then put printhead back in printer and alls well,took me this long for this one cos first time i have done this type of printhead
Thank you for sharing. It's very generous of you to share the recipe also. I have the same printer and it's been sitting. I'm about to find out if I have same issue, but first I've been working on a brother laser printer that prints faded on left and an epson 1430 with ciss that got clogged and now, one colour is printing very faded after doing a manual clean of the nozzles. I think I'm going to have to take the printhead out, but it's scary because of all the plastic clips that can break. Ugh. Either that or maybe it's my capping station. It's been a week of headaches and I can't let it go until I fix it. I even made an external waste tank with aquarium tubing and a bottle because I've been doing so many head cleanings. Lol, this has become such a priority to me for my small business, that fixing it has even started to infiltrate my dreams. One thing I heard recently is that newer printers might be using copper in the printhead so ammonia might actually make things worse, but I feel good about using it on the machines I have. Thanks again. 😊
I just cleaned mine and am waiting for it to dry, so excited to see the results! I was having a hard time with my Yellow, every print I made came out purple-toned. Luckily, I saw a lot of yellow on the paper towel, so it should be fixed!
This video has saved me twice! Thank you Andrew. Clearly done.
👋
just wanna say thank you for this. I too have been using the same aftermarket inks as you almost since the day i got my printer over 5 years ago. Took a lot of research but they have been the highest rated inks for this printer and its been worth every penny. I think i lucked out bc when i bought the original ink refill kit the carts that came with mine were legit canon carts that just had to have the chips changed. haven't had any issues with the carts at all. this is the first time in 5 years ive had an issue and was never able to figure out WTH to do. Did this last night let it soak over night after changing out the cleaner a couple times to remove the old ink and now this morning printing great!! You literally saved my sanity after the last 3 months of shitty prints. super stressful.
Thank you, I followed your instructions and the problem was solved immediately!
Is it safe to rinse out the printhead even when it touches the gold piece in the back? I've seen videos where they let it sit in distilled water/iso Alcohol but recommend that you don't get water on the golden plate in the back
Thank you so much for taking so much time and effort to put this video together and share it with us all. Extremely helpful information!
Love the special waterpik connector that goes right into the cartridge holder. You teased a video on how to make that - can you provide me your recipe? Thanks!
yes ! it works, I had to do it multiple time, I tried to cut corners and leave the printhead with the solution for few hours only and it didn t do much. I left it for 3 days and night adding solution twice a day then did a water toothpick thingy, let it dry for a day and it s perfect.
I tried everything, even calling canon repair center, whom already changed my printhead once (80€) when I sent them the whole printer. They can t sell me a new printhead if I don t send them the whole printer again .....
Now I have to find a third party ink that doesn t clogg and that can resist UV light better than octoinkjet' and that is sold in europe..
Than you for the video and thank you for the solution recipe !
@HBT - Did you create a video on how to make a cleaning cartridge clip as mentioned in the video @11:07. thanks
I actually found out last night I had a clogged print head for cyan and was gonna give up on it, and I’m glad I came back today with a fresh head. I’m gonna try this out. Thank you!
I'm doing this process right now on my Pro 10 but using an ultrasonic cleaner instead of the Waterpik. I do have a Waterpik, but I have a feeling the ultrasonic will work better. If not, I may do the Waterpik as well. Thanks for the excellent, detailed video!
Well done. Clear instruction, clear video - up close with great detail. I have a MG6320 with a B200 error and the construction of the print head is very similar. I will be making the 10/2/1 head clean solution and trying to clean the head as you have shown.
Have you fixed B200 error this way?
@@abaymajr1976 sadly, no. I also bought a reconditioned print head and that brought no joy either.
Thank you so much for this very informative video!
WOW!!! So I didn't have amonia but I had water and alcohol. I mixed it swirled print head in it. Let it sit few minutes. Put a few drops right on yellow mesh screen since it was the only one not printing. Dried it off. Put in printer and WOW Yellow is back and more beautiful than ever!!!Thank you!!!
One of the better demonstration videos on RUclips. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Just a couple of comments: First off, Original Windex with some Isopropyl Alcohol will do the job. Secondly When you used the WaterPik on the bottom of the printhead, you are actually reverse flushing the nozzles, effectively forcing debris and/or old ink back in. Probably a better solution would be to gently run distilled water from the top and let it leach out by gravity. Your finished product looked great though!
I was curious about that too, but indeed only with serious clogs does the reverse process seem to be a must because there is no way of getting under the hood so to speak. My point was that after DEEP CLEANING using the software method I was actually making it worse. And the Ink Well that they don't mention resides way off to the right or left and that is supposed to be where the flossing and flushing happens...sorry pun intended.
the point he is making I think that needs reverse cleaning is only after you have soaked and rinsed and allowed that method to dry. Then with the solution going upwards does it clean or clear out the ink that is clogged that the eye cannot see. The only way to experience this would be to destroy a print head or the screens? I mean ONE SCREEN and look with a scope camera and you will see that the solution and the waterpik with light pressure does flush out what cannot be flushed from the TOP DOWN.
This I believe is only in WORSE CASE SCENARIO! Like mine PHOTO CYAN that was just collecting so much it created a HARD DOME on top of the SCREEN.
I share this as I am more likely to FOLLOW YOUR METHOD than the WATERPIK because it is messy and only as a last resort!
Yes. Thanks Windex has the ammonia without the hassles! Thanks for reminding me! But I also wanted to ask about is using TOO MUCH RUBBING ALCOHOL an issue? like 90percent/
because I thought it dried quicker and I am not sure if that might have caused my issue in the first place?
But most likely I think I am learning INKS have a EXPIRATION DATE and the SHELF LIFE matters!!!
@@makinworks I assume it would be better than nothing. But thats 90% isopropyl and 10% water.
Well... that was a huge help! Thanks much. Subscribed.
Good information, thanks ! I'd rinse the clean head in IPA instead of H20 to displace and water in and around the PCB and also speed the drying process
Thoroughly informative and excellent. Some key information makes all the difference. Would have loved a link to the cartridge flushing tool. Or maybe you could just list the parts. I don't know what the head part is or where I'd get it. I guess tubing is not so hard, but many will just want to make this thing or purchase it from you! Thanks.
Thank you so much for this video, just considering wether to buy a lightly used pro 100s that hasn’t been used for a couple of months.
People are asking a lot of money here in the UK for this printer, impossible to find a brand new one.
Hi! Thank you for the tips! I managed to clean the print head as well as all the cartridges, but after refilling, I noticed that the original filled cartridges are leaking... the ink is flowing... and as a result, my yellow cartridge, for example, is stained. I will redo the entire cleaning process, but do you have any idea why the cartridges are leaking?
I'd definitely like to buy a hose for the waterpik cart power cleaner, or find out how to make one
Thanks for this very helpful. One thing you don't mention is how you evacuate all the cleaning solution out of the cartridges. I assume you just shake it out.
Hi andrew, how should you dry the printhead after the cleaning?
Many thanks for your clear and instructive video. My initial problem is that I simply cannot see how to do a nozzle check or clean on my printer. I have done it in the past, but now don't seem to have access to where to make the printer do this. I have looked through other RUclips videos, but they all talk about cleaning the printer head. This will be good to know, but I also need to know how to do a nozzle check and clean. I feel really stupid, having done it before. I would really appreciate your help.
I know you wrote this a year ago, but thought I would answer it for you. I just open a jpg or a word document and go to PRINT, choose the Canon Pro 100, and then you will see tabs across the top - one is labeled Maintenance. That is where you find the nozzle check and cleaning tools. Hope this helps, Juliette
Hi Andrew, very nice video!!!
I was wondering… shouldnt those cartridges, be clogged free, if they were filled with Canon’s inks (GL43, GL56) ?
Exellent video , thank you for sharing with us . I have the same printer. 5 years now and i never cleaned the printhead or any other part of my printer . I use mostly after market inks from amazon . Today my printer flashes yellow and white for 20 times and i can't find the cause of the error . Do you believe by cleaning the printhead will resolve my issue ? Thank you again .
Very, very brave man ! Cleaning ink cartridges with a white dress shirt in the bathroom sink. Must not be married !
Ha ha, and wouldn't you know I didn't get a single drop of ink on my shirt! I am married, I think she's resigned herself on matters like this though. lol.
For your printhead solution,,, is the alcohol 70% alcohol or 90% alcohol?
Thank you sooooo much. Due to circumstances beyond my control I've had a Pro-10 and Pro-100 sitting unused for over a year. Today I got to the point on the Pro-10 where only 2 nozzles the Red and Black are blocked. I will be using this method. does the % of Alcohol matters meaning 70-90-99% Iso Alcohol? Also any advice on a type of ammonia to use? Could I try Windex? Finally, do you flush out your Waterpick and use it for your teeth after using your mixture? Thanks much. I'll let you know how it goes.
I believe I used 90%, but I don't think it matters too much. I also used "off the shelf" Walmart brand ammonia. Windex is more or less an ammonia alcohol solution, but they add a colorant which you don't want. After rinsing the waterpick thoroughly, running clean water through the pump etc for a while it is fine to use for cleaning teeth.
@@HillBrosTech Thanks for the very quick supply. I think we have ammonia I need to find it and a good measuring device.
Thanks for this very informative video. I seem to have only one cloged nozzle - Gray. Do I need to clean the whole print head or can I Water Pick the single nozzle?
Good observations and share. I wonder if this head cleanng will get rid of the slight banding I get with light ink coverage. I had head strike from a curled corner on the paper and had issues since. Tried a number of cleaning methods, and may have tyried this, but I will give it another shot. Jose's channel is good so is Northlight , Keith.
Perfect answer to my issue!! Totally clogged Cyan!! Will get the recipe and tr it out this weekend Thank you!!
Great video. Very helpful. You mentioned that you would sell the water pic attachment you made to learn the printer cartridge. How might I do that? tcs
Thanks!!! Great video and help for users that canon doesn't help (specially outside the US). If the cleaning solution touches the contacts of the printhead, could it generate problems? Do you have more recommendations for the Pixma pro 100? I haven't been able to refill original cartridges so I have bought the alternative ones. I always have problemas printing. I don't print too often. Also I'm having problems to access the wifi set up. I changed my wifi and haven't been able to connect to the new signal. Any sugestions? Thanks again.
EXCELLENT presentation, AND I have an old Waterpik!!! Great idea. Thanks...
Can a syringe be used instead of the waterpik to clean the printhead as well as the cartridges? Thanks! Super helpful video.
Thank you, this worked perfectly with my Canon Pixma 100 Pro. Thank you!
Will keep this in mind, but so far my PRO 100 seems invincible!
It is about 3 years old. First 6 months used about 50% of the ink that came with the printer. Then it sat for OVER A YEAR without use. Fired it up, ran the nozzle check, perfect. Used up some of the ink colors and replaced them with OEM carts (at this point there is a mixture of older and newer ink carts). Sat for another 3-4 months without use, fired it up, ran the nozzle check, perfect. Printed a few 8.5 x 11 photos, perfect.
I can only guess that because of the very low volume of ink that has passed through the printer I have avoided the clogging issues. The plan at this point is to print a full color gamut page and nozzle check once a week (if not used for real photo work).
indeed. this is the best case. PHOTO INKS. And in my case I think EXPIRATION of OEM inks is my issue. The PHOTO CYAN seems to have created an ABCESS on top of the screen. So all the photos I printed were magenta tone.
If I printed regular CMYK or NON PHOTO images, the printer did not use this inks.
But I pray this will work for balancing out the PHOTOS.
And EXPIRATION DATES and REFUNDS from my OEM Vendor I pray they will be REPLACING all I have with NEW as they have in the past on a few, that leaked. But in this case, it appears to be my guess that I always had 3 of each on the shelf. Then lockdown and no use. Then no matter what you print it will look like crap and clog more and more over time.....just my guess.
Question . . . . can the Ammonia be lemon scented . . . . . ? It's all I found . . . . Thank you.
I have the exact same problem with my Cyan/Group 2 inks on my pro100. I use all OEM carts with PC inks but they could use a cleaning and conditioning. Ink starvation never occurred to me. I used printhead hospital cleaner on amazon and it unclogged everything for a day then clogged again.
Are you using the Signature Edition inks? Or the older versions? Try my recipe for cleaning the printhead, I haven't had any problems for months now. Let me know how it turns out!
Can you show how to do that with your solution? Did you use any additional tube?
HBT I’m not using precision color signature inks, I got them a while ago. Is that bad?
Thank You So Much For This Information! Helped Me Start Troubleshooting My Canon Pro 200
After cleaning the print head, the OEM cartridges that have been sitting unused in the printer for the past 2 years are probably also clogged; can I use them or do I need to clean them out and refill? Thanks,joe
What ammonia would you recommend for DIY cleaner? Any links would be appreciated. Thanks
I just use similar technique but only warm running tap water. No equipment or special solution. Been doing it for years, no print head failure. But I'm thorough in using an absorbing paper to dry it up after...
Hello, excellent video. I do have Canon ImagePrograf Pro-300 and i didn't found third party ink supplier. I don't know about how to reset the ship of cartridge or if it's not possible at all. Thanks
Do you have any suggestions on how often to hit the maintenance cleaning of the heads?
whoa great idea using water pik, now I know what else to do with mine thanks!
Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know what kind of ammonia to use.
For us living in Europe: is thet another name for the isopropyl alcohol and ammonia?
How long does it take for the cyan print cartridge to dry so you can add ink back into it to print? I so hope your method works!
For the alcohol portion, are you using 91%+ or anything less or more?
Thanks so much. One question. Do you cover the cartridge heads while the print head is soaking? I threw out the orange things when I installed them.
Just started the process of soaking... Hopefully will save another printer! Thanks for the vid.
Thank you!! I only soaked mine for 15 mins in water and isopropyl alcohol. I took it out when I noticed no more ink going into the mixture. Now my black and Cyan work again.
did you use the waterpik?
Hello Andrew. I bought a new waterpik on ebay and carefully watched your video after terrible nozzle tests. I soaked the print head for 2 days in your solution and then used the waterpik as you described EXACTLY. My nozzle test was not 100% satisfactory but much much better. I was missing the LGY almost completely. So I cleaned and purged a OEM Canon cart and refilled with PC ink (I have been doing this successfully for 2 years). Though the LGY is only faintly visible, I still have an issue . The GY color is also not completely solid. So, though I have improved the results greatly on the nozzle tests, it is not what it should be for the GY and the LGY. Would it be advisable to do this one more time? Soak the print head and then clean with the water pick? I am using your formula. All carts are OEM canon. Thanks for any advice. Its not worth buying. new print head at this point but sure would be interested in doing this process with the water pick again IF you think it is worth it...thanks!
Great video, thanks so much for this information. 1. Can you please tell me how much additional ammonia you have added to your original formula of 10 parts water, 2 parts isopropyl, and 1 part ammonia. You had mentioned you ended up using additional ammonia? Thanks.
Did you ever post where to buy the piece you made to fully empty the canon cartridges? It would save my life
Andrew Thank You! This step by step helps a lot! I was having the same issue but specifically with PhotoCyan. It was getting worse over time, and I am drying the head now, and praying it will work. I will admit that I have been using OEM cartridges and after watching your inside sponge comparison, my jaw dropped! No wonder they always refund or replace them fast as can be, and especially when they leak!
Question. I have been buying in bulk from a vendor who sells the OEM. I never noticed a problem until about one year ago, and I just assumed it was the end of life for the printer.
But, now I am wondering what is the SHELF LIFE or EXPIRATION PERIOD for STORING UNOPENED INKS?
Since Covid and lockdowns I did not print as much, and indeed my inventory has a hodge lodge of various inks at different ages.
I never considered it might be also an EXPIRATION ISSUE as well? because it seemed to be intermittent when I was using what I think were NEWER INKS. but again I am guessing.
I will know in the morning if this worked. But I will also be on the phone with the vendor to see if they can just REPLACE all the inks I have been storing?
I usually keep 3 of each, but this was when I was printing a lot of PHOTOS for clients.
As it is now, many of these might be OUT OF DATE. And could this also be an issue with PHOTO CYAN not draining fully?
For on a pattern all PHOTO CYANS have about 5 to 10 percent ink still left but the INK REPORTS "REPLACE!!!!" and that is not an option like the others which allow you to milk out a few or hundred more before QUITTING .
Thanks again, I look forward to any advice about the SHELF LIFE?
and does anyone else put TAPE over the AIR HOLE when not in use to SAVE them from EVAPORATION? thanks
I have used inks well past their expiration date without issue. I will say it probably matters how they were stored, in a 70 degree constant temperature vs baking in a hot car or garage and then freezing every winter. As for clogging. I don't have an issue ever when I use genuine Canon inks, I do if I use 3rd party. I've never put tape over the hole, I don't know how much that changes things. I live in Utah which is a ridiculously dry climate, almost never humid, even when snowing if you can believe that! I think climate, humiditiy, temperature etc affects the printer more than anything. Aside from cheap inks that is. It's tempting, but never worth it.