I just purchased a reconditioned Canon PIXMA MX700, and it leaves concentrated cyan and/or black (hard to tell) smudges on all print outs, as shown on the left here: http://support-ph.canon-asia.com/contents/PH/EN/8200225400.html. Enabling "prevent paper abrasion" mode lifts the print head slightly and eliminates the problem, but slows down the printing. I took out the printhead and saw that it was completely coated in black-ish ink, so I wiped it down carefully (without touching the actual nozzles) with q-tips. It printed the next page perfectly, no smudges. The second page I printed after that had the smudges again! I took the printhead out again, and it was coated with ink even worse than before. :-( Anybody know what gives? The Canon techs had previously suggested a deep cleaning, but I didn't do that because it takes so much ink and the nozzle check pattern was perfect. Thanks!
It's likely that the foam pads that the print head rests on when the printer is not in use are saturated with ink. They're to the right as you look into the printer: a rectangular one for black ink and a square one for the colored ink. If you power the printer off and back on, with the cover open, you'll see where the printhead goes to rest.
The pads aren't easy to get at, but you can blot them with a paper towel. Gummy, half-dried ink dissolves in rubbing alcohol, and you can soak a paper towel or a cotton ball with alcohol and wipe down the area. I've had good luck soaking the pads with alcohol, then blotting them dry with a rag.
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