My Canon i250 won't print a text file in black ink, although it will print in color. When I do a "maintenance check," the black seems to work o.k., and it has no problem printing a PDF file in black ink, as well.
I tried removing and cleaning the print head, replacing the black ink cartridge, but nothing changed.
Is there an affordable way to repair it, or should I just replace the whole printer?
Suddenly neither cartridge will print on the i250.
Even new cartridges won`t print.
Please help. Urgent!Suddenly neither cartridge will print on the i250.
Even new cartridges won`t print.
Please help. Urgent!
AnonymousMar 11, 2009
PRINTER WILL NOT PRINT BLACK USING ANY PROGRAMME.
I AM ABLE TO PRINT SAVED WORK IN ANY COLOUR BUT BLACK.
I HAVE CHANGED THE BLACK INK AND CARRIED OUT THE MAINTENANCE BUT IT WILL NOT PRINT BLACK WHEN UNDER TEST.PRINTER WILL NOT PRINT BLACK USING ANY PROGRAMME.
I AM ABLE TO PRINT SAVED WORK IN ANY COLOUR BUT BLACK.
I HAVE CHANGED THE BLACK INK AND CARRIED OUT THE MAINTENANCE BUT IT WILL NOT PRINT BLACK WHEN UNDER TEST.
I had this problem also. There were short-term solutions, but nothing worked for any length of time. In the end the only solution was to buy a new printer.
Epson have deliberately built obsolence into these printers. After a pre-determined number of prints, they just stop working. Clever fixes keep them limping on a bit longer, but eventually you have no alternative but to replace them. On principle, you should therefore replace your planned-obsolescence printer with a non-Epson machine. But then you'll be left with your stock of cheap Chinese printer cartridges!
In the 1960s Ralph Nader made his name as a consumer champion by campaigning against US car companies. They used to build in pre-programmed obsolence into your car so that after a certain amount of time you were forced to buy a new one. Just like Epson is doing today.
So I removed the print-head, (flip up the guard which holds the ink cartridges, then remove the ink-cartridges, and then pull the holder which is the printed-head toward you a little and it lifts out)
I saw underneath it was a little inky, so I dabbed it with a bit of distilled water on tissue (do that at your own risk cause I don't know what it says in the manual).
Put it back, tried again.... same result... no black ink.
However I then tried another new ink cartridge... the 5th I'd tried.. cheap one I got on ebay.
AND IT WORKED.
I looked at the other black-cartridge boxes I'd tried, and the USE BEFORE DATE = 08.2008
The new one I tried, and the one where it got back to printing black in perfect working order... was USE BEFORE DATE = 05.2010
I think the black ink must have dried up in my older cartridges... but I honestly had expected them to last out a bit longer past their USE BEFORE date.
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or maintenance menu
user manual link
https://www.manualowl.com/p/Canon/PIXMA-MX479/Manual/218086
something wrong with the black printer cartridge
PG-240XXL XXL Black Ink Cartridge
PG-240XL XL Black Ink Cartridge
PG-240 Black Ink Cartridge
CL-241XL XL Color Ink Cartridge
CL-241 Color Ink Cartridge
Sorry, steve, that you are experiencing this problem.
According to canon.com's website regarding the i9900 InkJet Photo Printer:
Why color ink may be used when printing in black and white
Even when printing in black and white, color ink is used for the following reasons:
Automatic cleaning of the print head.
To prevent the print head nozzles from clogging, the print head is automatically cleaned periodically. At that time, a small amount of each color ink is consumed.
Therefore, although printing in black and white is performed, color ink is also consumed.
Color inks may be used to create black.
When printing in grayscale or on photo paper or when duplex printing, although printing appears in black and white, the color black may be created using the three (cyan, magenta, and yellow) color inks. Printers without a pigment black tank / cartridge will print black / grayscale will create a composite black using color ink even on plain paper.
Therefore, although printing in black and white is performed, color ink may be consumed.
In order to keep the heavy black ink from smearing on the page or in the printer, color ink is used when duplex printing to help create black text.
---
I might suggest taking out the color ink cartridges leaving only black there, but some printers don't take kindly to this. So, you may have to further experiment with magenta, cyan, and yellow to make it at least seem b&w to your best eye's judgment.
Canon i250. Instructions on this website solved the problem of flashing green and orange lights, but now the black won't print. Changed ink cartridges, but still no print. Did a diagnostic nozzle check, and the black DID print. What do I do now?
you can make a selection from the File->Print option of your word processor or whatever package you are using. it is your command that sets the printer to B&W or color. If your Black ink finishes then the printer even if set to color will print black as near black with color inks.
I had a similar problem. Pages in blue, but nozzle check in black. Tried what you tried. Changed the ink ($). Still no change. Then tried the maintenance option to clean the bottom plate. And now it is working. Go figure.
I replaced the Office Max ink substitute with an original Canon ink. This did not help. I decided this problem most probably had to be a printer head issue, so I gave up and bought a new printer instead.
Perhaps the CMY color heads need alignment. If you have not already done so, run a head alignment from the driver maintenance section. It will print out a page containing several lines and text, and request you select the closest-aligned images. After this is done, do another image print to check for improvements. Normally, the printer uses the black cartridge for text and the CMY inks for images (even for black on photo and specialty paper). So when you are printing normal text pages on plain paper, only the black ink is used. A good check for this would be to print a normal text page, but select photo paper in the driver to trick the printer into using the CMY inks to make a substitute black text page. If this looks ok, then you are having issues other than cartridge alignment.
My printer also won't print in black even with new cartridge etc. can it be repaired or is the cost not worth it.
Mine too .- it will not print out in black but colour seemed OK.
same ****
Suddenly neither cartridge will print on the i250.
Even new cartridges won`t print.
Please help. Urgent!
PRINTER WILL NOT PRINT BLACK USING ANY PROGRAMME.
I AM ABLE TO PRINT SAVED WORK IN ANY COLOUR BUT BLACK.
I HAVE CHANGED THE BLACK INK AND CARRIED OUT THE MAINTENANCE BUT IT WILL NOT PRINT BLACK WHEN UNDER TEST.
Damn it !!!!!!
Same problem here. Won't print black. Will print color.
I've tried 4 new color black cartridges - and same result - won't print in black.
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