# Canon i960 printer problem



## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

I let my Canon i960 sit for about 9 months while moving to a new home. When I tried to use it again the colors were horrible. I tried cleaning the heads and installing new cartridges. No help, so I ordered a new OEM print head assembly. It arrived, I installed it and now the Cyan and Photo Magenta heads don't work after repeated cleanings and swapping of cartridges. Any suggestions?


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## arknorth (Oct 17, 2007)

General question - when you said you cleaned the heads, how did you clean them, and if you used a fluid, what type?

An old Canon print head cleaning trick can be tried here - take a dessert dish (about 9 - 10") and put a layer of 409 or Fantastik on it (Never use Windex, as the alcohol in it is a drying agent and will clog the heads). Sit the heads of the ink carriage in this and let soak for an hour or two (for longer soaks, place the ink cartridges in their places inside the carriage to protect the ink drawing heads). When done, take a Q-Tip and scrub the heads. Take the Q-Tip and then wet the contacts that connect the carriage to the printer, and reinstall back into the Canon. Put the inks in and send the machine through a cleaning cycle. This may get the beastie back up and working.

If you try this method, I suggest you do so first on the original carriage as a test.

BTW - just to let you know, I sell ink and printers for a living, so yes, it does sound strange, but this does work.

A-N


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## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks. I tried first to clean the original head with a "Magic Ink Jet Head Cleaner" I ordered over the net. I just used the built in maintenance cleaning on the new head. I tried numerous times. for awhile they all worked except the Cyan but before long the Photo Magenta quit too. I'm disappointed because I really liked the i960.


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## arknorth (Oct 17, 2007)

The i960 is a good machine, and I wouldn't disss it too quickly here. Head cleaning kits sometimes do work, as long as they use the right cleaner in them (some kits are filled with cleaner I wouldn't exactly want going through my machine).

At least try putting the new head in with the wet contacts as I described before. Sometimes the wax protectant that they cover these in gets in the way of a proper connection. Also check the same contacts inside the machine as well to see if any ink overspray may have coated them.

When you do the cleaning, are you doing it through your computer's program, or are you using the i960's own internal cleaning system The holding of the paper feed button or power button until the power LED blinks)?

A-N


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## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

You are my NEW HERO!! I couldn't save the old head assembly, but using the 409 like you suggested on the new one worked and I now have my i960 working again. You are also correct in that it is a great printer. I purchased a canon iP6700D when the i960 failed. The cartridges for it are extremely expensive and seem to be not refillable. Do you have a source for inexpensive cartridges or do you have a way to refill the OEM units. They have the circuit board installed and I haven't been successful in transferring the board and having the computer recognize the replacements. I'm considering just donating it to a local school or church and sharing the i960 with my wife's computer.


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## arknorth (Oct 17, 2007)

Well, the iP6700D was basically the replacement for the i960. The thing is those BCI-8 cartridges - also known as Smart Cartridges - are capable of 9800 dpi, which is currently the highest print resolution on the market (the i960 does 4800 dpi max). Reloading the carts is possible, and we (who I can not name due to conflict of interest) will be carrying our own version of the BCI-8 soon. This means that aftermarket versions of the 8 will be available soon, and at a lower cost than the OEM - but remember that using aftermarkets will void your warranty.

That circuit board is what makes the BCI-8 such a nice cartridge set, especially if, like in your case, they are in a machine that uses the two Photo Inks, as they allow for archival printing (the ink has an ultra-vilolet filtering base to it that allows for pictures coated in it to be displayed without sunlight bleaching occurring). On most machines (Epsons especially) that chip is only a clock that tell the machine how many print/hours the ink has gone throught to determin if you are out or not. On the Canon, it also acts as a ink regulator, limiting the flow properly so that you don't soak the paper in ink, which the i960 is more likely of doing, since it's simply a gravity feed system. The iP6700D is more precise with its delivery as well.

As for the 'dead' old head unit, don't chuck it yet. If you reload your inks, you can take a set of the old BCI-6s you have and load them with a diluted 409 mix (2 parts 409 1 part water) as well and run the cleaning cycle through it until it come free of the clog - the reason is that it will give you a backup in case the other fails later. Loading this way and allowing it to sit overnight before running the cleaning function should soften up the top ink receivers, if they are what are gummed up.

Have fun printing!

A-N


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## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

I haven't had any success in reloading the BCI-6 cartridges. What is the process? Saving the old head as a backup sounds like a good idea. Also, how will I know when and shere your BCI-8 cartridges will be available? If I could get less expensive cartridges I would probably just keep it too but not at the cost of OEM's.


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## arknorth (Oct 17, 2007)

The remanufacturers are starting to send brochures out with BCI-8s listed as we speak (remember, only cartridges that have a print head attached are recycled 100% - carts like the BCI-3, 6 and 8 have to be made fresh, though still can be recycled at reputable companies [hear that Staples?] - some need the 8s recycled, as they still use the chip off the front of the old bottle in their new carts). When they will actually hit the market is unknown though.

Reloading... easy in BCI-3s and 6s, a bit of a pain in an 8, even though they load the same way. Reload kits for these usually come with ink, a punch/drill and a stopper to plug up the hole when done. In a Canon, it actually is a good idea if you're into reloading, to keep that cartridges IN the machine while doing it, since once that orange cap it removed from it, the cart will leak like a siv if you try to do it in your hand (yuck!). Normally, if you look at a Canon cartridge, you'll see above the clip handle a well area and a larger section filled with what looks like fiber-fill from a pillow (because it is!). You punch a hole in the top of this area and fill it, then plug it - that's it. But...

...that chip causes a problem in BCI-8s. You either need to get into the printer manager on your computer to reset the beastie, or run the internal head cleaning on the printer to make it realize there's flow going on from it. This process is a great deal easier in the i960, as the BCI-6s just need the ink dropped in and recapped.

Oddly, there is still a demand for the i960 and the BCI-6 cartridges, since this is the last machine Canon made that a Bakery could use - Canon makes special BCI-3 and 6 carts filled with edible inks that allow for those photo-transfer images you see from time to time on cakes and such.

A-N


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## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks, looks like I'll need to keep the iP6700D. After two days the i960 has started acting up again. The Cyan and Photo Magenta inks just quit flowing. Doing software and/or manual cleanings doesn't seem to help. What happens if I put the head assembly into 409 deep enough to submerge the ink channel delivery too? Or any other suggestions?


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## arknorth (Oct 17, 2007)

You don't want to soak the electronics too deep - fries the chip.

I'd check the contacts in the machine as well - attack them with a Q-Tip & 409, leave them wet and reinstall the head assembly.

A-N


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## digger72x (Jun 10, 2008)

I'm giving up on the i960. Nothing seems to help it and it's getting worse every day. Time for the trash pile!! Thanks for your help!! I just screwed up by storing it too long.


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