Printer Problems!!!

[Discostu123]

Allright here's the deal. I can't seem to print ANYTHING in black on my printer. I have changed the cartridge and even swapped the printer ( Canon i450 ). I swapped it to an Epson Photo 780 and this one does not print in black either!!....WTF......I'm running 98 SE on this computer, my backup, BTW....I know both printers work because I tried them both on my main rig...Can any of you guys help me, I tried everything I could think of, still no dice!!...TIA.....Disco

[CaterpillarAssassin]

wow thats strange. what do you mean it wont print in black? It just shows up blank?

Not sure this would help but if you've tried everything maybe try fiddling with the color profiles? in printers right click ur printer hit properties and its the color management tab. Try changing it to a different one.

OK Dumb question too. But its always the simplest things we forget. You did take the tape off the bottom of the new cartridge, right?

[Discostu123]

New cartridges in both printers, took tape off, yes.....No black will print, but if I cut and paste a document to notepad, and print with a color such as blue, it will print that document!!.....Weird huh!!

[nitro237]

possibly a bad printer cable ??

[FlyingPenguin]

Almost certainly the black inkjets are clogged. I see this all the time.

Most Epson and Canon printers have the inkjets permanently mounted in the printer, and not on the cartridge. If the jets are clogged, changing the cartridge won't fix the problem.

This is why I recommend HP printers - their inkjets are built into the cartridges. Jet gets clogged, you toss the cartridge and you're good to go. The only negative is that the cartridges are slightly more expensive.

Why did the jets clog? Lack of use is one reason. If the printer sits a long time the ink can harden in the jets.

Another reason is ink goes bad over time. You should NEVER stockpile ink cartridges. Unless you print a LOT you should never buy a replacement cartridge until the one you're using is starting to run low. Ink can go bad after just a few months. Worse, there's no way of knowing how long that cartridge sat in a warehouse shelf before you bought it, or whether it was stored in ideal temperature conditions.

Yet another reason are refill kits. Don't use them, I don't recommend them. The ink is usually inferior to the ink supplied by the manufacturer.

Another reason is turning off the printer incorrectly. Normally you turn off the printer with the button on the printer, which makes the printer wipe and cap the ink jets before it shuts down, preventing them from drying out. If you kill the power to the printer from a power strip (a bad habit some people have) then the printer won't cap the jets and the ink in them will dry out and clog them.

You should never turn off an inkjet printer except using the printer's power button. It's okay to leave the printer on all the time - a built-in timer will cap the jets and put the printer in sleep mode after a certain amount of time of inactivity, but don't kill the power using a power strip.


ANYWAY, to fix your problem. All you can do is run the printer's cleaning utility SEVERAL DOZEN TIMES and pray. You can usually find a button in the printer's settings (right click on the printer icon, properties) to start a cleaning cycle. Some printers have you run a separate utility. Some printers can also run a cleaning from the controls on the printer. Read your manual.

It will take dozens of cleanings if the jets are clogged. FIRST make sure to put a new cartridge in the printer (I think you said you just put a new one in it so that's fine).

What generally works is to do 3 or 4 cleanings, then print a page with a LOT of black on it. Like a dark black and white large photo. Then do another 3 or 4 cleanings and then try to print a dark photo again. Sooner or later - if you're lucky - the jets will unclog.

You may get some intermittent ink for a while, keep doing the cleaning then dark printing until it prints evenly.

If that doesn't work, you're out of luck. Fortunately a decent printer can be purchased nowadays for under $100. I recommend HP personally.

Hope this helps...

[Discostu123]

Thanks FP, will try your method first. But, can I ask you one question?....Is it possible to clear the heads using alcohol, like with a Q-tip, or using an old cartridge filled with alcohol.....I don't know, that's why I'm asking....Again...TIA.....Disco