How do you remove the printer head to clean it?

Regarding your recent inquiry about your MX892 poor print quality/lack of printing performance (or similar), it sounds like your PRINTHEAD is either clogged (from dried ink) or has reached END-OF-LIFE, to help determine which please perform the following steps (if you have already performed a step, please continue to the next step in the order shown):



Canon Cartridge Troubleshooting: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=1537





1.Go into the printer\'s maintenance/tools menu and print a print quality test (i.e. heading cleaning, nozzle test or similar) to help identify which color (of number of colors) is impacted.



NOTE: To help determine which color has run out, use the following suggestions in sequence until you are able to identify the empty color:



1) Generate a Print Quality Test Page from your printer control panel; a faded color band indicates empty. 2) To distinguish between a black and photo black cartridge, print a text document and/or a photo. Faded black in a text document indicates the black cartridge is empty; faded black in a photo indicates the photo black cartridge is empty. 3) To distinguish between cyan, yellow, and magenta click here: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=146 A faded or missing color band indicates empty.



2.At the printer\'s control panel under the \'Maintenance\' or \'Tools\' menu, activate a \'CLEANING\' or \'HEAD CLEANING\' to prime the ink system. Then Run the Inkjet411 \'Ink Recovery Test Print\' from our Test Prints page to verify all colors are firing properly (all printers also provide some form of a Self Test page): http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=146



3.Check your user\'s manual to see if there are any procedures on cleaning the service station/capping station assembly (this is where the carriage/cartridges \'park\' when not in use). A dirty service station can cause all kinds of improper color output problems (assuming the printhead is working correctly of course). NOTE: May not be applicable for your model depending on the printer design.



4.If this does not remedy the problem, then one or more of the ink ports may be dry within the PRINTHEAD assembly (the ink cartridges physically connect to this electronic assembly). We suggest you either remove the printhead and perform a hot water flush for 2 minutes (in a sink) or using an eye-dropper, or similar, drip 5-10 milliliters (i.e. 1-2 teaspoons) of distilled water into the respective color ink port to help saturate the foam. http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=2804



7.Reinstall ink cartridges and retest.

Inkjet411 Suggested PRINTHEAD Cleaning Procedures:

Canon Printhead Warm-Water Flush Procedure: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=2804



3rd party PRINTHEAD CLEANING solutions (for additional reference only):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8QaFVwsEs(Canon)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZheZf-vdho8 (Canon Printhead removal / water flush)



8.If the problem persists, then you may have a damaged PRINTHEAD (worst case scenario), unrelated to the refilled cartridges. The printhead is a separate electronic assembly (which the cartridges are installed into) and is responsible for firing the ink drops onto the paper. Over time and based on usage this assembly will eventually fail (typically lasts ~4,000 to 5000 printed pages on avg). Refer to video on how the PRINTHEAD functions: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=2054



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PRINHEAD TECHNICAL NOTES:



IIT (individual ink tank-based) printer models have an electronic PRINTHEAD within the base of the carriage assembly (responsible for pulling ink from the 4, 5 or 6 ink cartridges and then firing the ink droplets onto the paper) - these will eventually fail depending on print usage type and printer duty cycle (i.e. rated for approximately 10,000 printed pages over life, but the consumer average is typically closer ~4,000-5,000 thruput pages). The printhead is replaceable and can be ordered directly from the manufacturer or www.Amazon.com . For information on how the PRINTHEAD functions, please watch the following video: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=2054



Typically the printhead should not reach it\'s end-of-life until after a minimum of 8 or more complete sets of cartridge changes. While some printheads may last 10,000+ pages others may only last 2000 pages, actual results will vary. The printhead will eventually fail in time due to an internal micro-electronics failure, due to the following leading factors: general customer print usage and printer care, printer duty cycle (i.e. # pages printed per month), printing frequency (i.e. time between each print job), print mode (i.e. draft vs. normal) and content printed (i.e. photos vs plain pages) and color mode (black and white only vs. color/greyscale printing).



Paper types used (i.e. plain paper, photo papers & matte/heavy bond papers) and paper edge curl (i.e. duration in printer and/or exposure to low relative humidity) can also quickly lead to premature printhead failures due to physical \'head strikes\' of the paper edges making repeated contact with the printhead nozzle plate surfaces.



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For any additional questions please contact us directly: [email protected]



NOTE: If you need to purchase a new ink cartridge(s), we suggest you try a remanufactured ink cartridge from http://www.inkplicity.com/ as their ink cartridges typically have the lowest cost in the USA and have a high reliability rating.



-Thank you