I recently had to unclog two colors and was successfull using piezoflush solution.
Nevertheless, in the instructions you provide, you recommend to do an initial fill to introduce the solution in the head, because “power cleaning is no more available” for the x900 series. This is made through the adjustment program either for left hand cartridges or right hand cartridge. If only one cartridge is replaced by piezoflush solution, a lot of ink is used for the other cartridges during the initial fill process.
In fact, I thin that the power cleaning is still available for the x900 series through the adjustment program (cleaning CL3). My question is : why can we not use 2 CL3 cleaning for a pair to flush instead of an initial fill (2 colors still better than either 4 or 6 depending of port to be initial filled)?
Sorry for that but I received today an answer from Jon to this question and did’nt read it before posting. So it seems that even with CL3, a lot of cleaning would be necessary which is not recommended for the integrity of the print head.
To avoid repeated initial fill (in my case I needed four!), can I flush by printing monochrome trough calibration print (QTR) until piezoflush solution appears (10 to 15 A4) and then do a unique initial fill to apply the vacuum necessary for unclogging?
You can try printing flush images thru QTR calibration mode of the individual channel, but printing uses the print head differently than the Init Fill. The vacuum and suction in the Init Fill process can be helpful in freeing up clogs, but it really depends on the severity of your clog, and if it’s in fact a clog/blockage or fried/damaged print head.
Based on my experience, initial fill is only reasonable if piezo flush solution is used for every cartridge. Otherwise, ink consumption can be awfull. I have tried to save some bucks by limiting spare cartridges to clogged channels: it costed me more!!
The most severe clogged color was PK/MK (nearly no output). After 3 initial fill (with piezo flush solution on corresponding channels), 90% was recovered at the third flush but still printing in black (I suppose that the piezo flush solution has liberated the damper at this stage). At the fourth initial fill, piezo solution was printed with a completely unclogged channel. I loose about 500 to 600 ml of good ink in the process!
By the way, if the ink consumption, based on the net available infos, is 115 ml for an initial refill process and 53 ml for a CL3 cleaning cycle, it seems to me that not so much CL3 cycles would be necessary to replace ink in the lines, as suggested by Jon. But may be his assessment is based on experience, mine is not! I used during the life of my 4900, a lot of cleaning cycles (CL1, CL2, CL3) with a head apparently still unfried. The rule that I applied since the beginning was: no more than 2 to 3 cleaning cycles in 24 hours. May be that was the key to preserve from the full loose of the head?
In other words, I try to figure out if there could be a reasonable unclog procedure, with respect to true ink consumption. First experience with piezo flush solution, even if successfull for unclogging the head (great!), is unviable from an economical point of view. This leads me progressivly but surely to the conclusion that a move to Canon IPF with PF05 heads could be the best fix!
This does in no way limit the merit of Inkjet Mall for developing a rescue procedure for Epson printers users (at least someone is providing some help!). But all this highlights, from my point of view, unacceptable commercial practice from Epson, who continues to sell X900 series without shame. Ethically at least, it pushes to a more radical solution…
Just an update on my 4900. Since piezoflush solution had brought the printer back to life (a little bit more than three months), i didn’t experience any new additional clog! Obviously piezoflush provides a good long term solution. What surprises me is that the behavior of the printer has improved since the flush. Before, I had always been obliged to run regularly at least some light head cleaning process to have all the nozzles free. I cross the fingers…
Since then, I bought an ipf6450 with no clog issues up to now. I kept the 4900 and my intention is to convert the printer for B&W piezography. Even if a good I1 (2000 patches) color profile works quite well for B&W on the IPF, I want to explore piezography knowing that I can put the printer on rest for some periods using piezoflush.
Does Inkjetmall have some plan to develop inks for Canon printers?
Regards.
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