Edible ink printers are the great medium in converting your digital camera images into edible images. To avoid any clogging with your printhead either you keep it running every day or use Edible cleaning cartridges. If your colors are not coming correct or your magenta is not deep magenta, black is printing faded prints, pink prints orange that identifies there is some issue either with your edible ink cartridges or the printhead itself. Edible inks are food-grade coloring made using extracts of sugar and artificial food colors which can crystallize when temperatures either get excessively cool or unused for drawn out stretches of time. If your printer is not yielding hues accurately and your nozzle test is not demonstrating all the cartridge hues obviously, then you will more than likely need to clean your print head.
Every time, you do not need to visit any printer repair shop. This printhead maintenance guide is created to help you resolve clogged or choked printhead issues. When does your edible printer need maintenance checkup?
1.) Experiencing Vertical or horizontal lines on every sheet you print. 2.) Missing colors or printed colors are not the same.
Possible Causes?
1.) Empty edible ink cartridges 2.) The clogged printhead in your printer 3.) Non-Recognition Error with the edible cartridges
Diagnosing and fixing the printing problems
1.) First of all, one should verify that all cartridges are full of edible ink or at least half-filled and are being recognized in the edible printer. If they are empty you should refill your edible ink cartridges using our starter refill kit pack and check this post on how to refill edible ink cartridges. 2.) Edible ink cartridges can be dried - open the refilling clip and drop 2-3 drops of edible ink from the bottom sponge - Put paper towel beneath while dripping edible ink to avoid dirt on floor or shelf. 3.) Most of the time empty cartridges are the major cause of scratchy lines which will get clear once you fill edible ink in them. 4.) If you examine the full ink levels you should apply the below-mentioned settings in your printer properties which will clear all the lines.
After applying these settings if still, the printing problem occurs you may have the clogged printhead.
What is Printhead?
The Printhead performs the principal role by transferring the minute droplets of ink through its numerous nozzles on the sheet to create the desired edible image. Blockage in the nozzles, which may happen over time due to factors discussed below, obstruct the smooth flow of ink. This diminishes the print quality, scratchy lines etc. What Causes Clogging of a Print Head?
The major reason is the non-utilization of an edible printer especially when you have edible cartridges installed. Do not let the printer sit with the edible cartridges unused for more than 5-7 days. The ink will sit there, solidify, and then cause clogs which are a hassle to clean up. The edible ink contains are made from water-based food coloring that can crystallize when temperatures either get excessively cool.
We recommend the use of edible cleaning cartridges if you are not using your printer for more then 10-15 days. You may check how important role does edible cleaning cartridges play to keep the Printhead always like *NEW*. You can purchase the edible cleaning cartridges from here
How to identify a clogged printhead?
To confirm the printhead issues, run Print Nozzle Pattern test using your Canon Printer Settings as follows: Go to Setting Or Gear icon on the printer LCD screen, tap Maintenance, and then “Print Nozzle Pattern”
Use plain A4 size sheet in the FRONT Cassette of your Printer. Do not waste frosting sheets or wafer paper for test prints. The print quality itself confirms the problem.
Print Nozzle Pattern Result If your Nozzle Print Patterns are incorrect like the above image or missing some other color you will need to clean the printhead. Kindly, open the top cover of the printer, let the printhead come in center, remove the edible cartridges, and check your printhead. You may compare it with the below image of the clogged printhead.
Automatically cleaning of a Canon Edible Printhead?
The easiest way to resolve your print quality issue is by running a CLEANING on your printer. The cleaning function is included in the software of every Canon printer LCD screen Go to Settings Or Gear icon on the printer LCD screen, tap Maintenance, then tap “Cleaning”.
Repeat the cleaning cycle two or three times and then perform "Print Nozzle Pattern" again If you see no improvement, clean your printhead manually as discussed below.
Method Recommended - Unclog or Cleaning the Printhead using Icinginks Printhead Flush Cleaning Kit Manually
Watch below a complete video on how to remove and clean the printhead of the canon edible printer.
STEP 1: REMOVING THE PRINTHEAD
Open the top-lid of your printer. Wait until the carriage with the cartridges comes to the center and stops. Gently remove all the cartridges and place them on a clean surface. The removal technique varies from one model to another. Slide the printhead carriage towards right and power off the printer. Locate the front bracket, lift up the front tab with little force, the printhead comes up.
Image of the CLEANED PRINTHEAD
ALTERNATIVE METHOD De-Clogging or Fixing the Printhead Issues USING HOT WATER (It does work but you may choose at your own risk we recommend to clean the printhead using our Printhead Flush Cleaning Kit)
Get the below items to start cleaning
1X Glass or Plastic Jug
Lint-free cleaning cloth
Hot water (Filtered and/or distilled)
Watch below a complete video on how to clean the edible printhead using hot water
STEP 1: REMOVE THE PRINTHEAD AND SOAKING THE PRINTHEAD
Heat the distilled water in a glass or jar until some steam appears on the surface (Boiling not required). Submerge the printhead into water. Make sure the water level is at least 1 or 2 inches above the printhead. Agitate it, and leaves it submerged for the next half an hour.
Remove the printhead once the time is up and rinse it. Repeat the process . Use fresh water every time until., Remove the printhead and leave it to dry completely on a paper towel.
STEP 2 DRYING THE PRINTHEAD
Place the printhead inclined to a vertical wall, so that water droplets come out. Now take your lint free cloth to dry the printhead completely. Alternatively, you may use a hair drier to blow a jet of air to dry the printhead, or apply an oil-free compressed air purchased from the market.
STEP 3 REINSTALLING THE PRINTHEAD
Reinstall the printhead back into the printer. Mind the uninstallation technique you applied to remove it earlier.. Do not apply force even if it gets stuck. Take it out and then reinstall it back. Lower the level (A3 Printer) or push in the front plastic level (A4 Printer). Check the ink level in your cartridges. If required, do a refilling and place them well in the carriage and place everything back into place. Now, perform a test.
Perform this Healthy Practice if You Do Not Use Your Edible Printer Regularly
Keep running a NOZZLE check to make sure that the nozzles or ink passages do not get chocked
All-metal connector on the printhead must be wiped using a soft cloth soaked in alcohol to prevent rust formation on its surface on a regular basis
Perform a check of the printhead using the printer software on a regular basis
Note: You may also use a steam jet to clean your printhead nozzles. Make sure steam jet machine’s nozzle is tuned to bring out the steam with the right pressure.
If you have exhausted all the printhead maintenance procedures mentioned on this support page without hitting any success, call your Canon Customer Support or an experienced printer repair expert. It may be time to replace your printhead. Keep the compatibility aspect in mind while getting a replacement.
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