Canon: Troubleshooting refilled cartridges

Occassionally when refilling cartridges the cartridge can fail to feed ink properly to the printhead causing symptoms similar to a clogged printhead.

Causes can include:

1. Poor feeding between spongeless and sponge part of the cartridge
2. Air bubbles/foam slowing or reducing ink flow within the sponge
3. Blocked cartridge vent hole/matrix
4. Dried ink in the sponge

Solution for points 1 & 2.

Canon cartridges are designed with three different sponges located in the outlet port, and two seperate types in the sponged area. Their density and size varies as do their roles in the cartridge and as a result you can get problems with feeding when the ink fails to create a bridge between the sponges on its path to the printhead. To help resolve this, repriming the cartridge can help.

The approach used depends on your chosen refilling method as shown below:

German Method

To reprime a cartridge:

1. Reinsert the needle as per normal on a German refill
2. Start dribbling ink out of the needle and slowly start to remove the needle
3. Keep dribbling ink out of the needle until the needle is almost out
4. Maintain neutral pressure on the SquEasyFill bottle and carefully remove the needle

This approach leaves a trail of ink along the path of the needle as a sort of bridge between the spongeless and sponged part of the cartridge and is particularly useful when a cartridge has been allowed to get overly dry.

Both Methods:

(This applies to both the Top-Fill and German methods)

1. Ensure the cartridge is plugged (if Top-filled)
2. Turn the cartridge over and rest on its top so the outlet port is facing up
3. Slowly dribble ink into the outlet port to moisten the outlet port

Note: Be careful not to over-saturate the sponge in the port.

Blocked Cartridge Vent Hole/Matrix

All canon cartridges have a vent hole or more accurately as sort of twisting path in the top that allows air to enter the cartridge to replace ink as it is used up. This matrix needs to be kept clear or the lack of replacement air will result in the ink being held in a sort of vacuum and starve the printhead of ink.

There are two approaches to resolving this issue.

Approach #1

This approach is best used if you realise you have overfilled your cartridge to the point that ink has bubbled out of the vent hole, or you suspect it may have been filled.

1. Ensure the fill hole (if using Top-Fill) has been plugged properly
2. Choose a “safe” area where mess can be caught/collected and cleaned up
3. Ensure the outlet port on the cartridge is open
4. Wipe any excess ink off the top of the cartridge
5. Carefully place your mouth over the vent hole and blow VERY gently into the vent
6. You should see one or more drops of ink exiting the outlet port

If you do not see any ink leaving the cartridge, avoid the temptation to blow too hard into the cartridge as this will either explosively release the clog or similar resulting in a LOT of mess!

Approach #2

See Purging/Flushing cartridge below

If all else fails…

… or if your problem requires more drastic “start-over” action (such as dried ink in the sponge) then flushing your cartridge is a good way to reset things.

Purging/Flushing a Canon Cartridge

Purging or Flushing a cartridge is primarily a weapon of last resort and requires patience to do properly. When done effectively it removes any dried ink, lingering clogs, clears the vent matrix and refreshes the cartridge sponge ready for a fresh refill. As I said, it still requires patience to do it properly so if you’re hoping for a quick fix wait until you have some time and a calm head attached.

Rather than reinvent the wheel I’ve chosen to link to two very well written guides on the topic that cover:

a) the process of purging/flushing the cartridge

… and…

b) the process of drying out the cartridge enough to prepare it for refilling

A few pertinent points to note though:

1. There is little point in flushing a cartridge a little if your problem is poor ink flow, poor ink combination or similar.
2. Take the time to flush it until the water being pushed through is clear
3. When drying the cartridge, avoid drying the cartridge to the point of bone dry. Try to leave it a little moist as this helps ink flow within the sponge between the different sections while a bone dry cartridge sponge can sometimes need some repriming help to get ink to flow again properly.