Canon print head alignment?

[thai3]

Bought a Canon Pixima MP287 with an ink tank and they set up in the shop and did a test print, looked OK. When we got it home the colour is double imaging and looks terrible, black not too bad. On doing the same test print it's obvious the print head has become out of alignment, must have got a knock on the way home, although we were careful with it. The manual says do a test print then scan it to re align the print heads but this made no difference, if anything it's a bit worse. Shop says refer to the manual, so it's useless for printing in colour, any one any ideas, you tube has a lot of wonky stuff in foreign languages as I think this is an Asian model. Wife says it's my fault for buying it, it's always my fault!

 

There is/was another way of manually adjusting the heads via maintenance dialog  box in windows, unfortunately this manual option seems to have disappeared after OS 7 

Edited January 5, 2017 by thai3

[Pib]

Have you checked to see if both the color and black & white printheads are seated properly in their holders? A large clip on the top of each holder holds the heads in place/the correct postion. If the clip unsnaps it allows movement (misaligment) of the head.

[thai3]

no will have a look thanks

[lungbing]

I thought that on Canons the print head is at the bottom of  the ink cartridge.  If so check the ink cartridges are seated properly.

[Pib]

Various Canon printers have various types of printheads.  I also have a MP287 to include the external tanks (you know, the unauthorized modification type which has tube running from the external tanks to the printheads to keep them full)..  Been using it about 5 years now.  The printhead is actually the head and ink cartridge in one....not like some printer where you have a printhead which ink refill cartridges fit into and do nothing but feed ink to the head.

 

Various inkjet printer manufacturers have finally got the hint by now building in refillable tanks (to inlcude Canon with its newer models).  Because many users simply will not pay the high price for replacement printheads simply because they run out of ink so fast and have instead modified them with external tanks.   Having to replace printheads so often simply because they ran out of ink was a real cash cow for inkjet manufacturers.

 

With my MP287 with the unauthorized external ink tanks I get around 2.5 years out of a printhead before its printing degrades and you just need to replace it...not because of lack of ink....just because the printhead electronics/tiny nozzles will no longer print clearly even when clean.

[thai3]

Took it back to the shop with prints, they found grease/dirt on the bar that the carts run along said that's what it was. Works ok now. Better to buy a printer at one of these shops that just deal with printers and not a chain selling all sorts of equipment.