I have a Canon MP630. I rarely use it. Last night I went to print a picture. There was no yellow in the print. The yellow cartridge is full. After several cleaning cycles and test prints there was no improvement. Does anyone have any suggestions? I do not have tape covering the cartridge hole.
How old is the cartridge?
It sounds like the ink injectors have dried up and clogged because it was not being used often enough to keep it clean. If you have some ink cleaner (or diluted water based paint thinner (2 parts water - 1 part thinner), and put some into a plate or shallow bowl, and let the cartridge head soak for 1-2 minutes it may clear out the clog. Dry it off with a lint free cloth, and run the clean cycle on the printer again afterward. Usually if it works, you’ll get some bleeding on the cloth after cleaning it. *
If this doesn’t work or you don’t have any cleaner, buy a new cartridge. It could also be the cartridge is just too old, and the ink inside has dried up. I doubt the printer itself is broken.
- not a repair expert, but I have experienced this myself a couple times with a printer I don’t use very often, and this worked both times.
edit - also check the contacts on the both the printer and cartridge. cleaning both with a bit of alcohol on a Q-tip will help clean them off. Make the Q-tip wet enough so it doesn’t strand, but not soaked so it drips everywhere. Blow some air onto the contacts to dry it off, before re-installing the cartridge.
I have in the past unclogged jets by standing them on a saucer on which there is a damp bit of tissue over night.
I got tired of wasting ink ( $$$ ) & cleaning is a PITA.
Made a little 4 color test jpg just wide nuff to require two passes from the printer which was 2 inches long.
I printed it once a week. 4 weeks on one page just by turning the paper.
Became a habit & problem solved.
This happens to me more often than I care for, so now, I bought the cheapest printer I could find @ Walmart. $30 for a cheap HP that included 4 cartridges. (CMYK and FULL retail carts too, not introductory carts) You do the math.
I gave up on ink jets entirely (I may print a couple times a year at home). I ended up just buying a color laser printer. Two years later, I’m still on the starter cartridges, but never had a problem.
I used rubbing alcohol to clean the jets (wipe bottom of print head, lightly).
I gave up on inkjets when I went to pick up my Canon printer after I picked it up and found my fingers all coverd with ink… for the second time.