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    My Printer Died

    My Canon i9950 A3+ printer is now deceased. Bit disappointing really as it's only 15 years old!

    Canon stopped supporting it in October 2016 and I could no longer buy genuine Canon inks, so I used good quality 3rd party inks a couple of months ago when my supply of Canon inks ran out. It may just be a coincidence about using 3rd party inks, or it may have been a contributory factor, either way, I have an ex printer. Checking the error codes, the print head needs replacing, but I went through a process of cleaning the head and the electrical contacts, but it still came up with change the print head. They are available from the USA at $155, plus $40 postage and some import duty, but for a 15 year old printer, time to call it a day. Just out of interest, the serial number was 000085, which makes it a very early one.

    What to do next?

    The easy answer is just get a replacement model. I will stick with Canon so that means the Pro 1 at around £600, Pro 10s at around £530, or the Pro 100s at around £370. For various reasons, I would go for the Pro 10s.

    But life is never quite that simple. On further analysis, I do around 30 large prints a year which need to be of high quality. I do hundreds of smaller prints, mostly for family and they only need to be of reasonable quality. Then I do a few hundred document prints on plain paper. So, if I was sensible and had my thinking head on, I could buy an inexpensive A4 printer to do nearly all of my printing and leave the high quality big stuff to specialist labs, who do the work for quite reasonable prices. The downside to being sensible is I would have to ensure my high quality prints were sorted well in advance of need and the very high cost of inks for the less expensive printer. Difficult to quantify, but just in ink alone I could probably fund the Pro 10s within 3 years and with the better printer, I am in full control and if required, could print at a moments notice. Not a deal changer, but on my previous i9950 I could print directly onto printable CD's and I always considered that facility a nice touch and this is also available on the Pixma Pro 10s.

    Back to my earlier thought ................ what to do next?
    Colin

    #2
    Re: My Printer Died

    Colin the head replacement is often a software driven thing based on its perceived life and print numbers, my Epson at work had the same, we found on the web the reset procedure and it carried on printing for another 4 years :) can you not do the same?
    Last edited by TonyT; 04-07-2017, 22:43.
    Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

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      #3
      Re: My Printer Died

      Head and inks still available.

      Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

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        #4
        Re: My Printer Died

        Thanks for the info Tony, but I did some fairly extensive research over a couple of weeks and there was no hint of a reset procedure. I also found a couple of UK suppliers for the print head, but still an expensive investment for a 15 year old printer.
        Colin

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          #5
          Re: My Printer Died

          Will this do it?

          Can I reset the EEPROM of a canon print head?
          Reset Procedures for Canon i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i9100, i9950 Printers
          Turn off Canon i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i9100, i9950 Printers
          Hold down Resume button and press Power button.
          Keep holding down Power button and let Resume button go.
          Press Resume button 2 times then let BOTH buttons go.
          Green lights will flash and then stop blinking.
          When green lights are solid, press the Resume button 4 times.
          Press the Power button and the printer should turn off, if not, press the Power button once more.
          Your Canon i550, i560, i850, i860, i865, i9100, i9950 Printers should respond as normal.

          nothing will print half way through printing a page the printer stoped and showed a error message to cancel print - Canon PIXMA iP3000 InkJet Photo question
          Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

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            #6
            Re: My Printer Died

            I have a Pro 10 which I bought just before the Pro10 S model release. My rationale was that it would pay for itself by my printing my LRPS panel....which ideally you need to do yourself. I considered the Pro 1 because the inks are larger capacity but they are more expensive....and a bigger risk of drying up in extended periods of not printing. Both of those models use pigment inks ......I get a set of inks from Premier Inks for around £90....and keep a full set of spares ready to use and then replenish according to predicted needs.
            Brian Vickers LRPS

            brianvickersphotography.com

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              #7
              My Printer Died

              Tony's suggestion at #5 above is worth a try Colin. It's a nil cost suggestion which for a Yorkshire man with short arms and long pockets is always a winner [emoji6]

              Let's know how you get on if you do decide to try it.


              Sent from somewhere in Gods County using Tapatalk
              Peter

              Feel free to browse my
              Website : www.peterstockton-photography.co.uk
              Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_original_st/

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                #8
                Re: My Printer Died

                Tony I am most grateful you spent the time to research this on my behalf. I am pretty sure I have tried this already, but I gave it another go with fingers and toes fully crossed, but to no avail. It has breathed its last and time to write the obituary.

                Brian, just how good is the Pro 10? I would value your realtime experience over on-line reviews anytime.
                Colin

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                  #9
                  Re: My Printer Died

                  Well, things have moved on a pace.

                  Still wondering whether to buy the Pro 10s, or go for a small printer, I was once again checking "Tinternet" checking prices and even considering a Grey Import, when one flashed up at £409. This looked rather too good to be true and on further investigation, it was from WEX and an "Open Box" model. This means the box has been opened and returned by a dealer, or used for a demo, sold as new with full warranty. On that basis well worth a punt, so a quick conversation with my financial controller (Mrs C), gained reluctant approval to go ahead. I acted quickly before someone else grabbed it and it will shortly be winging its way into my grubby little mitts.

                  I do spend a lot of time considering any new major purchase and rightly so. The benefits, downsides and of course the cost, but once the decision is made I am full steam ahead. Many thanks to all that have contributed to this thread and I was still in a bit of a quandary until this option presented itself. I generally consider that if a deal is too good to be true, then it is, but coming from a reputable supplier like WEX, I am quite comfortable that all will be well.

                  New toys ............ yippee!
                  Colin

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                    #10
                    Re: My Printer Died

                    Congratulations on your new printer Colin, sounds like you have found a great deal. I've always been impressed with the quality of print from my Canon Pixma 4000, like me it's a bit long in the tooth but it doesn't get much work to do nowadays [emoji6]


                    Sent from somewhere in Gods County using Tapatalk
                    Peter

                    Feel free to browse my
                    Website : www.peterstockton-photography.co.uk
                    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_original_st/

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: My Printer Died

                      went through the same a couple of months ago colin when my trusty i-6600d did exactly the same ,i tried a clean of the easily removed print head in a vibrating machine it cleaned up perfectly ,but it still kept coming up with error .
                      not doing enough printing these days to warrant another pro printer i got a pixma one from argos for £39.99

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: My Printer Died

                        I'm sure you'll be pleased.
                        I connect by wire rather than wifi but otherwise no real problems.....when not used for a while it once told me it had a fault and needed to go back for service...but a quick reset (switch off and on at the wall) cleared that.
                        Brian Vickers LRPS

                        brianvickersphotography.com

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: My Printer Died

                          It's arrived.

                          Bit of a big beastie and doesn't fit where my previous printer lived. It looks absolutely spanking brand new and even has the protective cellophane over the labels and switches. I have done a couple of test prints to satisfy myself that all is well and I am very pleased with the results.

                          I look forward to printing much larger in the near future.
                          Colin

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: My Printer Died

                            A result Colin
                            Peter

                            Feel free to browse my
                            Website : www.peterstockton-photography.co.uk
                            Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_original_st/

                            Comment

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