MX920 vertical line alignment

[stevec5088]

My MX920 blurs both text output and copies in the same way.  Below is a picture of a copy of a standard 4-per-inch graph paper.

Auto Head Alignment failed several times, then pulling the power, waiting/pressing the on button, then re-power and starting, auto alignment reported success, but the graph paper copy still appears like the image below.

More info, a color copy shows the blue lines of the graph paper much better--the vertical lines shift one pixel left, then right every half-inch.  But no double line blurryness like the image here.

Is my printer toast, or can this be fixed?  

Thanks for any help.

[Patrick]

Hi stevec5088,

Based on your description of the issue, it would appear as though the encoder/timing strip in your PIXMA MX922 is dirty or smudged and would need to be cleaned. To clean the encoder/timing strip, please follow the steps outlined in the following Knowledgebase Article available from Canon's web site:

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index?page=content&id=ART142447

After cleaning, please attempt to print again.

[stevec5088]

This did not resolve the issue.

Thinking about it, and looking at the printed image, a dirty timing belt would result in a randomly messy image.  In my case, the lines show a predictable error pattern, actually criss-crossing as the page rolls through the printer.  Also, when printing in color, the vertical lines are almost correct -- it's only the black output that is so out-of-sync.

[normd]

My  Pixma MX922 vertical lines go from single to double and back to single about every 20 mm down the page. This effect appears across the whole page, but only when printing BLACK. COLOR works fine. Head alignment is perfect. As others have reported, black is the only problem, not color, and cleaning the encoderstrip did not fix it.

[ArthurJ]

Hi normd,

It is recommended that you contact one of Canon's Technical Support Representatives. To contact a Technical Support Representative, please dial 1-800-OK-CANON (1-800-652-2666), Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST.

[stevec5088]

normd:  I "retired" that printer since I couldn't find a solution.

If you get any help from Technical Support, please do post back.  I'd like to know if there is anything I might do.